tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/inclusive-schools-76683/articlesinclusive schools – The Conversation2023-06-20T21:22:38Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2076002023-06-20T21:22:38Z2023-06-20T21:22:38ZNew Brunswick’s LGBTQ+ safe schools debate makes false opponents of parents and teachers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533024/original/file-20230620-20-hawh29.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=52%2C8%2C5817%2C3822&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New Brunswick's contentious updated Policy 713 on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools will take effect July 1.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Across Canada, we are witnessing a surge of unrest surrounding 2SLGBTQIA+ policy changes and cultural shifts in education, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9758359/nb-blaine-higgs-lgbtq-policy-713-backlash/">sparking heated debates</a> and rallies across the country. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-schools-become-targets-for-backlash-against-lgbtq-rights/">Ontario</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/heather-stefanson-book-bans-lgbtq-1.6848704?cmp=rss">Manitoba</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9703502/jennifer-johnson-transphobic-alberta-election/">Alberta</a> have all recently made the news regarding 2SLGBTQIA+ educational issues. </p>
<p>In New Brunswick, the premier and education minister sparked backlash and contentious debate after a recent call to review policy that sets minimum standards for <a href="https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-b-government-expands-review-of-province-s-policy-on-sexual-orientation-in-schools-1.6414635">establishing safe, welcoming, inclusive and affirming learning environments for students, families and allies who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+
</a><a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2023.06.0297.html">(Policy 713)</a>. </p>
<p>Recently announced changes to <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/policies-politiques/e/713.pdf">the 2020 policy</a> have sparked a volatile debate reflecting polarizing arguments that make false opponents out of parents and teachers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People seen standing holidng pride flags outside a school bus." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532775/original/file-20230619-23-kntsbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Across Canada, we are witnessing a surge of unrest surrounding 2SLGBTQIA+ policy changes. Supporters wave flags to show support for students at East Wiltshire School in Cornwall, P.E.I., in June 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Students’ rights to choose pronoun/name</h2>
<p>Policy 713 had clearly set guidelines related to supportive school environments, alliances, self-identification and “universal spaces,” referring to all schools having at least one universal washroom accessible at all times. </p>
<p>Under <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/policies-politiques/e/713.pdf">the original policy</a>, school staff would consult with a transgender or non-binary student to determine their preferred first name and pronouns. Only if a student under age 16 wished to change their name for official record keeping (such as on a report card), the student was required to get parental consent. The policy also said that when contacting a parent to discuss a students’ preferred name, the principal must have the student’s informed consent.</p>
<p>Changes to the policy say if students under 16 disagree to get parental consent to change the name used in school record keeping, they would be referred to a social worker or school psychologist “<a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/policies-politiques/e/713-2023-07-01.pdf">to work with them in the development of a plan</a> to speak with their parents if and when they are ready to do so.” </p>
<p>However, CBC reported that when asked whether the changes mean teachers can use a child’s preferred name or pronoun informally in the classroom without parental consent, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-policy-713-review-hogan-1.6863231">Bill Hogan, New Brunswick’s minister of education and early childhood development, said, “According to the policy, they will use the name of the student given at birth</a>.”</p>
<p>Members and allies <a href="https://www.change.org/p/save-policy-713-and-the-rights-of-2slgbtqia-students-in-new-brunswick-schools?redirect=false">of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community advocate for Policy 713 remaining as written</a>. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-lgbtq-policy-rights-protections-1.6868375">said the changes “violate the rights and dignity” of LGBTQ youth</a>. In a statement, the New Brunswick Association of School Psychologists said the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/school-psychologist-social-worker-trans-students-pronouns-1.6879422">new policy will hurt students</a> and that “misgendering transgender and gender diverse people increases risk of self-harm, suicidal ideation and other mental health concerns.”</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1669802967627624450"}"></div></p>
<h2>Precedent across the country</h2>
<p>People who support changes to the policy express concerns about <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-nb-premier-blaine-higgs-faces-caucus-revolt-over-education-policy-on">parental rights</a> and traditional values. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/policy-713-nationwide-attention-1.6876528">CBC reports that a conservative Christian group based in British Columbia has encouraged supporters</a> to lobby New Brunswick MLAs because what happens in the province could set a precedent across the country.</p>
<p>While the public was assured that stakeholders were being consulted throughout the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s review process, some <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-policy-713-consultation-review-process-1.6861948">students</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9725559/nb-parent-used-lgbtq2-inclusion-policy/">parents who</a> were consulted did not feel their voices were truly being heard. </p>
<h2>Polarized arguments</h2>
<p>Recently, there have been outrageous allegations that schools or teachers are <a href="https://www.pafe.ca/why_are_without_parental_consent">“grooming”</a> children for gender transition, or that schools are “<a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/the-state-has-no-right-keeping-childrens-gender-identity-secret-from-parents">keeping children’s gender identity secret</a>.” </p>
<p>Teachers <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9727632/nbta-consultation-policy-713-review/">are caught in the crossfire</a>. Teachers aim to foster students’ <a href="https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/">self-determination (which requires meeting the needs of being one’s authentic self in relationships with others, having autonomy and a sense of competence)</a>, self-advocacy and safe and inclusive learning environments, but now face being ordered to disregard children’s voices. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AHA9pC_tm0s?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC News video about Policy 713.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is important to understand that parents/guardians and families were not excluded by the original policy. The aim was to ensure “all members of the school environment have the right to self-identify and express themselves without fear of consequences…” </p>
<p>Being positioned as the enemy of parents and children’s welfare, at the same time as they are being ordered to refrain from inclusive practices for
specific groups, has increased the strain on already drained educators.</p>
<h2>Duty of care</h2>
<p>To speak of schools or teachers keeping secrets is misleading. Teachers are mandatory reporters. They are legally bound to keep the youth in their care safe from neglect and abuse. There are policies and procedures for this <a href="https://asdeast.nbed.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/725n.pdf">in school boards and in the Education Act</a>.</p>
<p>Teachers also have a duty of care for the safety, well-being and education of all students during school hours. Teachers set the learning environment, but students whether age four, 14 or 17 have agency in the way they engage with the conditions teachers establish.</p>
<p>An educator’s ability to support students’ thriving is grounded in the relationships built with students, their families and their communities. Collaboration and co-operative planning with the child or young person are essential, and involving their guardians and community however possible, is ideal. </p>
<p>A team approach hopefully results in young people positively constructing their identities, discovering their interests and passions and exploring possibilities through academic and social aspects of school life.</p>
<p>However, for some this journey is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lgtbq-bullying-cape-breton-1.6818760">harder than for others</a>.</p>
<h2>Supporting students’ self-advocacy</h2>
<p>Outside of mandatory reporting, teachers make professional judgements grounded in a firm framework of ethical practice, policy guidelines, knowledge of students and consultation when required.</p>
<p>If a student shares something with a trusted person like a teacher and there is no cause for concern, teachers maintain neutrality and confidentiality. Teachers strive to affirm (not <a href="https://genderreport.ca/gender-transition-at-school/">encourage</a>) what the student is telling them. Teachers offer a non-judgemental space, and support young people to self-advocate or co-advocate to <a href="https://www.studentscommission.ca/assets/pdf/en/publications/Adults_Allies_in_Action.pdf">build relationships with adults</a> and community members in their lives. </p>
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<img alt="Pieces of paper showing different pronouns." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532848/original/file-20230620-56698-dljgrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sense of trust could be diminished for students if their school community won’t use their preferred pronouns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/twitter-drops-policy-against-deadnaming-local-organizations-consider-leaving-platform-1.6816906">Refusing to honour a student’s request to be called by a name or pronoun</a> they prefer, or insisting they see a counsellor or psychologist, could <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-brunswick-blaine-higgs-policy-713-1.6880751">diminish trust</a> between a student and their teachers and families. </p>
<p>This would isolate the student, with neither families nor teachers as <a href="https://www.minus18.org.au/articles/how-to-be-a-trans-ally">allies</a>, potentially putting the student at <a href="https://nbmediacoop.org/2023/06/16/commentary-from-rainbows-to-storm-clouds-unraveling-the-hidden-harms-of-new-brunswickes-changes-to-policy-713/">greater risk</a>.</p>
<h2>Reducing stigma</h2>
<p>It is crucial to address the source of marginalization, which is discrimination. </p>
<p>We need to provide support to children and youth on a case-by-case basis. Education plays a vital role in reducing stigma, dismantling prejudice and discrimination, <a href="https://gpseducation.oecd.org/revieweducationpolicies/#!node=41746&filter=all">promoting acceptance and nurturing a diverse and vibrant society</a>.</p>
<p>Schools must continue to be inclusive and foster cultures of equity, acceptance and compassion where each student is valued and honoured for who they are.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Guided by policy, practice and relationships with students, families and communities, teachers are charged with helping all students thrive. To suggest otherwise is disturbing.Andrea Garner, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New BrunswickMelissa Dockrill Garrett, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New BrunswickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2046402023-05-30T21:03:53Z2023-05-30T21:03:53ZAchieving full inclusion in schools: Lessons from New Brunswick<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528946/original/file-20230529-30-k0cdnk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=175%2C233%2C6139%2C3483&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Initially, inclusion in schools meant bringing students with disabilities, who had previously been educated in segregated institutions, into mainstream school. A classroom seen in Vancouver, B.C., April 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In New Brunswick, the issue of inclusion in schools is most recently in the spotlight due to calls to review policy that <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9686055/new-brunswick-parent-speaks-against-lgbtq2-school-policy-review/">safeguards students</a> and allies of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. </p>
<p>The province’s education minister says the review of Policy 713 will consider issues related to providing gender-neutral washrooms in schools and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-lgbtq-rights-schools-1.6854807">parental rights</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/parental-rights-lobby-puts-trans-and-queer-kids-at-risk-184804">'Parental rights' lobby puts trans and queer kids at risk</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>New Brunswick claims to have achieved full inclusion “<a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/policies-politiques/e/322A.pdf">based on a system of values and beliefs centered on the best interest of the student</a>.” </p>
<p>But these recent and <a href="https://educhatter.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/eliminating-french-immersion-why-did-the-delphi-technique-consultations-fail-the-test-in-new-brunswick/">other issues</a> related to inclusion beg the question: Whose values and beliefs are determining actions in our school system, and who decides what is in the best interest of each student?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pride flag seen flying near a school bus." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528945/original/file-20230529-19-72tsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Who decides what is in the best interest of each student? A pride flag is waved as students go to school at East Wiltshire School in Cornwall, P.E.I., in June 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Defining the intended results</h2>
<p>We question whether striving for inclusion in schools will ever produce the intended results when, as is the case in New Brunswick, these intended results haven’t been clearly articulated.</p>
<p>This has been the case since 1986 when the province first rolled out an inclusion education model, more than 35 years ago. Initially, inclusion meant to bring the students with disabilities, who had previously been educated in segregated institutions, into mainstream school. </p>
<p>Since then, and through the development of subsequent school inclusion policies, our society has experienced rapid change, including technological change, and advocacy to recognize systemic inequities related to disability, racial injustice, colonialism as well as gender and sexuality. </p>
<p>Our recent research has highlighted the lack of agreement about what inclusion means today, or how to achieve it, leaving us with a <a href="https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wicked-problem/about/What-is-a-wicked-problem">“wicked problem”</a> — one with no clear goal or solution. </p>
<p>We argue that if we have to intentionally include <em>some</em> people, it is because they are the imagined “other,” a retrofitted afterthought. </p>
<h2>What is school inclusion?</h2>
<p>In 2021, New Brunswick’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development released <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/moving-forward.pdf">a report</a>, which prompted a long-overdue review of the 2013 Inclusion Education policy (Policy 322).</p>
<p>This report acknowledged the many misinterpretations of the inclusion policy that were highlighted in <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/mackay/ReportOnInclusiveEducationSummaryDocument.pdf">earlier 2006</a> and <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/Inclusion/Inclusion.pdf">2012 reports</a>.</p>
<p>It also expanded the definition of inclusive education beyond the scope of disability. It examined equity pertaining to “those that have been historically pushed to margins” including Indigenous students, students of colour, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, newcomers and language learners. </p>
<h2>Meeting children’s needs</h2>
<p>The report was a significant step forward. However, in attempts to achieve inclusion, the notion of “us” who are part of the majority group versus “them,” whose values, beliefs and needs differ from entrenched system norms, is persistent. </p>
<p>Continually highlighting and pathologizing differences rather than celebrating distinctive qualities and strengths in unique experiences stagnates progress.</p>
<p>For example, many schools continue to apply the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357334256_The_implications_of_medical_and_social_models_of_disability_in_education_settings#fullTextFileContent">medical model</a> of framing disability. This model equates <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-exactly-is-neurodiversity-using-accurate-language-about-disability-matters-in-schools-193195">difference from an imagined norm as being in need of a fixing</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of folders seen in a classroom" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527341/original/file-20230520-124170-fjyr76.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students’ folders are seen in a classroom in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some parents question how efforts towards inclusion are meeting <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-school-boards-target-special-education-classrooms">their children’s needs</a> in mainstream classrooms, or how physically, mentally and emotionally <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9686055/new-brunswick-parent-speaks-against-lgbtq2-school-policy-review/">safe their children are in schools</a>. </p>
<p>This may be more true post-COVID-19, as learning gaps, children’s <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/02/21/could-your-teen-refusing-to-go-to-school-be-a-sign-of-mental-health-disability.html?rf">refusal to go to school</a>, anxiety, poor mental health and <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/paul-w-bennett-canadas-schools-have-descended-into-a-violent-hell-and-we-let-it-happen">violence</a> have increased in schools. </p>
<h2>Not a simple fix</h2>
<p>To understand why our inclusion efforts continue to leave educators, students and families in a perpetual loop of failed trials and frustrating attempts, we look at persistent and outdated misinterpretations of inclusion. These assume:</p>
<p><strong>1. Inclusion is mostly about accessing a physical “place.”</strong></p>
<p>The assumption that by containing all students within the same physical space as their same-age peer groups, inclusion is achieved — that it is in all learners’ <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/policies-politiques/e/322A.pdf">best interest</a>, that everyone benefits from being there at all times and that every student wants to be there — is inaccurate. </p>
<p><strong>2. Inclusion is just about disability.</strong> </p>
<p>This perpetuates othering on the basis of normative notions of ability and development, negating the diversity of the student population including marginalized, racialized and equity-deserving groups. It also fails to acknowledge intersectionality, personality and the dynamic nature of the human condition.</p>
<p><strong>3. Inclusion can be accomplished because people and their needs are fixed and don’t change.</strong></p>
<p>This ignores the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkTCSseDNms">diversity in social, emotional, cognitive and cultural difference by interest, topic, activity and skill</a> that each student and teacher has. It neglects consideration of individuals’ potential for growth through high expectations, rich experiences and evolving relationships. </p>
<p><strong>4. Additional funding and resources will resolve challenges.</strong></p>
<p>Some think <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/classrooms-educational-assistants-funding-1.5299434">adding more educators or resource workers</a> will bolster inclusion, but this does not address roots of challenges. Additional resources not leveraged effectively can have the effect of isolating students. </p>
<p><strong>5. Inclusion is the educators’ responsibility alone.</strong></p>
<p>Inclusion is often perceived as something educators will achieve. While educators are key in modelling ways of relating with and respecting students and honouring their needs, the entire school community needs to be involved. This means not only teachers and school administrators, but also students themselves, their parents, support staff and policymakers.</p>
<h2>Shifting focus</h2>
<p>If we consider the barriers to authentic inclusive education, primarily located in the antiquated design of the education system, we see the complexity of this wicked problem. </p>
<p>A discussion of what inclusive education looks like in 2023 is required, starting with questions about sources of inequities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.stf.sk.ca/about-stf/news/standardized-assessment-hindering-opportunities-all-students">Assessment practices</a>, organizational structure, and <a href="https://techtalent.ca/education-system-should-never-be-one-size-fits-all/">age-old concepts of an imagined average for teaching</a> and behaviour pose barriers to all learners, who are distinctive in their strengths, interests and educational abilities. </p>
<p>As a step forward, let’s explore system practices and environmental design. To begin imagining learners working together pursuing individual goals within the cohesive whole, we propose three questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What are the impacts on learning, relationships and community of maintaining the idea that inclusion equals being in one place? </p></li>
<li><p>In what ways do physical and virtual spaces and practices affirm and celebrate the distinct characteristics and contributions of every person? How are students’ voices heard, where can they see themselves represented and how are their contributions honoured? </p></li>
<li><p>How can students, teachers, parents and administrators be involved in co-creating a new understanding of equity and inclusive practices, challenging systemic practices that pose barriers and examining sources of inequities to address them? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>We have seen thriving inclusive cultures in schools that tackle these questions resulting in strong leadership grounded in shared community values, where teachers use a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk_c_nJwjvc">strength-based approach</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/B7qYJY62X2s">universal design for learning</a> effectively.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research about how New Brunswick education has envisioned inclusion since the 1980s offers lessons in rethinking how to realize schools that celebrate all students’ strengths.Melissa Dockrill Garrett, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New BrunswickAndrea Garner, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New BrunswickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1754912022-05-24T20:57:15Z2022-05-24T20:57:15ZTo serve school communities and address inequities after COVID-19, principals must become activists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462075/original/file-20220509-22-fe7d3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C30%2C5135%2C3035&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What might schools' pandemic responses have looked like if principals had been provided with the resources and decision-making abilities they need to serve their communities? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A survey of Ontario principals <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2020-21-AOSS-Final-Report-Published-110721.pdf">about COVID-19 challenges</a> and specific school issues like technology found that in the pandemic principals were hearing “about province-wide education policy decisions at the same time as the public received news.” This “did not support schools in navigating the rapidly changing pandemic landscape.”</p>
<p>The 2020-21 report on Ontario schools was compiled by <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/">People for Education</a>, a charitable organization that supports public education rough research, policy and public engagement. More than 1,000 principals (1,173) participated in a fall 2020 survey; 209 principals completed a spring 2021 follow-up survey, and 20 principals were interviewed June 2021.</p>
<p>Principals often found themselves responding to community queries and questions without all of the information.</p>
<p>The pandemic represents a rift, and our society has opportunities to re-create and re-imagine. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a shirt and jacket is seen at a podium that says protecting our progress." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459839/original/file-20220426-12-7uqesf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce makes an announcement in January.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Shifting leadership</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2020.1811479">Alma Harris and Michelle Jones</a>, who study school leadership, highlight the demanding and chaotic circumstances in which principals find themselves today and suggest school leadership practices have been changed as a result of COVID-19. </p>
<p>In the People for Education survey, Ontario principals describe their own leadership as being pushed to the limit, making many tasks insurmountable. They call for greater collaboration between themselves, school-based staff, central school board leaders and the Ministry of Education.</p>
<p>Key recommendations emerging from the survey were for the Ministry of Education to give advance communication about province-wide policy decisions, to consult stakeholders with on-the-ground experience in schools, to <a href="https://theconversation.com/school-funding-is-needed-for-student-well-being-not-only-coronavirus-safety-rules-140818">fund additional staffing</a> and to broaden access to technology. </p>
<h2>Shifting roles of principals</h2>
<p>In the pandemic, principals had to become pseudo medical professionals, making decisions around COVID-19 symptoms while juggling staff and student absences and COVID-19 operational infractions, all while ensuring that schools remained productive places of learning. </p>
<p>They had to navigate <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-pandemic-upended-principals-jobs-do-professional-leader-standards-reflect-the-shift/2021/12">unpredictability and the politicization COVID-19 brought to many communities as some parents resisted</a> pandemic guidelines. Principals were constantly communicating to dispel misinformation in a time when messaging changed almost daily.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Anti-masking protesters seen outside a school." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459830/original/file-20220426-18-terarq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters in support of ending mask mandates and COVID-19 restrictions in schools hold signs outside a school in Kemptville, Ont., in February.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Principals were sometimes <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-pandemic-taking-a-toll-on-ontario-school-principals-survey-suggests-1.5320233">COVID-19 contact tracers, screeners and translators of rapidly changing government policies</a>. </p>
<h2>Top-down responses</h2>
<p>Managing chaotic moments and processes consumed the role. Top-down, bureaucratic responses to the pandemic did not provide room for decisions to be made on the ground by principals who know their communities. </p>
<p>The problem is principals are currently faced with outdated, bureaucratic and frankly oppressive practices, which make it difficult to effectively serve their students. For example, during the most recent pivot to online learning, the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-school-boards-face-device-shortages-as-online-classes-loom/"><em>Globe and Mail</em></a> reported on a shortage of devices for families. </p>
<p>Not every family has access to a device at home and many schools simply did not have enough to hand out. With only a couple of days to pivot to online learning, and facing limited resources and a slowed centralized response, many families went without a device for days. </p>
<p>Yet principals across the province created innovative <a href="https://issuu.com/ontarioprincipalscouncil/docs/opc_the_register_-_fall_2021_issue">responses to the challenges the pandemic posed</a>. Their resilience and courage enabled them to do more than just survive the pandemic, but to embrace the challenges it brought and create change that benefitted both staff and students. We need to hear more about these stories of principal leadership dedicated to serving and empowering school communities.</p>
<h2>Addressing systemic inequities</h2>
<p>The opportunities these moments present become significant when we consider the diverse identities and lived experiences of students — as well as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2016.1176062">inequitable distribution of resources in our schools</a>. </p>
<p>Equity and justice educator Paul Gorski writes of the need for educators to engage what he calls “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2016.1228344">equity literacy</a>” — for educators to be able to engage the knowledge and skills needed to be anti-oppressive and to ask themselves if they are actually engaging culturally proficient practices or simply performing them. </p>
<p>For example, anti-Black racism persists <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1052684621993115">and has been embedded within our systems, our practices and thinking around education</a>. Leaders have the opportunity to either uphold this oppression or actively disrupt it. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-after-coronavirus-seize-teachable-moments-about-racism-and-inequities-142238">Schools after coronavirus: Seize 'teachable moments' about racism and inequities</a>
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<p>From time to time, we hear people express a desire to “return to normal” in education. But we cannot cling to the past in search of the norm as this is where the problems originate. </p>
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<img alt="Students seen at a desk working on a project" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459842/original/file-20220426-16-4pzlmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Can the pandemic open new possibilities for schools in which every child and family as well as their experiences are valued and honoured?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/school-choice-policies-are-associated-with-increased-separation-of-students-by-social-class-149902">'School choice' policies are associated with increased separation of students by social class</a>
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<p>Anti-racist scholar <a href="http://www.edcan.ca/articles/opportunism-or-opportunity/">Vidya Shah</a> notes that longstanding inequities were heightened during the pandemic. The pandemic showed “growing gaps between the ability of private and public schools to support the safety and well-being of children,” as well as “massive inequities with regards to student access to technology and Wi-Fi,” and disproportionate effects <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/02/cpho-sunday-edition-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-racialized-communities.html">of COVID-19 on racialized</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-covid-19-science-table-low-income-neighbourhoods-hardest-hit-pandemic-1.6390882">low-income communities</a>.</p>
<p>Shah imagines new possibilities for schools in which every child and family as well as their lived experiences are valued and honoured within a caring and supportive community, and relationships between the school and families are strong and meaningful. </p>
<h2>Envisioning a new role for principals</h2>
<p>Principals can play a key role in creating such a vision. The potential for change lies in a vision of principalship around the concept of socially just, activist leadership. </p>
<p><a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1204359">David Edward deMatthews and Rebecca Tarlau</a>, researchers in educational leadership, find that socially just or activist principals are visible in schools and the community and take concrete steps to have informed understanding of their school contexts and lived experiences in their community. </p>
<p>This includes understanding the political context or confronting injustice. Principals must strategize to find ways to align school goals with system priorities, even when there may be misalignment.</p>
<p>I wonder how different the pandemic response might have been had principals been provided with the resources and decision-making abilities they need to serve their communities. The time has come for activist and socially just leadership.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175491/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kenneth MacKinnon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even with ongoing unpredictability of the pandemic, there’s a role for principals as activist, socially just leaders in a post-pandemic world.Kenneth MacKinnon, Instructor in Educational Leadership, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1767872022-02-14T18:45:41Z2022-02-14T18:45:41Z4 out of 5 parents support teaching gender and sexuality diversity in Australian schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446156/original/file-20220214-21-1qew7ah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4500%2C2984&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Debates about how schools acknowledge gender and sexuality diversity have been ongoing in Australia. It’s often claimed parents oppose the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity content in the teaching of their children. But <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681811.2021.1949975">our research</a> shows four out of five parents support such content being included in the relationships and sexual health curriculum.</p>
<p>Debate about these issues has been revived by the federal <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6821">Religious Discrimination Bill</a> and the NSW One Nation’s <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bill/files/3776/First%20Print.pdf">Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill</a>. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-morrisons-religious-discrimination-package-couldnt-fly-on-a-wing-and-a-prayer-176892">now-shelved</a> federal bill would have allowed religious schools to expel transgender and gender-diverse students. The NSW bill seeks to revoke the accreditation of educators who discuss gender and sexuality diversity in a public school. </p>
<p>Both bills would have the same effect: the erasure of gender and sexuality diversity from schools.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nsw-inquiry-rejects-expert-advice-on-parental-rights-bill-and-it-will-cause-students-to-suffer-167539">NSW inquiry rejects expert advice on Parental Rights Bill, and it will cause students to suffer</a>
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<p>Until now there has been no comprehensive research in Australia that examines what parents actually want in relation to such topics in their child’s education. This lack of research-based evidence has meant even <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0742051X18305407">teachers are unsure</a> about whether or not they are allowed to discuss gender and sexuality diversity. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14681811.2021.1949975">Our landmark study</a>, published in the journal Sex Education, sheds light on this issue. Our findings challenge the idea that most parents oppose the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity-related content in school. </p>
<h2>What did the study find?</h2>
<p>We surveyed 2,093 parents of students attending government schools across the nation. To ensure results could be considered nationally representative, data were weighted using a <a href="https://www.srcentre.com.au/our-research#life-in-aus">probability panel of Australian adults</a>. Both demographic markers (including gender, location and languages spoken at home) and attitudes to education that’s inclusive of gender and sexuality diversity were used to weight the final data set. </p>
<p>The survey asked fundamental questions about parents’ views on the “who, what, when” of relationships and sexuality education. There was a specific focus on how parents felt about including gender and sexuality diversity in the curriculum.</p>
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<p>The findings show 94% of parents want relationships and sexuality education in schools, in keeping with the <a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-and-physical-education/">current Australian Curriculum</a>. When asked about gender and sexuality diversity across six different topic areas, on average, 82% of parent respondents support their inclusion as part of the relationships and sexual health curriculum from kindergarten through to year 12.</p>
<p>In terms of understandings of gender diversity by students at different ages, two-thirds of parents (68%) want this topic introduced in the curriculum by the end of stage 4 of schooling (years 7 and 8). In keeping with other areas, over 80% of parents support its inclusion by the end of year 12. </p>
<p>Parents’ reasons for supporting inclusion were apparent in their views on the purpose of relationships and sexual health education. Given a choice of four central purpose statements, the largest group of parents (nearly 50%) felt this curriculum area should focus on student “empowerment, choice, consent, and acceptance of diversity”. </p>
<h2>It’s about fairness, inclusion and safety</h2>
<p>These findings reflect the culture of fairness and inclusion that most Australians believe in. The results point to parents’ understanding of the importance of inclusion. They object to the <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-04/apo-nid311780_1.pdf">school-based harassment of gender and sexuality diverse students</a> in this country. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/9-in-10-lgbtq-students-say-they-hear-homophobic-language-at-school-and-1-in-3-hear-it-almost-every-day-160356">9 in 10 LGBTQ+ students say they hear homophobic language at school, and 1 in 3 hear it almost every day</a>
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<p>These young people are rarely represented in curriculums. They are not only invisible, but also experience discrimination by omission. </p>
<p>Parents are likely to know Australia has one of the <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/data/populations-age-groups/suicide-among-young-people">highest rates of youth suicide</a> in the world. Tragically, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pubmed/fdab383/6444311">the rate is even higher</a> for gender and sexuality diverse young people. Their experiences at school are undoubtedly linked to this outcome. </p>
<p>In our study, nearly 90% of parents wanted to see the curriculum address discrimination and bullying of gender and sexuality diverse people. This finding speaks to their desire to create safe and welcoming schools for all students.</p>
<h2>What does this mean for teachers?</h2>
<p>This research has important implications for teachers of relationships and sexual health education. <a href="https://opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/report/2nd_National_Survey_of_Australian_Teachers_of_Sexuality_Education_2018_pdf/13207265">Many report</a> they avoid gender and sexuality diversity and fear community backlash. </p>
<p>Teachers’ unease prevails despite <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/student-resilience-and-wellbeing/australian-student-wellbeing-framework">federal government guidance</a> that promotes the well-being of students. The guidelines encourage schools to create positive learning environments that foster diversity and respectful relationships and support students to feel safe, connected and included.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/free-schools-guide-about-inclusiveness-and-climate-science-is-not-ideological-its-based-on-evidence-162423">Free schools guide about inclusiveness and climate science is not ideological — it's based on evidence</a>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-11/religious-discrimination-bill-transgender-students-teachers-/100821338">public response</a> to the Religious Discrimination Bill and its subsequent shelving highlights how it is inherently anathema to punish and exclude children and young people from school based on their identity. Australian teachers need to be supported to create a school culture where these students can feel safe, welcome and informed about their relationships and sexual health. </p>
<p>Educators across the country would benefit from additional guidance and support to feel confident that discussing these topics is in line with the views of the majority of their students’ parents.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176787/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tania Ferfolja has received funding for this research from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Ullman received funding from the Australian Research Council for the research discussed in this article.</span></em></p>Those who oppose inclusive teaching content often claim to be representing parents’ views. The evidence from a large national survey of parents shows those claims are very wrong.Tania Ferfolja, Associate Professor, School of Education, Western Sydney UniversityJacqueline Ullman, Associate Professor in Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1549962021-04-27T14:32:24Z2021-04-27T14:32:24ZHow teachers remember their own childhoods affects how they challenge school inequities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396113/original/file-20210420-13-5ai9yg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C97%2C4962%2C2889&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How teachers recall their childhoods carries important clues about how likely they are to name and challenge inequities in schools today.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Teachers, like many of us, remember moments of achievement, schoolyard games and making mistakes as children. Often teachers draw on childhood memories to explain <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203454497">why they wanted to enter their profession</a>. Teachers may hold memories of <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-our-favorite-teachers-why-we-remember-them/2020/03">being inspired by a former teacher</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.05.005">resolve to do better</a> than a teacher they experienced as unfair or belittling.</p>
<p>Childhood memories chronicle more than old scenes of school. <a href="https://coldwarchildhoods.org/working-with-memories/">Memory is a creative process</a> that teachers can use to interpret the past and imagine the future of their work. Even more, how teachers remember childhood informs their commitments to <a href="https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/02/inequity-in-education-is-your-and-my-responsibility/">challenge inequities in education</a>, including systemic racism, classism and ableism. </p>
<p>We are four researchers located at universities in Canada and the United States: in a suburb of the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, an anglophone area of Montréal and Manhattan, New York. Our research examines how childhood memories shape the ways prospective teachers and people seeking to work with children understand their roles as future educators. </p>
<p>Our research has found that how new teachers and practitioners recall their childhoods carries important clues about how likely they are to name and challenge inequities in schools today.</p>
<h2>The teacher’s childhood</h2>
<p>Three decades ago, psychoanalyst and education researcher Deborah Britzman wrote her classic book, <a href="https://www.sunypress.edu/p-3821-practice-makes-practice.aspx"><em>Practice Makes Practice</em></a>. It examined how teachers’ memories of having once gone to school affected their present teaching. Britzman found that new teachers tend to recall stereotyped images of “good” and “bad” teachers, and in so doing, overlook how teachers themselves perceive teaching as a complex emotional experience. </p>
<p>Education researcher Saul Karnovsky argues that, still today, “there exists an invisible rule book that defines what teachers can and cannot do with their emotions.” The teachers of this study believed <a href="https://theconversation.com/teachers-are-expected-to-put-on-a-brave-face-and-ignore-their-emotions-we-need-to-talk-about-it-153642">they should ignore or mask their emotions or vulnerability to appear in charge</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Painted swings." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396111/original/file-20210420-13-s7of0q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Memory is a resource to examine how our personal lives are connected with larger political or systemic realities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>In fact, teaching opens a floodgate of feelings that are conventionally associated with childhood: worries about failure, wishes for certainty, fears of not knowing and the pain of rejection. </p>
<p>However, childhood memory is bigger than any one person’s emotions. As sociologist <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/98604/the-essential-conversation-by-sara-lawrence-lightfoot/9780345475800">Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot</a> suggests, teachers bring with them memories shaped by race, gender, class, ability and other factors that affect identity and deeply held assumptions.</p>
<p>This means that childhood memories of triumph or failure, protection or punishment are not isolated events; they are linked to complex cultural histories shaped by racism and hierarchical values. These legacies continue to privilege the material resources and presumed “<a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/for-the-children">innocence” of white middle-class children</a>.</p>
<p>Teachers grow up occupying different positions in relation to these legacies, which can create a disconnect between their intentions and practices. Research by education scholars Jeannie Kerr and Vanessa Andreotti found that despite teacher candidates’ stated “desire to address multiple inequities” in schooling and society, they also applied a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2017.1395326">deficit perspective” to the experiences of marginalized students, leaving unchallenged the structures that produce inequities and “their own privileged position within these structures</a>.”</p>
<p>Learning to teach and work with children is <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1495065">not just about acquiring skills, but about developing an identity</a>. This involves noticing how one’s own history can <a href="https://www.karnacbooks.com/product/psychoanalysis-and-pedagogy/8195/">inform but sometimes obstruct one’s understanding of the unique experiences of children in the classroom</a>.</p>
<h2>Childhood memory and critique</h2>
<p>We asked university students enrolled in teacher education and childhood studies programs to write down a salient childhood memory. We then asked them to make links between their memory and their motivations to work with children, and how they defined their commitments as teachers. </p>
<p>The majority of participants recalled <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12428">times when they felt innocent and protected</a>, which were then connected to a wish to protect children from struggle or discomfort in their future classrooms. Others described times when they made mistakes or broke the rules and suggested how <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2020.1731036">being a nuisance is the right of all children</a>. Still others remembered the <a href="https://journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/view/957/0">heroic efforts of former teachers</a> and used these memories to describe their plans to replicate similar strategies in their own practices. </p>
<p>However, beginning teachers and practitioners who remembered protected childhoods, playful antics and inspiring role models tended to assume that all children experience the same level of protection and innocence: that such memories were universal. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child jumping on hopscotch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396115/original/file-20210420-15-14sh3t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Memory can offer a critical vantage point from which to examine how recollections of seemingly individual feelings may also reflect cultural beliefs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>They did not consider how <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568218811484">innocence has historically protected the interests of mainly white children</a>, nor how the notion of innocence and middle class, able-bodied “worthiness” has been used to unjustly exclude and punish children who do not fit inside <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354393034004">normative expectations of learning and development</a>. </p>
<p>By contrast, people who remembered being bullied, left out, ignored or reprimanded connected these experiences with an analysis of systematic inequities. They reflected on how school structures <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-crisis-of-anti-black-racism-in-schools-persists-across-generations-120856">disadvantage racially minoritized</a>, <a href="http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/opportunity-succeed-achieving-barrier-free-education-students-disabilities/elementary-and-secondary-education">differently-abled</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/21/english-class-system-shaped-in-schools">working class children</a>. </p>
<p>Beyond recollecting innocent kids and heroic teachers, such memories critiqued schools <a href="https://journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/view/957/0">as inequitable institutions that harm some children and that are themselves in need of transformation</a>. </p>
<h2>Why memory matters</h2>
<p>Memory can offer a critical vantage point from which to examine how recollections of seemingly individual feelings — such as the joy of acing a test or the frustration of being misunderstood — may also reflect <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/for-the-children">dominant cultural beliefs about normative childhoods</a>. </p>
<p>Teacher education and childhood studies programs can support beginning teachers and practitioners develop critical perspectives of schooling and society by helping them to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12428">analyze how structures of privilege and oppression have shaped their own experiences of childhood</a>. When educators can analyze the social structures that have privileged or disadvantaged them as children, they may be better positioned to notice and challenge the inequities faced by the children in their charges. </p>
<p>While it is impossible to undo the past, connecting childhood memories to social contexts of inequity can help teachers put history to new uses and change the future of education.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154996/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Farley receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Debbie Sonu receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie C. Garlen receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandra Chang-Kredl receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). </span></em></p>When teachers use memories to examine how schools unequally affect children’s life choices and chances on the basis of social identity, they’re able to imagine more equitable education.Lisa Farley, Associate Professor, Education, York University, CanadaDebbie Sonu, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, Hunter CollegeJulie C. Garlen, Associate Professor, Childhood and Youth Studies, Carleton UniversitySandra Chang-Kredl, Associate Professor in Education, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1422382020-07-23T17:59:16Z2020-07-23T17:59:16ZSchools after coronavirus: Seize ‘teachable moments’ about racism and inequities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347965/original/file-20200716-23-m0i5qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C26%2C2421%2C1611&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">2020 presents opportunties to work together to create schooling that betters our lives and communities.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7142476/ontario-education-streaming-early-years-suspension/">Equity issues in education are in the spotlight</a> as we envision what opening schools might look like in September. </p>
<p>Most recently, Ontario announced <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/07/ontario-taking-bold-action-to-address-racism-and-inequity-in-schools-1.html">ending academic streaming in Grade 9 and eliminating suspensions in the early years from Kindergarten to Grade 3</a> — practices that <a href="https://colourofpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cop-coc-fact-sheet-3-racialized-poverty-in-education-learning-3.pdf">disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous people and people of colour (BIPOC)</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ending-streaming-is-only-the-first-step-to-dismantling-systemic-racism-in-ontario-schools-142617">Ending ‘streaming’ is only the first step to dismantling systemic racism in Ontario schools</a>
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<p>Coronavirus hasn’t caused the educational inequities that impact students. But it has shed light on how our most vulnerable communities are marginalized, silenced and oppressed systemically due to lack of access to opportunities perpetuated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27462-7_4">historically, socially, economically and politically via Canadian institutional policies and practices</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2018.1552071">including</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-timeline-of-residential-schools-the-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-1.724434">by schooling</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-prevent-teacher-burnout-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-139353">For example, teachers</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-school-closures-could-widen-inequities-for-our-youngest-students-136669">and researchers</a> have voiced concerns about the unequal impact of the virus on school closures. Students with access to supportive home environments or where parents enjoy financial security will find the challenges of the pandemic and at-home learning easier. Those with <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-all-kids-have-computers-and-theyre-being-left-behind-with-schools-closed-by-the-coronavirus-137359">poor access to resources or</a> considered to have special needs may find at-home learning not reflective of their learning needs.</p>
<p>Our research explores <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27462-7">issues of equity</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/every-child-matters-what-principals-need-to-effectively-lead-inclusive-schools-114249">inclusion</a> in Canada. We believe now is the time to address systemic inequities that existed long before the pandemic. Our task is to <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-next-for-schools-after-coronavirus-here-are-5-big-issues-and-opportunities-135004">radically re-envision education</a> as we plan alternate models for schooling. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A girl who is Black is reading a book at a school desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347966/original/file-20200716-21-qtndg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Let’s envision more inclusive and equitable schooling, not just schooling that works in a pandemic context.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We must reflect on recent critical events and teachable moments as we engage in dialogue and actions to better our lives and communities. We can do this via revised routines, processes, policies and practices to better reflect the needs of BIPOC, those from lower socio-enonomic backgrounds and people <a href="https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SpecialEducation/SpecialEducationPlan/SpecEdPlanDoc/Categories-and%20Definitions%20and%20Exceptionalities-in-Ontario.pdf">with exceptionalities</a>.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-solidarity-during-coronavirus-and-always-its-more-than-were-all-in-this-together-135002">What is solidarity? During coronavirus and always, it's more than 'we're all in this together'</a>
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<h2>Critical event No. 1: Social movements</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/06/10/opinion/indigenous-and-black-people-canada-share-social-exclusion-and-collective-outrage">Movements across Canada addressing anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism</a> are gaining more mainstream media coverage. BIPOC and white people in different sectors are speaking up and engaging in advocacy work to <a href="https://theconversation.com/unmasking-the-racial-politics-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-139011">challenge policies and practices that privilege whiteness as a form of currency and simultaneously oppress non-dominant social groups</a>.</p>
<p>There are persistent patterns of systemic oppressive practices that target BIPOC in their over-representation <a href="https://colourofpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cop-coc-fact-sheet-3-racialized-poverty-in-education-learning-3.pdf">in school suspensions, applied streams, drop-out rates</a>, <a href="https://colourofpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cop-coc-fact-sheet-9-racialized-poverty-in-housing-homelessness-2.pdf">homelessness</a>, <a href="https://colourofpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cop-coc-fact-sheet-7-racialized-poverty-in-justice-policing-2.pdf">incarceration</a>, <a href="https://colourofpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cop-coc-fact-sheet-5-racialized-poverty-in-employment-2.pdf">poverty rates and in precarious employment</a>.</p>
<p>It is important to constantly challenge <a href="https://www.learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/Uprooting-and-Settling-In-The-Invisible-Strength-of-Deficit-Thinking">deficit thinking</a> in education, which blames students and parents for larger structural disadvantages. We need to recognize <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjeap/article/view/68280">the role of existing inequitable institutional policies and practices in maintaining inequality of opportunity that predominantly disadvantages BIPOC</a>. </p>
<p><strong>Teachable moment:</strong> We must ask ourselves who gets access to certain opportunities, why and in what ways? Radical change goes beyond performative politics and tokenism and towards creating long-term sustainable plans. More leadership positions need to be created for BIPOC and more BIPOC educators hired at all levels. Part of this requires <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-wont-canada-collect-data-on-race-and-student-success-106689">collection and public sharing of race-based data</a> nationally as part of all institutions. </p>
<p>We must also invest in initiatives and school-community partnerships that create a safe and brave spaces where BIPOC cultural practices, lived experiences and ways of being, such as valuing oral culture and land-based education, are recognized as <a href="https://play.library.utoronto.ca/play/94620a5d967da25ba8d3e6c015028707">strengths and important cultural capital</a> instead of treated as a superficial add-on. </p>
<p>We must invest in place-based learning where schools can adapt policies and practices to reflect the <a href="http://doi-org-443.webvpn.fjmu.edu.cn/10.1007/978-3-030-01426-1_4-1">needs of their student demographics and surrounding community</a>, or else we risk reproducing similar power dynamics that historically <a href="https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=1">privilege whiteness at the expense of marginalizing others</a>.</p>
<h2>Critical event No. 2: Schooling disruptions</h2>
<p>Schools were closed as of mid-March due to the coronavirus, resulting in learning disruptions that have included temporarily halting <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6694232/ontario-government-cancels-eqao-tests-coronavirus-covid-19/">standardized testing</a> for the next school year. </p>
<p>When learning shifted online, access to technology became a hot equity issue since not all students are able to access a computer or a <a href="https://cdn.givingcompass.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/04134822/the-digital-divide.pdf">high-speed internet connection to complete their work in a timely fashion</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A classroom of students who are middle-school aged are writing a test." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347977/original/file-20200716-29-1jbfbmt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A pause on standardized testing provides opportunities to reflect on alternative education models.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Students, particularly those from marginalized communities such as families with limited financial means or students with exceptionalities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-distance-learning-poses-challenges-for-some-families-of-children-with-disabilities-136696">are in danger of being further marginalized</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Teachable moment:</strong> Principals and teachers are considering the needs of those most at risk before planning interventions, a <a href="https://www.ldatschool.ca/universal-design-for-learning-udl/">basic tenet of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)</a>. Instead of thinking about technology as an “add on” to support student learning, educators are <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_TechnologyTools.pdf">being challenged to use remote and online learning in a way that supports the learning of all students</a>.</p>
<p>School boards are exploring creative ways to infuse technology into their pedagogy and become more comfortable with innovative technologies. The pandemic has <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/connecting-to-success-technology-in-ontario-schools/">compelled schools and institutions to invest in technological platforms to teach</a> such as Google Hangouts and Zoom. </p>
<p>The pause on standardized testing and navigating students’ access to technology for remote learning provides opportunities to reflect on alternative education models with more focus on wrap-around student support initiatives and programming. </p>
<p>This is a chance to critically acknowledge how the rise of neoliberal <a href="http://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/view/1374">politics and accountability regimes affiliated with outcome-based education</a> have forced schools to focus on standardization and savings via budget cuts instead of creating opportunities and services to support the most vulnerable students. </p>
<h2>Opportunities for new directions</h2>
<p>As we transition to reconstruct education for a post-pandemic era, let’s reflect on the critical events of the 2019-20 school year and use them as teachable moments. Let’s work collectively and in action-oriented solidarity with each other, community partners and organizations to re-envision educational practices to serve the needs of our most vulnerable populations and communities particularly BIPOC, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and students with exceptionalities.</p>
<p>This year, 2020, will be one to remember. It has its share of challenges but also presents opportunities for new directions. Let’s all do our part to remove systemic barriers for teaching and learning as a community. </p>
<p>If at any time during reading this article you <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/decolonizing-academia">felt uncomfortable</a>, angered or frustrated by what was stated, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect upon what contributed to such reactions and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2013.844603">what perspectives, values and ideologies those feelings are rooted in</a>. This is part of the challenge and emotional labour of unlearning.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142238/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Sider receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ardavan Eizadirad does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How anti-racism social movements and teaching disruptions due to COVID-19 can lead to more equitable and inclusive schooling.Ardavan Eizadirad, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Wilfrid Laurier UniversitySteve Sider, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1366962020-06-01T15:57:12Z2020-06-01T15:57:12ZCoronavirus: Distance learning poses challenges for some families of children with disabilities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338360/original/file-20200528-51471-sfcs5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C0%2C2802%2C1661&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parents are missing in-person supports for children. Here, MaShel West holds her son Lucas' hands while talking with his certified behaviour analyst at their home in Layton, Utah, March 5, 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Ivy Ceballo/The Deseret News via AP)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>At a time when schools are closed due to COVID-19, many parents are juggling work, finances, child care and distance learning. It’s a lot to manage. For parents of children with disabilities, some unique challenges <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/parents-of-kids-with-special-needs-say-pandemic-presents-unique-challenges-1.4880560">have emerged</a>.</p>
<p>In Canada, it’s unclear exactly how many students between kindergarten and Grade 12 receive what schools call “special education services,” but according to <a href="https://inclusiveedns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CIE-Students-First-WEBreport-2.pdf">provincial figures</a>, percentages range from <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/student-population-statistics.aspx">10 per cent</a> to <a href="http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/Publications/etude_inclusion_EHDAA_synthese_EN.pdf">20 per cent</a> of total student enrolment. </p>
<p>Figures from <a href="https://wwwdnntst.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/research/docs/reports/SpecialEducation%20in%20TDSB%20-%20TrendsComparisons%20to%20Ontario%202009-15.pdf">Ontario</a>, <a href="http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/Publications/etude_inclusion_EHDAA_synthese_EN.pdf">Québec</a>, <a href="https://bctf.ca/publications.aspx?id=49000">British Columbia</a>, <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/student-population-statistics.aspx">Alberta</a>, <a href="https://inclusiveedns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CIE-Students-First-WEBreport-2.pdf">Nova Scotia</a> and <a href="https://www.gnb.ca/legis/business/pastsessions/57/57-2/LegDocs/2/en/StrengtheningInclusion-e.pdf">New Brunswick</a> show there are more than 750,000 students receiving special education services out <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3710001901">of about 4.3 million students enrolled in those provinces alone</a>.</p>
<p>Students receiving special education services may have a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder or a mental illness. Canadian schools offer different <a href="http://catalogue.pearsoned.ca/educator/product/Inclusion-of-Learners-with-Exceptionalities-in-Canadian-Schools-A-Practical-Handbook-for-Teachers-6E/9780134772059.page">types of supports</a>. Most children access differentiated teaching approaches in regular classes and some have individual learning plans, while others participate in tailored programs offered in specialized classes. </p>
<h2>While schools are closed</h2>
<p>Along with several researchers, I am engaging with families across the country who are sharing stories about how they are supporting their children with special education needs while schools are closed. </p>
<p>Through responses to a survey and in-depth interviews, we are hearing about the range of approaches that exist, some of which fit well for families and their children, and others that simply don’t. </p>
<p>We hope to learn about ways that distance learning can work well for students with special education needs and also about families’ needs. We hope our findings can then be used to better inform planning as schools begin to open. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338377/original/file-20200528-51467-102oyw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Collaborative approaches to supporting children with special needs have been interrupted by coronavirus closures.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Collaborative approaches</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-015-0038-6">collaborative team</a> approach is typically adopted when children need special education services, with students, parents, teachers, educational assistants and other school and community-based staff <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2013.788223">working together</a> to plan and implement programming.</p>
<p>Given the human supports required by many students with disabilities in order to flourish socially, emotionally and academically, it’s a challenge for systems to provide the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/04/special-education-goes-remote-covid-19-pandemic/610231/">right types</a> and amounts of distance learning opportunities and supports.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/every-child-matters-what-principals-need-to-effectively-lead-inclusive-schools-114249">Every child matters: What principals need to effectively lead inclusive schools</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Some students who find structured schooling to be a poor fit are benefiting from the shift to a more relaxed pace and self-directed learning. They can dance, jump and wiggle to their heart’s content. They can engage in tasks for a length of time that works for them and make choices during their days. The right kind of distance learning paired with accessible technology and available supports <a href="https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/the-surprising-benefits-of-online-learning-for-my-not-so-typical-child">may be a great fit for them</a>.</p>
<p>Other students who thrive on a predictable routine, struggle with transitions and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/fscd-angela-bladon-trish-bowman-rajan-sawhney-covid-1.5513215">depend on the strong relationships</a> built over time with teachers and educational assistants are experiencing a range of emotions, including <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/disability-new-brunswick-christine-roberts-jayden-moore-haley-flaro-1.5534430">worry, fear, anger and sadness</a>. </p>
<p>Some feel that they’ve lost a second home <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/autism-covid19-1.5521666">and may not understand why</a>. Some students may also communicate these difficult emotions in ways that are challenging for parents, caregivers and siblings.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338383/original/file-20200528-51467-1vstpya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some parents are describing feeling overwhelmed without respite and collaboration with school staff.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Family challenges</h2>
<p>Parents of students who have worked hard to make gains in their learning worry that they may fall behind. This is particularly the case where parents may not have the English- or French-language skills to provide help or the time to engage with their children because of work and life commitments. Where internet access and technology in homes is the exception rather than the rule, the situation is further complicated.</p>
<p>Parents who typically work in partnership with school staff and community organizations are especially <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/checkup/pandemic-home-schooling-families-children-special-needs-1.5522119">struggling with the disappearance of face-to-face networks and collaboration in supporting children</a>. </p>
<p>Many researchers have found that parents of children with disabilities wear many hats — as full-time caregiver, advocate and social worker — and find the experience extraordinarily <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2011.557445">stressful</a>. Without respite and collaboration with school staff, parents are describing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/autism-covid19-1.5521666">feeling very overwhelmed</a>.</p>
<h2>Social, emotional supports</h2>
<p>It’s helpful for all families, and necessary for some, to find ways of connecting with others — for both parents and students. Connecting with school staff, community groups, family and friends may look different right now, but some of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.05.012">benefits</a> remain.</p>
<p>In my work with teachers, I focus on the need to emphasize social-emotional learning alongside academics as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89842-1_9">key to well-being</a>. This is vital right now and will continue to be in the tricky transitions ahead. Across the country, school staff have reached out to students in different ways. Some are recording themselves reading favourite books and others are connecting by phone or video chats. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/zach-churchill-education-minister-covid-19-learning-plan-pandemic-1.5533604">Some regions</a> have social workers or psychologists reaching out to students or discussing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/student-mental-health-1.5569068">mental health</a> via virtual classes.</p>
<h2>Peer connections matter</h2>
<p>Connections with peers are also crucial for students. Building and maintaining <a href="https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei/vol19/iss1/3/">friendships</a> is not always easy for students with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103634">disabilities</a>. Many students rely on school-based networks for friendship and may not have these connections in their neighbourhoods, particularly if they haven’t been in an <a href="https://communitylivingontario.ca/en/if-inclusion-means-everyone-why-not-me/">inclusive environment</a> at school.</p>
<p>Some community groups have come up with <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/how-people-with-neuro-differences-and-disabilities-are-staying-connected-during-the-pandemic-1.4907560">creative solutions</a> to virtually connect students. As one example, the Special Friends Network, a grassroots organization operating in the Halton region of Ontario, <a href="http://thespecialfriendsnetwork.ca/gallery.html">has organized Zoom sessions</a> where youth with all types of disabilities can chat, play games, create art work and take part in talent shows. </p>
<p>Peer and social support for parents is also crucial <a href="https://www.apa.org/research/action/children-disabilities-covid-19">at this time</a> — connecting with others who are in similar circumstances, seeking respite supports and collaborating with schools where possible. Organizations like the <a href="https://www.pleo.on.ca/">Parents Lifeline of Eastern Ontario</a> are offering virtual peer support groups and <a href="http://autismnovascotia.ca/covid-resources">others have created a range</a> of <a href="https://www.surreyplace.ca/resources-publications/coronavirus-updates-resources/">virtual options</a> for families.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338378/original/file-20200528-51449-1r2n8xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Can we imagine how we can nurture and develop social networks among students with and without disabilities?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Expanding inclusion</h2>
<p>Our conversations with parents are bringing to light issues of inclusion and exclusion, of balancing academic and social needs and development and of the challenges of differentiating distance learning in ways that allow it to be meaningful. </p>
<p>It’s our hope that whatever schooling looks like in the fall in context of coronavirus, our schools and communities can create learning opportunities that reflect the unique strengths and needs of all our students. </p>
<p>We will be continuing to encourage educators and school communities to imagine how can we develop social networks among students with and without disabilities, how can we build authentic communities that live inside and outside the brick and mortar of a school and how can we support partnerships between families and school staff. </p>
<p>As researchers, educators, families and the general public, we’re learning a lot from the often-difficult experiences of students and families. Let’s make sure this learning isn’t lost.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136696/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Whitley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Connecting with school staff, community groups, family and friends may look different right now for families of children with disabilities, but some benefits remain.Jess Whitley, Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1236602019-10-02T21:47:18Z2019-10-02T21:47:18ZMy secret: Coming out as a gay elementary principal in an era of social conservatism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294218/original/file-20190925-51421-1vs0i9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">LGBTQ2+ teachers may face clashing expectations between their political and professional identities. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The issue of sex education is in the media now as it was in spring 2018 when politicians promised to <a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-fords-reboot-of-sex-education-in-ontario-same-as-it-ever-was-122299">repeal contemporary sex-ed curriculum</a> “<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4198420/doug-ford-sex-ed-curriculum/">based on ideology</a>” and parental lobby groups called for the end of so-called “<a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/07/12/opponents-of-sex-ed-curriculum-applaud-repeal.html">irresponsible” sex-ed curriculum</a>.</p>
<p>I was serving as an elementary school principal at the time and I received written requests from parents to exempt their child from health education classes in which sex education was covered. </p>
<p>As principals, we are obligated to provide the requested accommodations, provided they meet certain criteria. </p>
<p>But as <a href="https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/89714/3/MacKinnon_Kenneth_H_201806_EdD_thesis.pdf">someone who completed a doctorate in education about how
men and women legitimize and promote traditional masculine values or masculinity within the principal role</a> <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjeap/article/view/61762">in elementary schools</a> — and as someone who researches educational leadership — I could not ignore the potential difficulties that these sex-ed exemption requests present, particularly for principals who identify with the LGBTQ+ community.</p>
<p>As principals we are expected to develop, maintain and enrich connections between the school and the wider community to support student development. This requires a form of leadership that is grounded in developing relationships. The question becomes: what potential impact might conflicting political viewpoints around the sex-ed curriculum have on these relationships and how are educators, children and families impacted as a result? </p>
<p>As I sat at my desk, in the far corner behind the pen caddy and telephone, visible only to me, lay a small framed picture of me and my husband. My secret: I am gay. I am now on leave, teaching educational leadership, scheduled to return to my school in January.</p>
<p>For the sake of all employees, school communities and children, our school systems need to find a space in which LGBTQ+ educators might re-imagine their professional and political identities. </p>
<h2>‘Out and proud’ versus professional</h2>
<p>Catherine Connell, an associate professor of sociology at Boston University, writes of the <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520278233/schools-out">clashing expectations LGBTQ+ teachers face between their political and professional identities</a>. For many of these teachers, this becomes a no-win situation in which they are unable to find ways of merging these identities. They fear professional recrimination should they decide to come out and disapproval from members of the LGBTQ+ movement if they choose to remain professionally closeted.</p>
<p>This same conflict exists for principals, who, among other things, are responsible for creating and maintaining a school environment which is inclusive of all. As a leader, I want to advocate for calls to action for <a href="https://www.principals.ca/en/opc-resources/resources/Documents/OPC_Fall16-web.pdf">justice and reconciliation</a> and <a href="https://www.principals.ca/en/opc-resources/resources/Documents/4271-OPC_Fall18-web.pdf">culturally responsive leadership that supports diversity, equity and inclusion</a>. </p>
<p>But I struggle with competing ideologies around what I feel is my duty to come out as a gay principal — and my desire to avoid any sort of conflict as a result.</p>
<p>Fortunately, we live in a time when the rights of persons who identify with the LGBTQ+ community are enshrined within the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html">Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a>. I have been fortunate not to have been discriminated against as an employee, or as a citizen of Canada because of my sexual identity. This is also influenced by the privileges I have as a white male.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294885/original/file-20190930-194884-p53it.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pride Toronto 2019 parade.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The 2019 Pride Toronto <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/03/26/pride-toronto-festival-to-recognize-50th-anniversary-of-the-stonewall-riots.html">theme was “Freedom”</a> in remembrance of some of the first freedom fighters in the LGBTQ+ community. For me, Pride parades provide opportunities to celebrate our sexual diversities. They also act as a reminder to me of the responsibility I have as an educator and principal to champion these rights and become a role model.</p>
<h2>Rise of social conservatism</h2>
<p>Jim Farney, a professor in the department of politics and international studies at the University of Regina, traces the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13569317.2019.1589953">development and influence of social conservatism in Canadian political parties</a>. Farney describes the emergence of social conservatism in North America as a distinct subset of the conservative movement that opposes the rise of LGBTQ+ rights, among other issues.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294882/original/file-20190930-194852-1jj0k30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Ontario Tory leadership hopeful Tanya Granic Allen participates in a debate in Ottawa, Feb. 28, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In my province of Ontario, we saw the rise of former Progressive Conservative candidate <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tanya-granic-allen-no-longer-an-ontario-pc-party-candidate-after-irresponsible-comments-doug-ford-says-1.4650360">Tanya Granic Allen</a>, a social conservative who, although was eventually removed from her candidacy <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tanya-granic-allen-under-fire-for-online-comments-against-gay-marriage-muslim-dress-1.4613483">after facing charges of homophobia and Islamophobia</a>, was initially welcomed by the party leadership. </p>
<p>As president of <a href="http://www.pafe.ca/">Parents as First Educators (PAFE)</a>, Granic Allen has supported an agenda aimed at discrediting the gains Canada has made in terms of gender equality and expression. </p>
<p>As the letters from parents requesting accommodation to be removed from sex education arrived on my desk, I noted that this was the very first time I had ever received such letters in this community, and I could not ignore the timing of their receipt. </p>
<p>They were carefully worded so as not to contradict the <a href="http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/ontario-human-rights-code">Ontario Human Rights Code</a>, and it was clear to me that these were form letters produced by organizations in favour of repealing the curriculum. </p>
<p>While parents of course have the right to make such requests, I could not help but to interpret these letters as a stance against a curriculum that supported and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4079957/wynne-defends-sex-ed-plan/">represented the lived realities of our LGBTQ+ community</a>.</p>
<h2>A way forward?</h2>
<p>One potential response to such letters could have been to invite parents into my office to discuss their concerns and address any questions they might have about the health curriculum. This is what I should have done. As a gay man, however, I felt uncomfortable with this. </p>
<p>What if parents visiting my office happened to see the photograph of me and my husband? How would I navigate this conversation as a gay man knowing how strongly I feel about gains made by LGBTQ+ social movements?</p>
<p>During this time, I remember feeling a distinct and terrible anxiety around being discovered, and, I began to think about the issues that might come about should these parents discover my sexual identity. </p>
<p>Catherine Connell comments on the history of teachers needing to uphold a “moral authority” with respect to the maintenance of childhood innocence, who must be shielded from any notion of sexuality. </p>
<p>This is a fallacy as this so-called professional stance forces LGBTQ+ educators to maintain and uphold a sexually neutral position, while their heterosexual colleagues display their family portraits in full view. </p>
<p>As a principal, I feel the pressure to maintain this neutrality and yet, there remains in me a strong urge to be out and proud in support of those children who might be questioning their sexual identity.</p>
<p>Nick Rumens, a professor in human resource management at the University of Portsmouth, writes of the need to “queer” our workplaces: that means he <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Queer-Business-Queering-Organization-Sexualities/Rumens/p/book/9781138814011">questions and formulates new ways that LGBTQ+ identities and sexualities are experienced and represented in the workplace</a> in response to ongoing struggles for queer existence in organizations.</p>
<p>As for myself, this article represents the beginning of my journey, as I merge my identities: I am a principal, who happens to be gay.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kenneth MacKinnon is affiliated with the Liberal party.</span></em></p>For the sake of all employees, school communities and children, our school systems need to find a space in which LGBTQ+ educators might re-imagine their professional and political identities.Kenneth MacKinnon, Instructor in Educational Leadership, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.