NCTCA 2021

Ally is a verb. Whether you are wanting to educate yourself more about your own biases, or learn how to have fewer of them in your classroom, awareness is the first step, then you need to act on what you learn. This session is presented from the perspective of a non-binary English Language Arts teacher. The idea of the session is to provide educational staff in attendance with the tools needed to tackle the issues of biased language within the classroom environment at all grade levels, and help participants feel better equipped to have challenging conversations about bias both inside and outside of the classroom. We will discuss finding appropriate literature for all grade levels and how to validate marginalized students in many subject areas. As teachers, our ultimate goal must be to ensure all students, regardless of their personal struggles as queer youth or young people of colour, feel safe to learn and grow in our classroom environments. Let’s all become better allies by having an open discussion today and help each other take the next steps towards achieving this goal.