As I reflect on my experiences of gender at school, from the years 1969-2020, I feel the pull to go deeper, to learn more–as a researcher.
I wonder how gender shapes students’ school experiences. I have heard many stories in casual conversation, but I have not pursued the subject in a systematic way.
I’ve been focused on learning how race affects the educational experiences of BIPOC students since 2018, and that work will continue, but gender equity, like racism, is a taboo subject, in terms of policy, pedagogy, and practice, but it has a huge impact on students’ daily life at school, from the dress code, to restroom access, to the many “one male, one female” activities and traditions which force students to represent gender in ways they would not choose, to the misogyny, microaggressions, and gendered harassment that is simply “baked in” to the “traditional” school culture. There are many ways that gendered experiences may intersect with other identities as well. It’s all related and deserves to be explored.
Gendered language at school is a powerful force, and people now in their 40s have shared the effects, for good or ill, that a phrase they heard relating to gender at school has had on them–right up until this day.
Fragility and fear, rather than data and evidence, have dominated the conversations I’ve had with administrators. I’ve never heard a school leader ask, “How can we create a climate that’s inclusive and allows for freedom of all gender expression?”
What would you say if I asked you:
How did gender shape your school experience?
Was school a place you experienced as inclusive and that allowed for freedom of all gender expression?
What, if any, effects of your gendered experience at school remain beyond graduation? For how long have the effects lasted?
What issues related to gender need to be addressed to create a school climate that allows for freedom of all gender expression?
How can administrators and faculty create a climate that’s inclusive and allows for freedom of all gender expression?
Do you have suggestions of resources: community members, workshops, or experts in gender equity that could help administrators and faculty create a climate that’s inclusive and allows for freedom of all gender expression?
Just imagine if everyone could go to school and feel that what’s important is learning and growing, not gender expression. What if school was an inclusive place that allows for freedom of all gender expression?
Other questions to pursue may percolate to the surface, but this is what I’m wondering about. I know that there are a lot of graduates who can offer insight into the subject, if they feel safe enough to delve into it.
Perhaps we’ve had informal conversations about our gendered school experiences, perhaps you’ve never said a word; in either case, I am ready to listen. Let me know if you want to talk. Contact info below.
Raise your voice, tell your story, join the effort to create gender equity at school. Our students deserve it!
lisa eddy is a writer-for-hire, researcher, educator-for-hire, youth advocate, musician, and gardener.
On Twitter: @lisa_eddy
On email: lisagay.eddy1@gmail.com
Citizen Teacher 
October 27th, 2020 → 10:07 am
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