Our Approach to Professional Development
“What is significant here is the notion that oppression often plays out unrecognized and unchallenged in schools because it successfully convinced us that schools are neutral, are non-oppressive, and should not be taking a stand one way or the other on issues of oppression. Common sense does not often tell us that the status quo is quite oppressive. It does not often tell us that schools are already contributing to oppression. And it rarely tells us that schools need to place a priority on challenging oppression… Common sense is not what should shape educational reform or curriculum design; it is what needs to be examined and challenged.” (Kumashiro, 2015, p. xxxvi)
Our professional learning offerings are grounded in the practice of questioning what counts as normal in schools, or “common sense,” as Kumashiro calls it. When left unexamined and unchallenged, common sense silences and marginalizes certain identities, experiences, and ways of being in the world while uplifting and privileging others–namely, white, straight, cisgender, English-monolingual, and able-bodied people and perspectives.
In our sessions, we support educators and school leaders to (1) take stock of how normativity functions in their lives, classrooms, and schools; (2) develop promising practices for teaching in ways that disrupt normativity and that affirm a range of student identities and expressions along lines of gender, race, and sexuality; and (3) work together to create a community of practice in which we can become better, more justice-oriented educators.
Because what’s counted as normal in schools has affected a range of students who have complex, intersectional identities, A Queer Endeavor recognizes that identities never stand in isolation from others. This means that rather than examining aspects of identity and oppression in silos (e.g., race, then gender, then…), we engage an intersectional lens and leverage questioning as a pedagogical practice for examining and challenging normativity. Put another way, we trouble traditional ideas of diversity and inclusion in order to disrupt oppression in all of its forms.
As a team, we are committed to working with your community. Below, we outline a menu of professional development offerings that we might facilitate during the 2022-23 school year. We look forward to developing specific content with you as you move toward your goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Menu of Professional Development Options
We look forward to developing specific content with you as you move toward your goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion!
Administrator/ Ally Session (2 hours)
This session invites school/district leaders to recruit 1-2 building-level teacher allies to participate. This session provides a foundational overview of gender and sexual diversity in Pre K-12 schools and engages participants in knowledge building, critical reflection dialogue, action, and practice. Specifically, this session:
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Frames of terminology, current research and statistics on LGBTQ+ youths’ experiences in schools
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Screens and engages participants in discussion of a locally produced, 21-minute documentary film Breaking the Silence
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Reviews model policies and guidelines for supporting transgender and gender expansive youth.
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Offers inclusive, affirming classroom practices that educators can enact.
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Supports building-level teams to develop an action plan for sharing their learning with colleagues.
We recommend that districts start with this session.
Building-Level Session 1 (90 minutes)
This session provides a foundational overview of gender and sexual diversity in Pre K-12 schools and engages participants in knowledge building, critical reflection dialogue, action, and practice.
Specifically, this session:
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Frames of terminology, current research and statistics on LGBTQ+ youths’ experiences in schools
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Screens and engages participants in discussion of a locally produced, 21-minute documentary film Breaking the Silence
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Reviews model policies and guidelines for supporting transgender and gender expansive youth.
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Offers a series of “big” and “little” action steps that educators can take to affirm gender and sexual diversity.
Best suited for larger faculties.
Building-Level Session 2 (2 hours)
This session includes all activities in the 90-minute session description. With the gift of additional time, we are also able to engage participants in extended dialogue, collaborative sense making, and practice (e.g., problem-posing scenarios). In this session, we share specific instructional tools and resources for “taking stock” of to the unique needs of the school community and disrupting cis-heteronormativity, and we support participants as they develop action plans for responding to those needs.
We recommend 2-hour sessions for most communities.
Building-Level Sessions (on-going)
For communities seeking deeper dives into gender and sexual diversity, we will work with you to develop sessions tailored to your needs. Additional time enables us to provide deeper support to educators around curriculum design, short- and long-term action plans, and so on.
Teacher Institutes (Each session is 90 minutes- 2 hours)
Teacher Institutes are typically three sessions that take place over the course of a school year. Building on session descriptions above, Teacher Institutes provide educators opportunities to:
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Collaborate with educator colleagues across their school district
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Learn practical strategies for creating safe, inclusive, and affirming classrooms through both the social and academic curriculum
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Become teacher leaders in their schools
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Co-develop lesson plans
The goal of this model is to develop a team of emerging experts, or what we call “lighthouses,” throughout a district. Often, districts provide educators salary credit or professional development credit upon completion of the program. Educators are required to complete work outside of the sessions.
Counseling/ Mental Health (Session range between 90 minutes – 2 hours)
We offer sessions tailored specifically for counseling and mental health teams. In these sessions, we provide a foundational overview of gender and sexual diversity and engage participants in knowledge building, critical reflection, and dialogue.
Specifically, these sessions:
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Frame of terminology, current research and statistics on LGBTQ+ youths’ experiences in schools
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Screen and engages participants in discussion of a locally produced, 21-minute documentary film Breaking the Silence
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Review model policies and guidelines for supporting transgender and gender expansive youth.
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Introduce tools for supporting students’ plans to transition during the school year.
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Engage participants in practice with common scenarios (e.g., supporting parents, talking with students, using the gender support plan).
Consulting
We also offer hourly consulting to school and district leaders who have identified specific areas of support.