A new school year is here; are you ready? With the beginning of the academic year, many educators are preparing for the inevitable shift in their students' needs from the more relaxed summer months. Parents of transgender, gender-diverse and nonbinary students are of particular note in this preparation cycle, as summer 2023, unfortunately, was different from those in the past.
, an experience of varying levels of discomfort between the gender with which they identify and their physicality.
For some of our gender-diverse students, school has been a place of safety where they can find resources, friends and adults to support them through this challenging sociopolitical climate. Having resources in your back pocket is always a good idea, even when your students"seem fine." The following tips can help:As educators, sometimes we go into"fix it" mode. Unfortunately, there are parts of our world that you can't fix right now.
When young people feel supported in their feelings and in establishing a connection with adults, their nervous systems find balance and their fear decreases. Adult problems are hard for brains that are not fully formed to process . Validating students' experiences helps provide extra support to their amygdala, the part of the brain most responsible for the regulation of emotion.Highlight for students the advances made by transgender and nonbinary people in the past and present.