MaeMae shares her takeaways from the DEI Conference

The title of ‘Being a Woman in Education’ probably does not scream out to any male readers – well, I know for a fact that it does not scream out to any male readers because there was not a single male in the room for this workshop! Allies are an essential force when it comes to any issue about power imbalances, so I had certainly hoped that there would be at least a couple of male attendees. Azuraye Williams, who ran the workshop, emphasised the importance of being educated on the challenges of being a woman in the workplace, which is why it would have been useful for male trainees to attend. Small, seemingly insignificant things, such as choice of language, can be weaponised against women in the workplace. Azuraye questioned what the difference is between being aggressive and assertive. The answer? Your gender or your race. As a trainee English teacher, I am always aware of language connotations in novels, plays, and poetry. After reflection, I am maybe not as conscious when it comes to language that I hear and speak. My fellow SCITT Trainees will know that Sally Barfoot’s favourite quote is, “what we permit, we promote,” and this most definitely applies to words used with students in the classroom. Stay conscious of the words that come out of your mouth! Think about the words that you use around the people that you work with too – ‘harmless workplace banter’ has the possibility to seriously hurt anybody who could be listening. “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers,” and it’s true. Language sticks with people. Another seemingly insignificant issue in the workplace is female dress codes. I felt the need to write about this as it is something that I have already encountered. I have a leg full of tattoos and have been told that I need to cover them up while at school, but I have seen two different male teachers with their tattoos on show under short sleeved shirts. I’m not entirely sure how having pictures of cats on my leg diminishes my skills, thoughts, and feelings, but this emphasises how artificial and ridiculous it is to have different rules about clothes for different genders. 

One of Azuraye’s great quotes, which will stick with me throughout my entire career, is, “you can’t be what you can’t see.” This is why representation matters. We should expose students to knowledge about who and what they can be. In English, this means exposing students to Malorie Blackman, Alice Walker, Meera Syal, Maya Angelou, Sylvia Plath, and Wendy Cope. Do classroom displays show a mixture of people, or do they only show Shakespeare and Dickens? Books open up a world of knowledge for students, so English teachers must ensure that they show a range of different people. Diversity and inclusion need to be at the top of the curriculum, and if they aren’t, be the change that you want to see! As Azuraye said, making your own schemes of work and units of work is worth the work. If you want to see representation in the subject, you need to make the change and take it upon yourself. It is literally our job to educate and inspire young people, so why is representation a topic that schools still need to work on? Promote culturally diverse role models representing all expressions of gender identity and retain high expectations. Create an inclusive ethos where everybody has a voice that is heard and safe from bullying. Let’s not forget that we are entering a career that changes lives. 

 

Speaking of representation, our very own Adam Brett pointed out the distinct difference between ‘visibility’ and ‘sayability’ when it comes to creating LGBTQ+ inclusive classrooms. We can all agree that posters around the school with infographics about gender and sexuality are great, but their points must be taken further through conversation and education to truly increase awareness. Schools are stubbornly heteronormative. That’s a fact. But we can change and challenge the ‘norm’. Adam asked us to think about who we represent in our lessons and how we discuss LGBTQ+ issues. He advised to of course challenge microaggressions, but challenge in an open-minded, questioning, curious way, such as ‘what did you mean by that?’ or ‘do you know what that means?’. After all, it is our job to educate children, so we must educate them on why it is wrong to say/do these things.  

The main aspect of Adam’s workshop that I’ve been reflecting on is the different ways in which microaggressions take form. I have been on the receiving end of microinsults before and I have heard them from my peers directed at others. In the moment of receiving them, I didn’t quite realise that they were microinsults, as they are so often intended as a compliment. I won’t go into my own experience as an example, but a microinsult that I still hear to this day from straight women, is “what a waste that he’s gay”. Microinvalidations can also be well-intended, but they dismiss the reality of being a LGBTQ+ individual. An example would be telling a person who has come out to you that it’s not a big deal. Microassaults are comments or actions which intentionally demean, such as homophobic language or abuse, physical contact, or ostracization. No type of microaggression should be tolerated and they should be challenged to spark education on the topic.   

Since the workshop, I have been extremely aware of making subtle changes to the language used at school and with students. Use gender neutral terms by referring to individuals as ‘they’, address the class as ‘folks’, instead of ‘boyfriend’/’girlfriend’, try using ‘partner’ or ‘significant other’ as this also included non-binary partners. This is an easy way of challenging the norm! 

I wouldn’t be able to write about the conference without mentioning Claire Birkenshaw. I am not exaggerating when I say that Claire has changed my whole perspective on teacher training. In fact, one of my fellow English trainees and I are going to measure the progress that we make throughout the year by how much we incorporate Claire’s teachings into the classroom. Basically, if we are anything like Claire, we will have succeeded. During discussions about the conference with the other trainees, one of the biggest teachings that we all took from the day is the nurturing approach that Claire illustrated in her keynote lecture. It is our job, as teachers, to make our classrooms a safe space for every single individual. This is created by developing routines and trust with your students. Through routines and through trust, students who feel ontologically insecure will not be experiencing existential questions such as ‘do I belong?’ or ‘do I feel safe?’. Ontologically secure people will not experience the classroom as dangerous or scary, and they won’t perceive the world as full of fear and dread. Those made to feel ontologically insecure will, which changes their behaviour, thoughts, and feelings, because they believe that they cannot trust people. How we see the school and how the children perceive the school is extremely different. Talk to the students and find out how they feel! Trainee teachers must recognise that children are interpretive beings and acknowledge power asymmetries in the classroom.  

During the panel discussion at the end of the conference, surrounded by a huge cohort of trainee teachers, it dawned on me that we are future teachers, future headteachers, and future executive headteachers, so we really do have the power to change schools for the better. If every trainee teacher had the chance to attend the conference, I know that future schools would be a much safer space for every individual. We, as a whole, must ensure that inclusivity underpins everything we do throughout our careers in order to provide an equitable and diverse education for the future. Here I will insert my favourite quote from the conference, which came from Claire, “be trusted, be trusting, and nurture trust.” 

MaeMae Millichamp, English trainee