Abstract: 

More than half of LGBTQ+ students nationally hear negative remarks about their gender and/or sexuality at school, according to a survey by GLSEN. Bullying, harassment, and intimidation compromise a student’s ability to flourish academically, socially, and personally. And LGBTQ+ students are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than their straight-identified peers.

And: All students, no matter who they are, benefit from an inclusive learning environment. The choices we make as educators can help prepare learners to meet the challenges of the “authentic” world, as their authentic selves.

We, as teachers, work our hardest to make complex topics and language comprehensible to our students. For some teachers, the present discourse about genders and sexualities is brand new and – incomprehensible. In this workshop, definitions, clarifications, and suggestions will be provided for creating an inclusive classroom environment for all students. Ideas will be applicable from daily interactions to bigger picture curricular decisions.

Participants will identify areas where they want to learn more about how issues of gender and sexuality are handled linguistically and/or culturally in their Target Cultures, and make a plan to fill in gaps in their knowledge. In addition, they will reflect on the inclusivity of the learning environment in their classrooms in writing or in a discussion. Finally, participants will plan to modify at least 2 units they already teach to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people, communities, and issues.

About the Presenter:

Ben Fisher-Rodriguez is a high school German and Spanish teacher located in Seattle, WA. He has presented at national, regional, and local conferences on lesson planning, high-leverage teaching strategies, and issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Ben is a German Embassy Teacher of Excellence, the Washington Association for Language Teachers (WAFLT) Teacher of the Year for 2022, and the Pacific Northwest Council for Languages (PNCFL) Teacher of the Year for 2023. He was among five finalists for the ACTFL 2024 Teacher of the Year. He blogs at MrFisherSays.com and is on Twitter @mrfishersays.