Information to be mindful of…

1. Teachers as Leaders

As leaders of the classroom and change agents in the community teachers should take into account the diversity of their learners. Understanding issues of diversity is essential to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for children. Constitutionally, teachers are compelled to understand and securing a safe, inclusive and enabling environment.

2. Create a safe environment

The impact of transphobia in our schools and classrooms are vast and generally goes unnoticed. There is a great need to create safe learning environments for trans and gender diverse learners. Even if you are not sure as to whether there are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) identifying learners in your classroom, creating and inclusive environment is essential in order for all learners to be open to diversity in general. Making all learners feel that they are accepted is crucial, as it is possible that there may be LGBTI identifying learners in your classroom who are not open about their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Therefore, teachers should discuss and deal with issues of gender and sexual diversity.