Blog Post 2
The past week while I was commenting on blogs
from our Gender Studies class I read one that mentioned misgendering of
students at Uni, specifically calling out some of the teachers. After reading
this post I started to pay more attention to the way teachers were referring to
students in clubs and classes that I’m in. When I intentionally paid attention
I was honestly a little surprised at the sheer amount of teachers that don’t
know the pronouns of students in their classes.
At the
beginning of school all of my classes, besides Gender Studies, did not have
students introduce their names or pronouns. I can’t speak for the classes I’m
not in, but I think this may be one of the leading factors for a lot of the misgendering
that’s happening. I understand some students not being comfortable sharing
their pronouns with the whole class, or students who feel uncomfortable with defining
or choosing pronouns. But I think teachers should absolutely ask students to
share their pronouns if they are willing. I think teachers especially should be
getting pronouns right or asking if they aren’t sure. Teachers are role models
for a lot of students, and if teachers are actively using the right pronouns it
would reduce a lot of misgendering among students too.
I understand
not being able to learn and remember everyone’s pronouns all at once, but I
know teachers who get pronouns right, so it’s not an impossible task, it’s one
where you need to put in effort. Misgendering is extremely harmful and hurtful
for so many students at Uni and it’s something that needs to be addressed. I
don’t think implementing gender education classes for everyone would be
possible in next year or two, but it is something that we should work towards.
I think addressing this issue and bringing it up during meetings is also something
that needs to happen, so teachers are aware that there is something they need
to work on. There are also many other things we as students can do as well. For
example, raising awareness and educating classmates, because Uni is supposed to
be a safe and comfortable space for everyone. Thanks for reading!
- Bridget
Great points, Bridget! I agree that a majority of the teachers didn't start the class by asking everyone's pronouns. About three out of my total total eight teachers did, even when we were all introducing ourselves at the beginning. I definitely enjoyed some teachers' method of saying that we could share our pronouns if we "felt comfortable." I think we've discussed this before in class, but it helps some students to have the option not to share their pronouns if they feel uncomfortable, whereas for others it can be a helpful way to stop people misgendering them. I also agree that if we normalized sharing our pronouns and having the teachers respect them, there would be a lot less misgendering happening within the class.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a lot of great points and and your post is very well written. In non-fiction writing with Ms.Rodems we all wrote our names and pronouns on a name card that gets set out everyday at the beginning of class. The name cards are mostly for the student teachers but I think including pronouns somewhere that is always visible for the teachers and other students is a good idea and helps a teacher or student if they ever need a reminder about someones pronouns. I also think it is good to normalize asking peoples pronouns and I'm glad more teachers are starting to do it, however it can also be very uncomfortable to share pronouns in front of an entire class so I think it could be good to find an alternative way to ask about pronouns.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said! Starting to normalize introducing pronouns or asking respectfully for someone's pronouns is definitely one of the more immediate things we can do to work towards eliminating the issues regarding incorrect pronouns and misgendering in the Uni community. You made a great point about how teachers are role models for students, and if they are using the correct pronouns for someone, that can help solve any incorrect pronoun usage from other students.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I've always introduced myself with my pronouns this year, but I understand that not everyone may be comfortable doing that. It's super important that teachers create an open environment so that students feel safe sharing their pronouns and know that the teacher will use them. Even the teacher saying something like "If I get your pronouns wrong, please correct me," can help, because it shows that the teacher is open to learning and won't react badly to correction.
ReplyDelete