Back-to-School Voices: Rich Espey
Rich Espey
Middle School Teacher Baltimore, Maryland
When you teach Middle School students you need to expect the unexpected! This year, as I look forward to another year as co-advisor to The Park School of Baltimore’s Middle School GSA (for information and resources on starting your own GSA, check out GLSEN's Jump Start program), I can’t wait to see what great project ideas our students will come up with. Last year our GSA began by creating a “Question of the Month” bulletin board, posting queries like “Why don’t straight people have to come out?” and “What are the ‘rules’ for girls and boys in our school and what happens if someone breaks them?” Along with each displayed question were slips of paper for people to leave anonymous written responses in our rainbow-decorated box, a box which filled quickly with (mostly) thoughtful replies. Each month’s contents were summarized and posted on the bulletin board along with a new question. What a great way to promote thoughtful hallway discussion and increase LGBT visibility! Later in the year our GSA decided to sponsor a mock referendum in anticipation of Maryland’s coming referendum on same-sex marriage legislation (passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor in March, 2012). After an informative student-led assembly explaining both the issue and the referendum process, our rainbow box was once again put to work! The results? Ninety-one percent of our student body voted in favor of upholding the law entitling same-sex couples the right to civil marriage. I sincerely believe that the work my colleagues at Park have done to include age-appropriate presentations of gender and sexuality diversity across the curriculum played a role in that landslide. So what’s next? The LGBT History Timeline we didn’t quite have time to get off the ground last year? Advocacy supporting pending transgender anti-discrimination legislation? I don’t know! But I do know my colleagues and I will listen carefully to our students and support their needs and interests. I’ll wager that in this school year we’ll find new ways to keep thinking, talking and learning about gender and sexuality diversity – and we’ll get even closer to creating that ideal environment of safety and inclusion for all. Middle Schoolers never cease to surprise and amaze me. I’m expecting the unexpected – thank goodness that’s something I can count on!
Resources to help you get back to school
The Jump Start Program - GSA resource What have YOU done to transform you school? What ideas or tips can you provide to other LGBT students overcoming challenges? Share your story with us so that we can share it with world. Together, we’ll be inspired to make this school year even better than the last – for everyone. 