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Jul. 17th, 2007 09:48 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
octogoggle.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
transI'm a third grade teacher. My school has a no-blogging policy regarding work issues, so I made this LJ just now to protect my regular LJ. Please don't think I'm a troll.
I had a short faculty meeting today and my supervisor pulled me aside to tell me that in my class this fall there is going to be a transgendered boy this coming year (is that correct, 'transgendered boy'? She is male but identifies as female.) Her family has apparently had trouble with this in previous schools, and she is starting new at my school to "start fresh" - she'd had trouble with dressing as a female and such before and had some problems with bullying (and depression related to being transgendered ).
I'm not sure why my boss decided to "warn" me but she did say she placed the kid in my class because the other teachers in my grade are much older and much more conservative (I'm in my 20's). I'm still a bit of a rookie teacher - and I'm not sure how common this is.
Anyway - I get to meet the kid and her parents in August ,but aside from using her chosen pronouns and nickname I'm not sure what else I can do to be sensitive to this kid. I really don't want to make a total ass of myself, especially since its her big chance to have a fresh start at a new school, which I think is great. Like I mentioned, she's had a lot of problems with depression and body image issues (no specifics from what my boss had to tell me today) and dressing and acting as she wanted has markedly improved her mental state, though doing it at her old school where everyone knew her as a little boy was tough.
Do you think the kid and her parents will want to tell the class right away, explain it in kid-friendly terms? Keep it a secret? What suggestions or help could I offer? Barring outright "special treatment", what is there to do to make the kid and her parents comfortable and happy (besides, of course, being the best third grade teacher ever ;P )
Thank you all so much in advance for any advice, and please forgive me any ignorance I may have. I really hope I can learn a bit more before I get to meet my new student.
I had a short faculty meeting today and my supervisor pulled me aside to tell me that in my class this fall there is going to be a transgendered boy this coming year (is that correct, 'transgendered boy'? She is male but identifies as female.) Her family has apparently had trouble with this in previous schools, and she is starting new at my school to "start fresh" - she'd had trouble with dressing as a female and such before and had some problems with bullying (and depression related to being transgendered ).
I'm not sure why my boss decided to "warn" me but she did say she placed the kid in my class because the other teachers in my grade are much older and much more conservative (I'm in my 20's). I'm still a bit of a rookie teacher - and I'm not sure how common this is.
Anyway - I get to meet the kid and her parents in August ,but aside from using her chosen pronouns and nickname I'm not sure what else I can do to be sensitive to this kid. I really don't want to make a total ass of myself, especially since its her big chance to have a fresh start at a new school, which I think is great. Like I mentioned, she's had a lot of problems with depression and body image issues (no specifics from what my boss had to tell me today) and dressing and acting as she wanted has markedly improved her mental state, though doing it at her old school where everyone knew her as a little boy was tough.
Do you think the kid and her parents will want to tell the class right away, explain it in kid-friendly terms? Keep it a secret? What suggestions or help could I offer? Barring outright "special treatment", what is there to do to make the kid and her parents comfortable and happy (besides, of course, being the best third grade teacher ever ;P )
Thank you all so much in advance for any advice, and please forgive me any ignorance I may have. I really hope I can learn a bit more before I get to meet my new student.