Breaking Barriers: Annabel Flemate's Approach to Queer Advocacy in Education

Teaching While Queer: Advocacy For LGBTQ Folks In Schools & Education To Live & Work As Your Authentic Self

Ask A Queer Educator

Teaching While Queer, Season 2, Episode 15
Join us on a journey of understanding and self-discovery with Annabel Flemate, a passionate pre-K and TK teacher who uses sign language as another creative tool for connecting with her students. Reflecting on her own experiences as a queer student, Annabelle shares how the support of her educators encouraged her to embrace her identity. She shines a light on the trials English language learners face and the powerful role teachers have in providing resources and support.
Turning the spotlight on the impact of childhood experiences, we delve into how these reverberate into adulthood, creating our self-perception and shaping our behaviors. As a queer educator, I offer insights from personal experiences, sharing strategies for handling potential challenges. We discuss the issue of anti-queer behavior in early childhood education, underlining the urgency of fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all children from a young age.
Lastly, we stress the importance of diverse, inclusive literature in the classroom. Discussing the power of "first conversation" books, we highlight the crucial role they play in facilitating discussions about identity, gender, and race. We hit upon the resistance educators face when introducing these topics and accentuate the need for more resources allowing children to explore their identities. All in all, our goal is to encourage you to continue these conversations, helping to shape a more accepting and understanding future. Because, at the end of the day, it's not just about teaching, but about nurturing open-minded, compassionate individuals.
Annabel shares several book recommendations during the episode which can be found below:
Being You by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Andy Passchier
Our Skin by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas
Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlmann and Esa Laban

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Follow Teaching While Queer on Instagram at @TeachingWhileQueer.
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The podcast explores the challenges and successes of LGBTQ representation in education, addressing issues such as burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the importance of advocacy in creating inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies, with a focus on supporting non-binary teachers and gender identity in schools to combat the feeling of isolation and lack of community.

Chapters

1. Breaking Barriers: Annabel Flemate's Approach to Queer Advocacy in Education (00:00:00)

2. Teaching While Queer (00:00:05)

3. Encouraging Authenticity and Acceptance in Parenting (00:08:56)

4. Importance of First Conversation Books (00:15:13)

5. Authenticity and Inclusivity in Education (00:25:49)

6. Promoting Inclusivity in Education and Sports (00:31:50)

7. Building a Community for Queer Teachers (00:39:42)