My teaching philosophy is under construction. As I continue on my journey as a teacher candidate, my views are constantly evolving with each new tidbit of information that is thrown my way, but there is one constant that will remain static until the end of my time as a teacher decades from now: I am an activist teacher. Sound scary to you? Well, it does to me, too, but some of the scariest social justice subjects to broach are the ones that children can grasp faster than adults can, so why not expose them early? My quest to turn the next generation into kind, compassionate, free and critical thinkers has to start somewhere.
I decided to take a risk with my read aloud today, touching on a subject that, while topical and totally relevant to my school district as well as the world we live in, is continually viewed as controversial by many in our community. Pushing the envelope on touchy subjects can’t be easy for some teachers, as there are an infinite number determining factors that might derail your lesson or discourage you from tackling those issues at all, such as the views of parents or even of the wider school community. To combat any backlash, however, I decided to approach the “touchy” subject of gender norms and identity gently and indirectly, through the picture book Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino.
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