2015. május 20., szerda

I am a teacher ... what advice can I give to support a gender-fluid student in my class?

Hi All I apologise if this is the wrong place to post, I'm a bit of a reddit lurker as it is ... and I tend to stay on the front page or TwoX.However, I am a teacher in a training teacher position, at a small, rural school. It's a very white, heterosexual, area, where even something like dying your hair pink is seen as different.My training position started in February, and finishes at the end of the June. In one of my classes I have a 15 year old female student. She began to chat with me, and build a good rapport. This has turned in to her using me as a counsellor. I have no problem with this, and she knows I have to follow school policy with reporting child protection issues. I am a young female myself, and have been incredibly vocal within Social Study lessons about how tolerant I am.Because of this, the student felt she could confide in me, and has told me that she feels she is gender-fluid. She leans more towards the female, and is happy with the feminine pronoun, but with masculine days.I am thrilled for her that she has found a way that helps her understand herself more. However, since identifying this she is also sinking in to a depression, where she wishes she was "normal" and cannot cope with feeling emotionally like this.I have followed all school procedure channels, and she is receiving counselling ... however, she still chooses to talk to me a lot. I generally try and advise her that she doesn't owe anyone anything, and that she should just try and own who she is. It doesn't matter how she identifies herself, so long as she is being true to her feelings and emotions? The most important thing she can do is be truthful to herself. We've discussed how difficult that is, and how people aren't always tolerant, and we've discussed her age and how it is going to be tough over the next few years. We've discussed the location she lives in, and how much harder that makes owning this. We've discussed (and I respect and understand) that this is not something she wants publicised at school, and is therefore cautious of.Is there any bit of advice I can give to her, or directions I can point her in, that would help her understand more about herself? I leave this placement in 4 weeks time, and I would like to go knowing I have helped this student become in a more secure position?I gave her a diary today, as she is a keen writer, and I am hoping that keeping a journal will, at least, allow her to express herself and have something to talk to.Thank you all in advance.

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