I like this outfit. It is pretty simple, but super comfy and casually cute. Do you know what I get the most compliments on? The scarf. By far and wide it is the scarf. And the bummer? I have no idea where I got it. I do know that I adore it. It is soft, warm, purple, ombre, and sparkly! What’s not to love? I have had the pleasure of wearing it for quite some time now. I used to wear it all the time last year with my more plain and boring work outfits. Now it gets to come out and play only when I think it goes well with the outfit.
The most amazing thing happened on the day I chose to wear this. I’m pretty sure it was either last Monday or Tuesday. Probably Monday, my first day back after winter break at work. One of the administrators at my school has asked for all teachers to go over the district’s sexual harassment policy with our students at least once per quarter. I’ve decided to also include a brief discussion on what it means to bully and harass people in general. This particular time I included a brief discussion of LGBTQ+ issues. Things like the high rate of suicide, that most people will not say anything due to deep seated fears, and how we probably have 1 to 2 students in our own class who identify that way and have yet to let anybody know even though they know.
It was a fairly usual speech for me. Nothing all that out of the ordinary. However this time I did have a few new students in my classes. A student that I have only had for a month or two waited around after class while everyone else left. She came up to me and said something along the lines of “Mrs. Denithorne, I just wanted to say thank you for having that talk with us today. Especially the part about the LGBT community. So thank you very much because now I feel a little safer at this school. Can I give you a hug?” To which I said yes while choking back the tears.
Oh my god! Really?? Some part of me thought that just by seeing me, students would get the message that they can be safe, but that is not really true now is it? It needs to be explicitly explained to them before they really understand the issue. For both sides. The kids who are being harassed don’t think anyone will care. And often the kids harassing really do not understand what they are doing.
So, I thanked her for speaking to me, and wished her a good day. She smiled and went about her school day. I took several deep breaths, savored the moment, and went outside with a huge grin and tears in my eyes to welcome in my next class and repeat the whole speech.
Damn teaching middle schoolers can really blow your socks off sometimes.
Love you!!
Love yourselves!!
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Teachers really can make a difference. ๐
You deserve to have your name up on the blackboard with 5 gold stars after it.
Charlene ๐๐
Thanks Charlene. I too believe that teachers can make a huge difference in children's lives. We are on the front lines and often see what parents don't. Thanks for the support and the gold stars!!
Nadine, thank you for sharing a beautiful story. I've been following your blog for a couple of years and it's been an education for me. I think you look amazing. The smile on your face in this picture! Gorgeous.
Aaaaawwwweee….. thanks! I'm blushing!
Hello again. I hope my compliment didn't take away from the gravity of your post. The story you shared is an important one. As a mother and as a teacher, I want all of my children/students to feel safe at school. And you have set such an amazing example – I bet you have no idea how many kids you've touched just by being authentically you. On a personal level, I have not met any transgendered people. That I'm aware of. So I appreciate your blog as a way to learn and understand. I don't ever want to say something or do something that would hurt or belittle any person, therefore what I've learned from you is so valuable to me. Now I have a question that is not meant to offend or upset anyone, I'm genuinely asking because I don't know the answer. If it's the wrong question to ask, please let me know, as I have stated, I certainly don't intend to offend. My question: why do we say "transgender woman" or "transgender man". Why not drop the "transgender" bit? If you want to be a woman, but were born male, why not be a woman….and vice versa. I understand what transgender means, but once one has made the change, isn't that it?
Thank you so much for writing back! I began typing a response to you and then I became super annoyed with the writing limitations of these darn comment boxes. So…… I really hope you don't mind that I have decided to use your comment in a post where I can give this a proper response.