This episode is the first of several episodes dedicated to exploring what is happening with gender in schools and education systems. Schools are becoming more and more of a focus for parents and citizens who pay close attention to identity politics.
In this episode, Stella and Sasha chat with Kate Parker, a high school educator and library director at a private school with over 16 years of service as an elected trustee to K-12 and community college boards of education. Kate recently stepped down from her position as the President of the Santa Barbara City College Board of Education in California and is the parent of an adult trans-identified child.
In their conversation, you’ll hear Stella, Sasha, and Kate discuss how and when Kate noticed things changing and her observations of gender coming into the school system. They explore the triangulation that happens in families when schools keep secrets from parents and how destructive that can be. Kate offers advice to parents feeling too afraid or too confused to speak out. She also shares how school systems and school boards operate, insights into the responsibilities of schools and how that impacts their response to curriculum changes and reactions to it, and about how there is a chain of trust in the perceived “experts” advising on curriculum themes and trends.
Links:
Kohlberg Demonstrations:
Genspect Resources for Schools:
Brief Guidance For Schools
https://genspect.org/guidance-for-schools
Brief Guidance For Colleges And Universities
https://genspect.org/guidance-for-colleges-and-universities
Brief Guidance On Social Transition
https://genspect.org/guidance-on-social-transition
School Policy: Gender Identity (USA)
https://genspect.org/comprehensive-gender-identity-school-policy-usa
School Policy: Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (Ireland)
https://genspect.org/school-policy-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-ireland
If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:
Gender & Schools | GWL Episode Playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngVCeAoK6vs-KvDiVE7QjpBphOg1Ckoi
This episode is the first episode being added to this playlist, so if you’re tuning in soon after the release of this episode, this playlist will seem sparse - we encourage you to bookmark the playlist for future reference as more episodes are added throughout the remainder of Season 3.
Please visit www.widerlenspod.com to explore more content, access additional resources, or to join our listener community.
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For more information about Sasha’s & Stella’s parent coaching membership groups:
Sasha Ayad: https://inspiredteentherapy.com/parents-start-here
Stella O’Malley: http://www.stellaomalley.com/parent-coaching
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117 - Gender, Parents, and Public Schools with Kate Parker