I need thirteen copies of "Safe is Not Enough" to read with my teaching team, and one copy of "LGBTQ Youth in Education" for professional reference in order to make our school more LGBTQ inclusive.
My school is an amazing school filled with bright young energetic minds. We have made a lot of progress toward creating a safe and welcoming space for all students.
Our LGBTQ+ students need to attend a school where they are not just "safe" but also celebrated as belonging in our curriculum and to our future.
The focus of this project is on making a strong learning environment for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) students. So far our school has started a Queer History Course and has opened our state's first multi-stall gender-neutral bathroom in a public high school. Our students have made this happen, now our faculty needs to catch up.
My Project
"Safe is Not Enough: Better Schools for LGBTQ Students" is a new book written by Michael Sadowski and published by the Harvard Education Press. This book is filled with research, data, ideas, anecdotes, and calls to action. It is highly readable, well organized, and filled with passionate ideas to change the world. The intent and focus of this book is to push schools to go beyond simply creating "safe spaces" for LGBT students and to work on creating schools that inform all students of the valuable roles and experiences of Queer individuals throughout history.
This project is requesting 13 additional copies of the book; I had a project funded for ten, but interest in our group has more than doubled, so we need more copies!
My team will read one chapter each month. Collectively we will decide how to implement the concepts and ideas presented in the month's chapters IMMEDIATELY into our own classrooms and practices, as well as a larger discussion on how we can craft a LONG TERM incorporation of our experiences school wide. The other book, "LGBTQ Youth and Education" will serve as a shared resource filled with lesson plans, talking points, and other helpful resources.
I read this book this summer, and it inspired me. So often a book focused on equity focuses on "problems of practice" without giving any tangible ways to confront those problems. This book presents real experiences that have worked and improved schools for not just LGBTQ students but ALL students. I have permission from my administration to form the team, I have interested staff members, now we just need you to provide us with the guides.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Fox and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
