“To queer is to venture into controversial, intellectually complicated, nuanced terrain with students. It requires faith that middle school students in a public school such as mine not only can, but must, learn to grapple with complexity if their education is going to provide opportunities, rather than impose insurmountable limitations… A queer methodology […] encourages criticality and considers inquiries about identity as crucial to the act of teaching, rather than material to be covered on one particular day and checked off a “to do” list. In a middle school English classroom, queer pedagogy pushes conversations about characters and identity beyond simplistic observations and into an exploration of power dynamics, social issues arising in texts, and character experience.” (p. 2-3)

Reading Loren Krywanczyk’s piece on queer pedagogy introduced me 1) to a new term: to queer; and 2) to a form of education, focusing on identities, we should implement in our classrooms. The author uses the term “queer” as a verb, signaling a method of teaching where teachers create forums for students to debate, learn, and share about diverse topics concerning identity. It is meant to make students question their current mindset, feel uncomfortable, and ultimately learn about each other in a safe setting. Continue reading How to queer your class: 101 →