So one of the advantages of being a queer educator is that I was also a queer student. So I’ve been thinking...

It didn’t take much for a teacher to signal to me that they were safe. I noticed the book they had on their bookshelf that affirmed my existence and identity. I noticed right away.

And I’m thinking about how incredible powerful it will be for queer students to hear their teacher include their pronouns while introducing themselves to the class.

And I’m also thinking about the intersectionality of the identities of our students. What’s our signal of safety to our black, brown, latinx, indigenous, poor and disabled students? How will we signal love, safety and empowerment?

Like huge. That’s something that student will remember about you forever. It will set a tone. It’s a powerful signal. It’s a really great start.

And it’s REALLY REALLY REALLY not that hard.

And it makes me think about the powerful ways we can signal allyship and safety on the first day of school. So what else are you thinking we can do?