"We Cannot Imagine": Preservice Teachers' Distancing of Trans*- and Gender-Creative-Identified Student Experiences

• In Event: Learning to Build Inclusive Classrooms: Promising Preservice Practices

Abstract

Research suggests that teachers are not meeting trans* and gender creative identified (TGC) students’ educational and safety needs. We ask the largely unexplored questions: how do preservice teachers (PSTs) understand the experiences of TGC students? How do PSTs make meaning of gender normativities in educational contexts? Utilizing a queer, social justice teacher education framework, we qualitatively analyzed 549 online posts authored by PSTs in an educational equity course. Two themes emerged: 1) PSTs lacked familiarity with TGC student experiences, 2) Participants positioned TGC students as Other, often heroes and/or victims, and identified few personal connections with TGC students’ experiences. These findings suggest teacher education must address these barriers to promote empathy, social justice, and effective teaching.

Authors

• Elizabeth E. Blair, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

• Sherry Lynn Deckman, Lehman College