Q: I’m a 5th-grade teacher who supports LGBTQ+ rights, but I have a problem with the fact that my principal put a rainbow sticker on my classroom door. This was done without teachers’ input or permission, which bothers me. I’m not going to speak for all teachers, but I don’t think elementary school students fully understand the meaning of the symbol. On top of that, I am not comfortable addressing questions related to the topic, should any come up. I also personally feel that bringing social and political issues into the classroom distracts from my ability to teach writing, math, and other subjects. If schools want to go there, the subject is best suited to high school students studying social studies or civics.
Now I’m being put in an unwanted and awkward position. If my students’ parents see the sticker and don’t think the topic belongs in the classroom and ask me about it, I’ll have to tell them that it wasn’t my choice and that my principal put the sticker there. That would surely create conflict between me and my principal. Teachers have little autonomy as it is, and I think we should at least get to choose what we put on the doors and walls in our classroom. Clearly, my principal didn’t feel the need to solicit my input. How would you recommend I approach this? This time it’s a rainbow sticker, but who knows what he will choose to put on my walls next.
A: You’re asking a few different questions, some of which have more to do with teacher autonomy and communication than the meaning of the symbol. I’ll tackle those concerns first. You’re frustrated that your principal didn’t solicit your input before putting the symbol on your door, and you believe you have the right to choose how you decorate your classroom. Communication is a two-way street. You may bristle at the lack of collaboration, but you can’t expect him to read your mind. If you’d like him to adopt a more collaborative approach in the future, you need to tell him how you feel. Meet with him and respectfully explain that, at minimum, you’d like him to alert you before he affixes anything to your classroom door or walls. Keep in mind that, depending on the specific policies and practices in your district, he may have the right to put something on your door without your input or permission.
Whether or not there’s a sticker on your door, you need to feel prepared and equipped to address the topic with both parents and students.
The broader and more nuanced issue relates to the symbol itself. You’ve shared your discomfort with addressing questions related to LGBTQ+ issues, and you teach 5th graders. For kids that age, exploring their identity is a developmental imperative. Whether or not there’s a sticker on your door, you need to feel prepared and equipped to address the topic with both parents and students. For instance, it could come up in the context of bullying, or a hate incident in the news, or teasing related to crushes, or someone’s preferred pronouns — the list goes on. And any one of those issues can interfere with your students’ ability to learn. When teachers foster an inclusive and welcoming classroom and positive relationships with students, that not only improves the well-being of LGBTQ+ kids but also improves academic outcomes. The rainbow sticker is a visible reminder that in your classroom, you celebrate diversity and strive to make everyone feel they belong. You say at the outset that you support LGBTQ+ rights, so I urge you to consider the possibility that your resistance to the sticker stems primarily from your discomfort with the topic. To boost your confidence, you could ask your principal or a staff development specialist to recommend a professional development training that might boost your skills. As an added bonus, teachers help shape students’ attitudes, and you’d be modeling personal growth, lifelong learning and the importance of positive values such as acceptance and empathy.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phyllis L. Fagell
Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Landon School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Md., and the author of the Career Confidential blog. She is also the author of Middle School Matters and Middle School Superpowers, available at https://amzn.to/3Pw0pcu.
