How have restrictions on classroom conversations about race and gender affected teachers and students?
Two 糖心动漫vlog share their observations today.
Students 鈥楰now When We鈥檙e Afraid鈥�
Valerie Pe帽a-Hernandez is an equity-driven education consultant and former bilingual special educator:
Let me be clear: When we avoid conversations about race, identity, or love, we are not protecting students, we are abandoning them.
I鈥檝e stood in classrooms where silence became a suffocating presence, where LGBTQ+ students whispered truths instead of speaking them. Students of color were disengaged, not because they didn鈥檛 care but because they didn鈥檛 feel safe enough to bring their whole selves into the space. We鈥檙e not neutral when we dodge these topics, we鈥檙e complicit in erasure.
In my years as a teacher and consultant, I鈥檝e seen the transformation that happens when these stories are finally welcomed. I鈥檝e seen students sit taller, speak louder, and show up more bravely. When we talked about systemic racism, my students didn鈥檛 just listen, they endured it. They led poetry slams, painted murals, and organized forums. They healed and they resisted. When we honored LGBTQ+ voices, students who had once hidden in the back of the room began to share with power. They taught me what it meant to be courageous.
These conversations aren鈥檛 鈥渆xtras鈥� or 鈥渘ice to have,鈥� they are humanity鈥檚 curriculum. They are how we teach empathy, justice, and community. I鈥檝e worked with schools to develop structures and space for these dialogues and I always tell leaders that this is not about having the perfect words. It鈥檚 about creating a brave space over a safe space. It鈥檚 about showing up imperfectly but consistently.
Because here鈥檚 what I know for sure: Kids can sense authenticity. They know when we鈥檙e afraid and when we love them enough to fight for the truth. We cannot teach the whole child if we鈥檙e only willing to see parts of them. Full inclusion begins with full acknowledgment. Their stories, identities, and truths must belong in our curriculum鈥攏ot just in June or on MLK Day, but every single day.
鈥楽tudents Can Feel the Omissions鈥�
Craig Aarons-Martin is the CEO of CCM Education Group:
In my early days as a teacher in New Orleans and later as a principal in Boston, I taught my students to see their identity as a source of strength. But in recent years, legislation and policies aimed at limiting classroom discussion about LGBTQ+ identities and race have threatened that core belief鈥攁nd our students are the ones paying the price.
What these restrictions don鈥檛 account for is that our students live in these intersections. When you tell a Black trans student that their existence can鈥檛 be discussed, you鈥檙e not just censoring curriculum鈥攜ou鈥檙e denying their humanity.
When you scrub critical conversations about racism from the syllabus, you鈥檙e protecting adults, not children.
In the face of these restrictions, I鈥檝e had to get creative鈥攁nd bolder. As a school leader, I committed to fostering what I call 鈥渂rave spaces,鈥� not just safe ones. That meant embedding community agreements into morning meetings, coaching teachers on culturally affirming language, and bringing in family voices to reinforce that learning doesn鈥檛 stop when something gets hard.
Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e learned:
- Silence is not neutrality鈥攊t鈥檚 complicity. If we鈥檙e not explicitly affirming LGBTQ+ students and talking about the realities of race, we are implicitly upholding the systems that harm them.
- Students can feel the omissions. They know when we dodge hard conversations. One of my scholars once said, 鈥淢r. Martin, it鈥檚 like we鈥檙e invisible.鈥� That broke me鈥攁nd it changed me.
- Culture-building is an act of resistance. Even if the law limits certain words, it can鈥檛 limit your tone, your affirmation, your questions. Students know who sees them.
- Leadership must take a stand. I鈥檝e had to go toe-to-toe with district officials, board members, and angry emails. But I always told my staff: 鈥淚f they come for us, let them. We protect our kids first.鈥�
- Affirmation can鈥檛 be seasonal. Pride flags aren鈥檛 just for June. Black History isn鈥檛 just for February. Our work must be daily and embedded鈥攏ot performative.
Censorship will never protect our children more than truth will. And as 糖心动漫vlog, our duty is not to comfort systems but to champion the students entrusted to us.
Thank you to Valerie and Craig for sharing their thoughts.
Today鈥檚 post highlighted answers to this question:
What ways, if any, have attempts at limiting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and racism affected your teaching, and how have those restrictions impacted your students?
Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@educationweek.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it鈥檚 selected or if you鈥檇 prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.
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