Protecting trans youth is protecting the youth

There is no question that teachers are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. Teachers are expected to work miracles when their funding gets cut. They are expected to take the place of parents; it is the teacher's responsibility to teach respect and manners. Days off…come on! Teachers get summers off! Teachers must be selfless despite the constant personal and professional attacks that teachers have some hidden agenda to turn their kids into some sort of indoctrinated monstrosity that runs counter to their parents' held beliefs. Here is the thing: teachers are just like everyone else. Teachers enjoy watching movies, going on bike rides, gossiping with friends, having a cold beer every now and then, and so much more.

I started this newsletter on top of my normal, everyday profession as a teacher because it is important that busy teachers can get news that matters to them in a way that does not take up too much time. Starting this newsletter does not necessarily take up more time than usual but allocates the time I spent doing less productive things. But this newsletter allows me to do what I enjoy: writing.

Anyway, I am currently on vacation with my family in Vietnam and have been here for the last week. We have two weeks left and I have been enjoying every minute of it (well, that is not to say it has not been stressful with my four and two-year-old, but it is a good kind of stress).

This week's newsletter will only focus on one topic and one that is important. I hope you are all aware of this topic and doing everything you can as teachers to ensure all your students feel safe.

Teaching is stressful, so be sure to take time of with your friends. With your family. And, of course, take time off for yourself. We all need our quiet time. Cheers to your morning cup ☕

Justice for Net Benedict

School should be a safe place for all students. No student should feel like they do not belong or feel like they have no one they can go to talk to if they need someone to listen. At an Oklahoma school last month, a 16-year-old student was jumped in the bathroom and a day later died. The results are inconclusive on whether the incident contributed to the death of the student. Still, it was no secret that the student who died, Nex Benedict, was openly non-binary. According to accounts from friends and family, Nex, being who they were, teachers, and other faculty knew and did nothing to prevent the bullying they experienced.

In the U.S. where we are constantly bombarded with words like freedom and choice, lawmakers seem to be constantly attacking the everyday rights of people. People should be able to express who they are without feeling like they are different because each and every one of us is different. No person is the same as someone else because we all have our quirks and uniqueness that make us who we are. Yet, lawmakers - and it should be obvious that these attacks come predominantly from the right of the political spectrum - continue to dehumanize people with their outdated, barbaric ways. 

In Arizona, one lone Republican senator prevented a ballot referral from being passed that would require parents’ consent for a student not to be called by their dead name as well as their preferred pronoun. The lone state senator stated that this ballot referral could have affected some of his family members if they were still in school. It is great that he could acknowledge this and empathize with others going through this situation. Still, unfortunately, when it comes to Republicans taking a stance on specific social issues like this, it must be in the context that they know someone for them to understand honestly.

Regarding Nex, whether the bullying she experienced before the day they died contributed to their death or not, it is clear that we need to do better in protecting our students when they are within school walls, as well as protect all people regardless of how they choose to identify themselves.

Watch the exchanging here with the police officer, Nex, and their mother inside a hospital room.

Closing Bell