I attended the first Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Speaker Series this evening. International school educators Justin Garcia and Kristina Pennell-Göetz led a workshop about “queering” the curriculum. I interpret queering as a verb means to challenge society’s thinking on norms. An example from the workshop that got me thinking was the idea of a “normal” family. It is relatively common in international schools to have families with adopted children. When adopted children are a different color from the parents, how does that impact how they feel about our norms about family.
In breakaway groups, we discussed the principles from a framework promoting gender and sexuality self-determination, especially for LGBTQ+ students, parents and educators from the National Council of Teachers of English. Below are the principles.
My big takeaway from the workshop and from a conversation I had last week with IS Helsinki Director Kathleen Naglee is for me to find subtle ways of giving the message that our school, Tashkent International School, is a safe space for all students. I hope through my language, listening, and enthusiasm that LGBTQ+ students, parents, and employees will feel free to communicate with me and feel they belong at TIS.
TIS Director's Blog 
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