The New England League of Middle Schools’
Middle level years are perhaps the most vulnerable periods of our lives. We continually search for various identities, attempt to figure out the world, and contemplate our existence in our local and broader social order. Meanwhile, every emotion is magnified as our childhood brains experience unrivaled growth and rewire themselves into adult brains.
Successful middle level educators know this, and incorporate this knowledge along with a broader awareness of young adolescents’ developmental characteristics into their daily practice and foundational policies. Educators know students can not learn effectively when they do not feel safe, and that students can accomplish incredible things when they are genuinely supported. Among the characteristics of successful middle schools, according to the Association for Middle Level Education, are:
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Educators respect and value young adolescents
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The school environment is welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all
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School safety is addressed proactively, justly, and thoughtfully
While our country is in a highly polarized time and educators' take our role to keep our own 'politics' out of the classroom seriously, there are some things that have taken on the façade of partisan politics that are in reality policies that impact the humanity of our students and their safety when they are in our care.
The New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Board chooses to affirm our unyielding support of all of our students who are trans and non-binary. We recognize, as should all educators, that middle level students who are trans and non-binary exist in every school. Beyond the profoundly negative educational implications of possible new federal policies, research reveals that, while these children do just as well as cisgender children when properly cared for and supported, removing support can have a profoundly negative impact on their mental health, including a rise in suicidality.
If we choose to ignore our trans and non-binary students’ needs for safety and security, it is a violation of our states’ in loco parentis (“in the absence of a parent”) educators’ responsibilities. It is our professional, ethical, legal, and moral responsibility to see, respect, and value who they are in the fullness of their identities. Our roles are to:
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Use the names and pronouns they ask us to use
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Use gender-inclusive language when referring to the student body
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Understand how race, ethnicity, social class, and citizenship status may intersect with their gender identities to affect the nature of the discrimination and marginalization they face
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Search for and eliminate biases among adults and students
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Provide all of our students a chance to see themselves in the curriculum.
Research shows that when trans and non-binary students feel safe and supported, so too do cisgender students; they all think and learn more effectively.
Supporting trans and non-binary children are moral, ethical, legal, and humane acts, fundamentally important both to their sense of dignity and self-worth, and to not only their own education, but also that of their peers. Accordingly, and toward this end, the NELMS Board of Directors stands ready to provide resources to and support for middle level educators throughout New England.