Keywords:
elementary school, resources, advocacy, trans advocacy, transitioning, trans, school administration, school board
elementary school, resources, advocacy, trans advocacy, transitioning, trans, school administration, school board
Transcript
Max: So that’s why when we came to the school for Samantha, the moment she said it, I took the opportunity, I sent the school a message and I said, “and even more change in the family.” And so they were just flabbergasted. I think the initial reaction by one of the women at the daycare centre was, oh well you know I think it’s - you know, the typical the rhetoric of like, you know, “oh kids don't really know, of course they are going to question who they are.” And I went, I’m taking my daughter’s lead, and left it at that. But since, not a peep, not a problem. Everybody has just been so wonderful. It’s been so wonderful. And like Ryan said, when we walked into that meeting room to meet Samantha’s teacher, the principal and the vice principal, they were offering all sorts of different things. And we just said that we read that they, I sent them a ton of documents - and I said, whichever one you want to read, read. At least it will give you some basis of information. And they said “oh actually, we read this.” It was a document which was basically, a more recent one. There’s so many documents that I just can’t remember now. But it basically it’s a bunch of coloured rainbows - the pride flag colours - but lockers lined up like K-12, you know families and how to teach. There were post it notes and notes, and supposedly…
Tara: They had really gone through it.
Max: Yeah, they had really gone through it. And I went, “oh”
Ryan: I think that was a resource from their…
Max: From the school board.
Ryan: From the provincial school board - that they had actually created this resource for the scenarios like this and how schools were supposed to address them.
Max: And they read it.
Tara: And they read it, and they engaged with it?
Max: They did.
Tara: They were prepared for you.
Max: They were, they were. And so like we said, we came to the table with - I had - I had their policies, and I had everything printed. So I was just like, okay, I'm not guns a blazin, but if I hear any - if its going off the rails, I'm just going to have to bring these out.
Ryan: They wanted to make it work though.
Max: They wanted to so much.
Ryan: They really wanted to be an example of the new society. They said themselves, even five years ago had a family come to the table, they would have been a little bit more shell-shocked. But now you know, the new norm is I guess it’s not the normal which was expected previously. You know the new normal is just every family is different. Yet somehow very similar in that sense. So, they’ve been very accommodating and aside from that, that meeting, there’s nothing else happening because, why should it. Every other student, every other scenario.
Max: That’s true.
Max: So that’s why when we came to the school for Samantha, the moment she said it, I took the opportunity, I sent the school a message and I said, “and even more change in the family.” And so they were just flabbergasted. I think the initial reaction by one of the women at the daycare centre was, oh well you know I think it’s - you know, the typical the rhetoric of like, you know, “oh kids don't really know, of course they are going to question who they are.” And I went, I’m taking my daughter’s lead, and left it at that. But since, not a peep, not a problem. Everybody has just been so wonderful. It’s been so wonderful. And like Ryan said, when we walked into that meeting room to meet Samantha’s teacher, the principal and the vice principal, they were offering all sorts of different things. And we just said that we read that they, I sent them a ton of documents - and I said, whichever one you want to read, read. At least it will give you some basis of information. And they said “oh actually, we read this.” It was a document which was basically, a more recent one. There’s so many documents that I just can’t remember now. But it basically it’s a bunch of coloured rainbows - the pride flag colours - but lockers lined up like K-12, you know families and how to teach. There were post it notes and notes, and supposedly…
Tara: They had really gone through it.
Max: Yeah, they had really gone through it. And I went, “oh”
Ryan: I think that was a resource from their…
Max: From the school board.
Ryan: From the provincial school board - that they had actually created this resource for the scenarios like this and how schools were supposed to address them.
Max: And they read it.
Tara: And they read it, and they engaged with it?
Max: They did.
Tara: They were prepared for you.
Max: They were, they were. And so like we said, we came to the table with - I had - I had their policies, and I had everything printed. So I was just like, okay, I'm not guns a blazin, but if I hear any - if its going off the rails, I'm just going to have to bring these out.
Ryan: They wanted to make it work though.
Max: They wanted to so much.
Ryan: They really wanted to be an example of the new society. They said themselves, even five years ago had a family come to the table, they would have been a little bit more shell-shocked. But now you know, the new norm is I guess it’s not the normal which was expected previously. You know the new normal is just every family is different. Yet somehow very similar in that sense. So, they’ve been very accommodating and aside from that, that meeting, there’s nothing else happening because, why should it. Every other student, every other scenario.
Max: That’s true.