Gender Identity In Grammar Schools
Having just completed my first year in teaching at Secondary level, whilst also being relatively young at age 22, I have felt overwhelmed with thoughts and opinions on the issue of gender within Secondary schools, both Grammar and non-selective.
My base school this year has been a ‘Boys Grammar School’ where I truly have enjoyed teaching, but have noticed prominent aspects of the school which have stuck in my mind, especially after having taught at a non-selective (previously called comprehensive) for a month and also spending a few days observing at a Primary School.
Firstly, a big question that plays on my mind is where would a trans kid apply? A Boys Grammar or a Girls Grammar School? Or what about a non-binary person? Grammar Schools as a concept have this ingrained binary in most cases, with mixed Grammar Schools being few and far between (I certainly have never come across one).
It is during the time that kids are at secondary school (11-18) where they really grow into themselves and discover their true identities. Especially in this day and age, where it is easier than ever to experiment with self-expression and gender identity; it is from my personal experience that LGBT teens and young-adults often reject binary ideas by using makeup, clothing etc. to really create an identity for themselves. But how could a gender-questioning male child possibly partake in this experimentation of identity at a ‘Boys school’ where makeup, long hair and skirts are strictly forbidden? There is a very rigid image of appearance and behaviour that every ‘boy’ is expected to uphold.
But why is this? As an educator, I want to encourage each student’s differences and what makes them unique, but how is this possible with such strict expectations. And do they even make a difference? On one hand, it could be argued that dress codes encourage respect towards the rules and a sense of pride in one’s appearance by ensuring that they always look ‘smart’. But these very rules are the things that I wish to question. Why do we want every child in front of us to look the same? Surely this stifles each student’s sense of self-expression and discourages LGBT kids in particular from alleviating any dysphoria they may be feeling towards their gender.
I also question why these strict binaries exist within Grammar Schools. Is it believed that girls could not possibly focus if they spend all day swooning over boys? How insulting is that! And what about lesbians? I truly think this is such an outdated way of thinking and requires at least a reconsideration as an entire model. I myself studied at a Girls Grammar School and can honestly say that I was completely sheltered from the male sex until I entered Sixth Form. I am sure this must have affected my social skills in some way -but for what benefit I am unsure.
So where should we start when attempting to rethink the norm? Attitude. As much as we see LGBT Pride plastered over adverts and posters around school, you simply have to sit on a bus at 3.30 or walk by a school gate at this time to hear a homophobic slur casually tossed around, sometimes even in an endearing way. I feel that this is one of the biggest aspects of school life that could impact a young gay person and push them further into the closet. When your peers actively make it known that to be different is to be weird and strange, why would you ever want to be seen as different from the norm?
Instead of enforcing rules which produce identical clones with the same beliefs and the same appearance, I truly believe that it is our duty to encourage our individual differences, to break down binaries at an early level, and encourage today’s youth to have a more inclusive attitude.
Written by Lauren C
I’m Lauren, a 22-year-old English teacher from Kent. I’m interested in topical issues, specifically to do with gender and the LGBT movement.