Tina, a special education elementary school teacher in the south is my guest today! At 21 years old, fresh out of college, she was asked a simple question by a seventh grader:

“Do you listen to Girl in Red?”

In that split second, she had to decide whether she was going to out herself to an entire classroom. She said yes — and from that moment on, she became “the gay teacher.”

In this episode, we talk about what it’s really like to be a queer educator in a conservative Southern district — from safe space stickers being banned to a megachurch's influence on a school board, scripted curriculum surveillance, and year-to-year contracts with no permanent status.

We also discuss: • Teaching special education in a moderate-to-severe classroom • Being moved into roles you aren't licensed or credentialed for • “Nook and crook” curri ...