Details
Kira White - Building Your Gender Affirming Classroom/Community
Session Information:
In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to develop their own action plan for creating a gender affirming classroom or school community. We will examine the connections between gender affirming classrooms, educational outcomes, and mental wellbeing for students of all ages. We will talk through strategies for teaching beyond the binary that can be applied in every setting as well as content-specific considerations, mostly focused on middle and upper grades. Participants will have time during this workshop to begin drafting their own plan and share ideas in small groups. This workshop assumes basic fluency in language around gender and sexuality diversity but glossaries of terms will also be provided.
Presented by: Kira White, LSW, MPH (they/them/theirs)
About the Presenter:
A clinical social worker with a focus on school-based mental health, Kira has worked as a school counselor for the past four years, first in KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools and now at The Shipley School. Kira received a BA in History from Swarthmore College and holds Masters degrees in Social Work and Public Health from University of Pennsylvania. They are passionate about creating supportive communities for LGBTQ+ students, families, and school staff. They recently received certification as an Instructor for Mental Health First Aid, a public education program that teaches individuals to recognize and respond to a mental health or substance-use crisis. Outside of work, Kira is an avid animal rescuer, ultimate frisbee player, and oldest sibling to three amazing brothers.
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In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to develop their own action plan for creating a gender affirming classroom or school community. We will examine the connections between gender affirming classrooms, educational outcomes, and mental wellbeing for students of all ages. We will talk through strategies for teaching beyond the binary that can be applied in every setting as well as content-specific considerations, mostly focused on middle and upper grades. Participants will have time during this workshop to begin drafting their own plan and share ideas in small groups. This workshop assumes basic fluency in language around gender and sexuality diversity but glossaries of terms will also be provided.
Presented by: Kira White, LSW, MPH (they/them/theirs)
About the Presenter:
A clinical social worker with a focus on school-based mental health, Kira has worked as a school counselor for the past four years, first in KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools and now at The Shipley School. Kira received a BA in History from Swarthmore College and holds Masters degrees in Social Work and Public Health from University of Pennsylvania. They are passionate about creating supportive communities for LGBTQ+ students, families, and school staff. They recently received certification as an Instructor for Mental Health First Aid, a public education program that teaches individuals to recognize and respond to a mental health or substance-use crisis. Outside of work, Kira is an avid animal rescuer, ultimate frisbee player, and oldest sibling to three amazing brothers.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.
