Think back to your own time as a student. Do you recall a teacher who made you feel seen and accepted—someone who noticed you, celebrated who you were, or simply made space for you to be yourself? How has that memory stayed with you, even years later?
Educators show up every day and do this work because they care about their students. It's why so many of us got into this profession in the first place.
Now think about the students who have never had that teacher, especially LGBTQ+ youth. Numerous studies show how queer youth face disproportionately higher rates of anxiety and depression than non-LGBTQ+ youth. For these students, the absence of an affirming adult isn't a small gap—it shapes how they feel walking into your classroom every day.
Does your teaching practice welcome and include all students? Does it create the kind of positive, lasting impression you remember from your own favorite teacher—for every child in the room, not just some?
The good news: there are practices you can adopt—small, deliberate steps—that prioritize LGBTQ+ student safety and affirmation. Meaningful change doesn't require a total overhaul of your teaching. It starts small, and it builds your capacity for transformation over time.
Why This Work Matters
As educators, we can't control the broader landscape—the headlines, the legislation, the shifting policies that seem to change by the week. But we can control what happens inside our own four walls. Focusing your energy on what is within your reach isn't a compromise; it's where the real, lasting impact happens.
When we create classrooms that are safe and inclusive, all students thrive. Affirming LGBTQ+ students models respect, empathy, and kindness toward all identities; supports mental health and reduces anxiety for all; encourages all children to be authentic and confident in who they are; and prepares students to thrive in a diverse and inclusive society.
Every student deserves to feel safe and respected at school — to feel that they belong. Yet that isn't the reality for many LGBTQ+ students, who face a much higher risk of feeling unsafe, being bullied, and struggling academically than their peers. The good news: even one supportive adult can reduce these risks and make a lasting difference.
You can be that adult.
What's Within Your Control? More Than You Might Think.
Many of the everyday norms in our classrooms are so familiar that they feel natural, if we even notice them at all. But some of the "normal" practices we've inherited carry unspoken assumptions about who fits and who doesn't. In schools, children who don't conform to these expectations are often excluded and, in many cases, bullied or harassed—especially LGBTQ+ students.
It’s easy to say, “Well, that’s just the way things are!” In truth, we have far more power than we realize: it’s the language we use, the expectations we set, and the practices we follow that shape our classroom community’s idea of what is "normal." We have a choice: we can stay on a path that alienates some of our students, or we take meaningful steps to affirm, support, and empower every student. Teachers hold the power to spark meaningful, positive change in the world.
This work starts with taking a careful look at the values we support in our classrooms. Even values that feel completely neutral, like developmental appropriateness, equality, fairness, respect, can carry unspoken assumptions that quietly shape the classroom environment. A few examples of how well-intended ideas don't always support every student:
- Equality versus equity
Equality, or treating all children the same in all ways, can feel positive, but it can also overlook important differences that affect students’ daily lives. Equity, however, aims for a fair result and to ensure that all students feel that they belong and are safe in school. While equality might mean treating all families the same, equity acknowledges the diversity of family structures and actively looks for ways to welcome and include diverse family members in classroom activities, ensuring that all families can be part of the classroom community. Without equity, equality fails to recognize diverse identities and misses its goals.
- Unquestioned traditions
When classrooms emphasize conformity — often unwittingly — they can send the message that only certain ways of being are "normal," which discourages some students from feeling free to be themselves. When we uphold norms such as gendered dress codes and behavior expectations, for example, we impose a gendered view of the world. The goal is not to discard tradition or authority, but to rethink practices to ensure they don’t unintentionally harm students.
- Avoiding "controversial" or “age-inappropriate” topics
When LGBTQ+ identities or family structures are perceived as too sensitive or complicated for young learners, they are often quietly excised from classrooms—from the texts read in class, from history and health lessons, from classroom décor, from classroom discussions, and from what students choose to share in class. At the same time, LGBTQ+ students and students with LGBTQ+ family members are still very much in the room. This invalidation of those students’ identities and families limits not only students’ understanding of human diversity but also our opportunities to create an inclusive environment where all students feel seen, valued, and represented.
Small, Meaningful Shifts
You might feel excited to make changes and jump right in. On the other hand, you might be feeling overwhelmed or anxious about trying something new, worried that things could go wrong. Or maybe you find yourself somewhere in between. Whatever you’re feeling is completely okay. What matters is that you’re here and ready to create a more inclusive classroom for all your students.
Dr. Scott Sundstrom, a gay educator, district administrator, and author of Creating Safe and Welcoming Classrooms for LGBTQ+ Students (2026), borrows from Jon Wargo’s (2019) ideas on “tinkering” and Kevin Kumashiro’s (2000) ideas on “disruptive education,” to identify disruptive tinkering as a way to make small meaningful shifts to inclusivity. It means tweaking or adjusting routines to interrupt gender binaries, challenge what is considered “normal,” and disrupt the status quo.
Here's what disruptive tinkering looks like in real classrooms:
Language
Small wording shifts can open up who feels included in a simple greeting. Inclusive language cultivated a welcoming environment, where students understand that their different identities, backgrounds, and home lives are respected and valued in the classroom, and that they belong.
An easy way to start shifting language is to replace boys and girls with one of these:
- Second Graders (or Fourth Graders or Kindergarteners)
- Readers
- Writers
- Mathematicians
- Scientists
- Friends
- Class
How we call on students
Over the last thirty years, several studies have examined student participation in elementary classrooms and researchers have found similar results: teachers call on boys more than girls. Calling patterns can reinforce gendered assumptions about who's expected to participate.
Rethinking how we call on students can create a more inclusive learning environment. It can also reduce anxiety, encourage more participation, and ensure all voices have an opportunity to be heard.
Here are some simple strategies to try:
- pulling sticks to have students respond but giving them the option to “pass” if they do not want to answer.
- having your students turn and talk, listening in on what they have to say, and then calling on students who you know have a strong response to the question to share with the whole group.
- giving more wait time to allow all students to process the question.
Over time, you’ll notice more students feeling comfortable, raising their hands to participate.
Grouping students and assigning seating
The common practice of separating boys and girls into different groups—whether it’s for lining up at the end of the day, organizing seats, or setting up group work—reinforces gender-based stereotypes. The practice of seating students boy-girl-boy-girl in the hope that it will decrease socializing is also rooted in gender-based stereotypes.
Thinking about what you know about your students will help you make better decisions when grouping students and creating seating arrangements. Focus on factors that directly relate to student participation, engagement, and performance. Which of your students prefer quiet, calm workspaces? Which students need to be separated and why?
Here are some ideas to use when organizing your class into groups:
- alphabetical order (dividing into equal groups)
- birthday months
- student interests
- student achievement on a particular skill or strategy
- student choice
- random pairing using tools such as a wheel of names, name sticks, or playing cards (asking students to find the other person who has a card of the same color and number)
None of these shifts require new curriculum, new training, or a difficult conversation about identity. They're adjustments to practices most classrooms already have in place—which is exactly why they work in any classroom, in any school, in any state.
And importantly: these changes don't just support LGBTQ+ students. They benefit every student in the room by creating more flexible, inclusive learning environments that support all of the human beings inside.
One Step at a Time
Every small step you take to affirm LGBTQ+ students makes a difference. As an educator, you hold power—the power to shape a classroom where every child feels seen, valued, and safe. You have the agency to lead with compassion, to challenge injustice, and to build something better. You can be the teacher a student remembers for what you did to affirm them and make them feel like they belong.
You don't have to have all the answers, and you don't have to do this work alone. There's a growing community of educators making these same small shifts in their own classrooms, learning together, and supporting each other along the way.
Whether you’re shifting the way you speak to students, rethinking your seating arrangements and student groupings, or exploring ways to affirm your LGBTQ+ students and even more overt ways, you’re doing the work and you are making a difference.
If you are looking for ways to deepen this work in your classroom, Creating Safe and Welcoming Classrooms for LGBTQ+ Students offers practical strategies, reflective questions, real classroom examples, and insights from K–5 educators doing this work every day. Dr. Scott Sundstrom breaks down what this work looks like in real classrooms, with actionable steps you can take right away.
