"A" Blog for Read Woke Aloud and RI Laws and Policies

 "A" Blog for Read Woke Aloud and RI Laws and Policies

First, I did not enjoy Ki. She seems like a great and very interactive Kindergarten teacher but I was not fully engaged at some points when her voice became too childish or how long the video was- 20 minutes to read that book was too much. I understand that she was stopping and educating at the same time but it was too much, I cant imagine a 5 year old sitting and watching her for that long. However, the book was super cute and I loved the way she framed names and pronouns as how you like to be called and what makes you feel good. I think people get worked up and worried about educating youth on things like pronouns when it can be as simple as, what makes you feel good, and if you don't know, its okay to take time to figure it out, to learn who you are. I also really appreciate how she stopped the video to correct herself when she mispronounced a name. 

As for the laws and policies document, I actually appreciated how easy it was to read. I feel often times Rhode Island tried to give you guidance but its incomprehensible or they tell you they want you to incorporate things like equity but not how. Just how we broke down some definitions, it was helpful to have the ones in the guidance, especially when you are working in a school, have clear and shared language amongst staff is important - we need to work together for our youth and their safety at every level.

I found the section on dress code confusing just because I think most schools have done away with a dress code entirely. I found it equally disturbing that they basically acknowledged that there are different dress codes for different genders, "Students should have the right to dress in accordance with their gender identity, within the parameters of the dress code adopted by the school/district." If schools didnt have gender restricted dress codes, this rule wouldn't need to be in here at all. Im also curious how easy or accessible the process to appeal someone's gender identity is with Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL).