Instructional Consultant Shadia Siliman describes a time when a student made offensive comments about transgender identity in her classroom:
"Several years ago, I was teaching a session of Introduction to Gender Studies which focused on trans experience. My students were completing a silent activity using the Genderbread Person and Gender Unicorn worksheets when one student interrupted our work time.
'Let’s say I think I’m transgender, but maybe I also think I’m a cow,' announced the student.
Before he could continue, I cut in: 'Hold on, I don’t want us to compare being trans to thinking you are an animal.'
I then asked the class as a whole, 'Why?' "
In the above response, Siliman made efforts to "call in" the student who made the offensive remark. First, she paused the conversation. She used “I” statements and the collective “us,” rather than “you,” to generalize feedback to all students and avoid direct conflict with the individual who made the offensive remark.
Next, Siliman turned the topic over to the whole class by asking: “Why?” This shifted power away from the individual to the community, allowing other students to practice "calling in."
The conversation continued:
INSTRUCTOR: …Why?
STUDENT #2: Because it makes trans people seem delusional.
STUDENT #1: But if I’m trans, I might as well think I’m a cartoon character.
INSTRUCTOR: Wait, I don’t want us to compare being trans to thinking you are a cartoon character.
- Strategies: Pause the conversation, use “I” statements, generalize feedback to all students rather than one speaker, offer Student #1 a second chance to reflect on his language
INSTRUCTOR (to the class): Why?
- Strategies: Turn topic over to the whole class, shift power away from one individual to the community, allow other students to call in Student #1
STUDENT #3: It still makes trans people seem delusional.
STUDENT #1: Well then, maybe if I’m trans, then I’m delusional.
Unfortunately, Student #1 turned down the “calling in” invitations and persisted in making transphobic statements. This signaled to Siliman that he was no longer choosing to participate generatively and respectfully, and she responded by asking him to leave the class session.
INSTRUCTOR: I believe that you have violated the guidelines of our classroom agreement, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave class.
- Strategies: Use “I” statements, refer back to a classroom agreement or community norms, ask Student #1 to leave the class session
STUDENT #1: I don’t think I’ve broken the classroom guidelines.
INSTRUCTOR: Let me ask your classmates. Do we believe that what was said is acceptable for class?
- Strategies: Turn topic over to whole class, shift power away from one individual to the community
"Looking around the room, I saw students shaking their heads. After the student left class, I asked students how they were feeling in the moment. We discussed their reactions and clarified that while disagreement in class is not wrong, being disrespectful is a problem.
After class was dismissed, the student returned to apologize to me for his offensive remarks. We met during office hours to clarify why his behavior led to removal from class and developed new guidelines for him to participate generatively and conduct himself more respectfully with other students. I restated to him what the class had discussed in our debrief: Disagreement is acceptable as long as it is respectful."
It is important to remember that we invite our students to participate respectfully, but we cannot make them do so. If you have to, ask someone to leave to de-escalate conflict and maintain a respectful learning environment.