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TEACHERS NEEDED A RESOURCE THAT WOULD APPROACH LGBTQ CONVERSATIONS DIRECTLY, AND A NOVEL THAT SPEAKS TO STUDENTS IN THEIR LANGUAGE, IS AN IDEAL PLACE TO START.
32 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2014
the hands of students, teachers and families across Canada. Voice caught up with Greg, as he read aloud from his book to students who had been using it as a novel study in their Grade 7 classrooms.
Voice: What inspired you to write a novel?
GK: Sometimes using someone else’s words is easier. In a profession where we see more and more educators being questioned for ad- dressing hot topics embedded in social jus- tice, using your own words in the classroom can be risky. Teachers needed a resource that would approach LGBTQ conversations di- rectly, and a novel that speaks to students in their language is an ideal place to start. You
can analyze a text using any literary work you want, but choosing a novel with an overtly gay story, written by a Canadian, that brings the queer and questioning process into the classroom seemed an important task. Stu- dents are more likely to learn about these is- sues from media and their peers than from conversations at home, and for students that need them most, they can be the hardest conversations to start. At the end of the day, teachers facing resistance from colleagues, administrators or parents can just say they were analyzing a text with their students, giv- ing them the safety to combine good teach- ing with important and difficult topics with- out making it personal.
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