Questioning

Welcome to Questioning, a blog about teaching and LGBTQ+ issues.  I’m a gay English teacher at a secondary school the UK, but beyond that I have decided to remain anonymous – primarily for professional reasons, but also because I want to be honest here in a way that I’m not sure I’m prepared to be without the mask of anonymity.  As will probably become excruciatingly clear over the next few posts, I’m relatively new to writing about LGBTQ+ topics; I wouldn’t describe myself as an activist and I don’t feel experienced or knowledgeable enough to claim any kind of authority in pedagogy, child psychology, issues of gender and sexuality, or, if I’m honest, anything at all, really.  What I do have are my own experiences and a willingness to share them (albeit, as I say, from behind a computer screen).

The idea for the blog was prompted by a conversation I had recently with a relative, in which we discussed our experiences of attending secondary schools as pupils.  It led me to realise more clearly the impact of my own education on both my personal life and my teaching and made me want to explore these ideas further.  This may, therefore, end up acting as a kind of therapy for me, but I hope too that it proves helpful or insightful for others.  I’ll be very happy to receive any comments others may have, although I’d ask you to keep any criticism on the kindly side!

Thank you for reading, and if you do get anything out of what I write, please do share it with others.