In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Christy Whittlesey, author of the Dave Burgess Publishing book, It’s Ok to Say “They”: Tips for Educator Allies of Transgender and Non-Binary Students. This is a powerful conversation between two educators about doing whatever you can to teach, care and help every student.
What is a gender-friendly school? What changes should school districts make? What should school districts be thinking about and considering?
Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) has been an educator in settings ranging from PreK-higher education for the past 17 years, and is currently a PreK-12 Fine and Performing Arts Administrator and a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Arts Ambassador in Massachusetts. In addition to her work in the arts, Dr. Whittlesey regularly collaborates with school districts and organizations to update policy and lead professional development to create gender-friendly schools where all students can thrive, regardless of gender.
Christy received an undergraduate degree from Berklee College of Music (2004), a master’s degree in Music Education from Boston University (2009), and a Ph.D. with a focus on Educational Research and Evaluation from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (2019), where she was awarded the Education Department’s “Outstanding Dissertation Award” for her work researching the educational experiences of transgender and non-binary students. She has presented her work at many national and international conferences, has co-authored work presented at the American Educational Research Association, and is a 2020 Boston Ed Talk Fellow.
Her book, It’s Ok to Say “They”: Tips for Educator Allies of Transgender and Non-Binary Students, is published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., and is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Christy’s book: It’s Ok to Say “They”: Tips for Educator Allies of Transgender and Non-Binary Students, is published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
Christy’s Website: www.christywhittlesey.com
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In my introduction, I salute our first responders and essential workers during this time of crisis, and I offer some insight and direction on how you can apply the practice of mindfulness to your life.
Weston Kieschnick is a lifelong educator with more than fourteen years of experience designing, developing, and delivering leadership training and professional development to teachers and school leaders around the globe. He is the author of the best selling book, Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Innovation = Blended Learning that Works, co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of 
Dr. Matthew X. Joseph has collected incredible insights on how best to support teaching and learning, and his work has led to nationally published articles and opportunities to speak at multiple state and national events. He has been a school and district leader in many capacities in public education over his twenty-five years in the field, with experiences such as being the director of digital learning and innovation, an elementary school principal, a classroom teacher, and a district professional development specialist. Matt currently serves as the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in Leicester Public Schools. He earned a master’s degree in special education and administration and has his Ed.D. in educational leadership from Boston College. Matt holds licenses in teaching, school administration, and MA superintendent.
Dr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. Monica was part of her school’s leadership team and was a vocal advocate for bringing one-to-one technology into her classroom. As a classroom teacher, Monica used iPads to create an engaging, differentiated learning experience to meet the unique needs of her students. Realizing the power of digital tools in the classroom, Monica started ClassTechTips.com to provide a resource for educators.
I am so happy I started the Wired Educator Podcast, and it is amazing to me to see it now at 150 episodes. I have no intention of stopping now. In fact, I am looking to growing the podcast in new ways.
Mat is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2013 and is also a senior lecturer in Initial Teacher Education at the University if South Wales. A physical education teacher by trade, and now works closely with future teachers and established educators.
