Episode Details
Back to EpisodesWhat Does Belonging Look Like When Working in Higher Ed? | Ep. 224 (with Renee Wells)
Description
Renee has worked in classrooms, taught writing and literature, and now helps colleges put their commitments to equity into practice. In this conversation with Bryan, they look at the assumptions built into higher education, from who gets recognized as a leader to whose needs are considered in workplace policies.
They also talk about restorative practices beyond the classroom. Renee describes how colleagues can build community before harm happens, respond when it does, and turn broad commitments to belonging into concrete ways of caring for one another.
In this episode, you will:
- Examine how everyday assumptions about leadership and workplace culture can leave people out.
- Explore restorative practices for building trust and responding to harm among colleagues.
- Consider how to move from abstract conversations about DEI to meeting specific needs.
Renee’s work is a reminder that inclusive education depends on the people who teach and support students, too. What could change if we built our workplaces with the same care we hope to bring into our classrooms?
Queering Education is a Teaching While Queer podcast centering LGBTQ+ educators and the real-world realities of teaching while queer. We explore queer representation in education, including burnout, tokenism, doxing, visibility, boundaries, and advocacy for inclusive classrooms, safe schools, and anti-bullying practices.
This podcast supports gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and two-spirit teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to reduce isolation, protect educators, and build community.
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Keywords: Teaching While Queer, queer educators, LGBTQ teachers, inclusive education, gender identity in schools, safe classrooms, anti-bullying strategies, educator burnout, LGBTQ advocacy, queer visibility in education