Teachers Can Help Change the World

By Rae Sweet

As the oldest child of two teachers, I’ve spent my whole life witnessing the dedication and hard work that goes into this undoubtedly noble profession. 

My mom was a 2nd-grade teacher for most of my childhood, and is now a 6th-grade English, Social Studies, and P.E. teacher. After school let out, she would stay in her classroom grading papers, hanging up bulletin boards, and fine-tuning her lesson plans. And after she came home and had dinner with her family, she’d go back to her desk and continue to grade papers with her green pen and frog-shaped stamps. 

My dad is a high school history, government, and economics teacher. He always blew my mind the way he explained history like it was an action movie or a drama. He made the subject so engaging. He would spend his weekends watching history documentaries, volunteering at Civil War reenactments, and sword fighting at Renaissance days. 

My parents are not only the coolest teachers, they have always been my fiercest allies. They never made me feel like I had to hide in a closet. They loved me unconditionally from day one, through my coming out as pansexual, discovering my identity as nonbinary, changing my name and pronouns, and taking on LGBTQ+ advocacy as a career. I’ve watched them bring their unfaltering allyship into the classroom in such beautiful ways. Sometimes loud and proud, like hanging rainbow flags or advising a GSA club. Other times, in more subtle ways, like offering a safe space for closeted students to come to for help. 

My parents showed me that educators can help change the world. They are the reason I use education as a central tool for advocacy and change-making at It Gets Better.

(Rae Sweet, center, with the Youth Voices)

Through my role at It Gets Better, I’ve met and worked with countless incredible teachers like my parents, working hard to make their classroom a safe and empowering place for LGBTQ+ students. It is incredibly hard work, especially given the current climate in this country, but it does not go unnoticed. 

If you’d like to get more involved with It Gets Better, here are a couple of resources for you and your students:

• Get a copy of Queerbook, a collection of poetry, art, short stories, and more, made by and for LGBTQ+ youth,  for your classroom
• Explore our library of free for download, LGBTQ+ inclusive educational resources.
• Invite your students to register for LGBTQ+ Career Day on May 29th, 4:00-5:30pm PT via Zoom.
• Encourage your students to apply for Youth Voices, It Gets Better’s LGBTQ+ youth ambassador program.

From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the entire It Gets Better team, thank you for everything you do.

Rae Sweet
Senior Coordinator of Education