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The document discusses the challenges of teaching visual arts in a Muslim, gender-segregated IB World school while respecting local customs. It emphasizes the importance of addressing puberty and emotional expression in a flexible and supportive manner, acknowledging the variability of pubertal experiences. The author advocates for creating a classroom environment that is empathetic to students' developmental needs and encourages self-discovery through art.

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Erika Hughes
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10 views1 page

Discussion

The document discusses the challenges of teaching visual arts in a Muslim, gender-segregated IB World school while respecting local customs. It emphasizes the importance of addressing puberty and emotional expression in a flexible and supportive manner, acknowledging the variability of pubertal experiences. The author advocates for creating a classroom environment that is empathetic to students' developmental needs and encourages self-discovery through art.

Uploaded by

Erika Hughes
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

To give context to my post today, I work in a muslim, gender segregated IB World school,

teaching primarily visual arts. One of the challenges I have faced is delivering a diverse and
contemporary curriculum in an art room that celebrates diversity and individuality while also
simultaneously adhering to and being respectful of local customs and traditions. As a
general rule of thumb, teachers are not permitted to discuss any aspect of gender identity or
sexual orientation. For me, as a teacher of a creative discipline, I address issues of puberty,
or how students feel about their changing bodies, by offering flexibility in the choice of topic
and allow for a depth of exploration and self-discovery. In Graber’s (2004) article, it
empahsizes that puberty is not a uniform experience, but one marked by wide variability in its
timing, tempo, and emotional impact. Adolescents often interpret pubertal changes through a
social lens, comparing themselves to peers and internalizing messages about what is “normal.”
In class, I could provide examples of artists who challenge norms of bodies or development, and
normalize emotional expression without forcing disclosure. Prompting students to “create
artwork about change”, or make reflections private or optional. The Parent et al. (2003) article
seconds this idea that puberty represents a critical developmental transition, during which
biological changes intersect with cognitive, emotional, and social development. This intersection
makes adolescence a period of heightened vulnerability, especially when pubertal timing is
atypical. This reminded me, all educators should be attentive to pubertal development and that
puberty involves not just physical changes, but also neuroendocrine shifts that interact, making
adolescence a period of heightened vulnerability. In my classroom, this could present itself as
being increasingly sensitive to students being self-conscious or expressing their emotions
through their artwork. Teachers should try to view these behaviours through a developmental
len, whichs allows educators to respond with empathy and flexibility, rather than judgment, and
to create spaces that support students navigating atypical pubertal timing or identity-related
challenges.

Works Cited

Parent, A. S., Teilmann, G., Juul, A., Skakkebaek, N. E., Toppari, J., & Bourguignon, J.P.
(2003). The timing of normal puberty and the age limits of sexual precocity variations around the
world, secular trends and changes after migration. Endocrine Reviews 24(5), p.668 – 693.
[Link]

de Vries, A.L., Steensma, T.D., Doreleijers, T.A., & Cohen-Kettenis, P.T. (2011). Puberty
suppression in adolescents with gender identity disorder: A prospective follow-up study. The
Journal of Sexual Medicine, 8, 2276-2283.

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