Paint and Pages

Several weeks ago, I had a good discussion with a male colleague about the importance of using gender-inclusive words in our classroom. Specifically, we were discussing the word, “Policeman” in “Harold and the Purple Crayon” and how I changed it to, “Police Officer” when reading the story aloud to my students. My male colleague shared that it never really bothered him to use “policeman” instead of “police officer”. I shared that as a woman, it is very important that we use terms that include, rather than exclude, my gender. “Policeman” and “Fireman” exclude half the population and are leftover from a time when women were not allowed to hold these positions. Using “Firefighter” and “Police Officer” is an important part of gender equality.

After this conversation, I asked myself, “What else can I do to make my classroom more gender inclusive?” A visit to the local fire station was coming up. Would female fire fighters be there to greet students? What books am I planning to read on fire safety? Do they feature female fire fighters?

I realized I needed to change a couple of things. First, I purchased, “Fire Chief Fran” to feature women working as fire fighters. Second, I asked an old friend for a favor.

I’ve known Bryanna Huffman, formerly Bryanna Kuhlman, for years. Petite with brilliant red hair, her boldness and brilliance make her an unforgettable presence. I’ve watched Bry keep the attention of 100 fourth grade students outdoors on a windy day. I’ve marveled at her composure as she calmly guides twenty six-year-olds through wetlands catching tadpoles and frogs. She puts fishing poles in the hands of toddlers and unapologetically plans programs where children leave with every inch of their body covered in mud. She is phenomenal. Every young person deserves a Bryanna Kuhlman advocating for their right to be a child of nature.

Bry and I first became friends when she’d visit my classroom as the educator and naturalist for the Dickinson County Nature Center. Over the years and throughout many classrooms, we became friends. When my own children attended her day camps and fun programs, I found I looked forward to the programming as much as my children because it meant I’d get to chat with Bry. During the pandemic, we swapped homeschooling resources and creative ways to keep our children learning and engaged while the world was shut down. Bryanna is someone I simply adore. We can talk and talk on such a wide scope of topics: from science to education, parenting to empowering women.

When I asked Bryanna to come into my classroom and share her career as a wild land fire fighter with my students, I knew she’d agree. She was delighted! Just one thing: could she bring her ten-month old son along? Of course! This would give my preschool students an opportunity to see a concrete example of fire fighters being women and moms.

So Bryanna came to visit. I did not tell my students ahead of time that a woman was visiting, I just said “a fire fighter is coming to visit” and they were excited. When a fire fighter came into the classroom with a baby, my students were very excited! Babies bring so much joy to the world.

Bry taught students about the clothing she wore as a wild land firefighter and let students try on her equipment. She then led us on a “fire fighter walk” where students practiced the communication wild land firefighters would use to communicate messages from the first person in line to the last person in line. Students successfully delivered the word “yellow” from the front of the line to the rear!

We all enjoyed Bryanna’s visit! After visiting the fire station, where there were no female fire fighters present, I was extremely grateful for Bryanna’s visit. I am proud to say that every single one of my students correctly answered the question of the day, “Can moms be fire fighters?” Of course they can! After all, students had a fire fighter mom come visit their classroom.

With 75% of my class fluently speaking Spanish, “Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos!” Was an excellent read aloud. Something magical happens each time I read Spanish books aloud to my students. I show my students that I care more about including their culture and language than I do appearing foolish as I muddle my way through imperfect pronunciation. Perfection doesn’t matter. It matters that I care. And I do. So much. ❤️

In addition to reading diverse literature on fire safety, visiting the fire station, and having a fire fighter visit our classroom, we had plenty of other fire safety activities. We discussed how we NEVER hide in a fire and instead quickly GET OUTSIDE. We practiced our low crawl when the air is filled with smoke. We practiced dialing 9-1-1. We stopped, dropped, covered, and rolled. We sang songs, watched videos, and made a fire pup with student’s names on the helmet. My hope is students are now more empowered to make safe decisions should they ever experience a fire.