Pastoral Care, Student Trust, and Queer Visibility in Schools | Ep. 191 (with Danny Walker-Drake)

What does it actually look like to be an out queer educator—and just do your job?In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Brian Stanton talks with Danny Walker-Drake, a behavior support manager at a large secondary school in southwest England, about pastoral care, student trust, and why authenticity doesn’t have to be a big announcement. Broadcasting from the Creating Change Conference, this conversation centers relationships, boundaries, humor, and the reality of working with young people as whole humans.In this episode, listeners will learn:How queerness can show up naturally in student relationships without formal disclosureWhy humor and honesty can de-escalate behavior issuesHow to respond to homophobic language without lecturingWhat “freedom of speech, not freedom from consequence” looks like in practiceHow pastoral roles create space for deeper student trustIf this episode resonated, consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with an educator who needs to hear it.Support the showQueering 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.Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me.Follow Teaching While Queer on Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.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