Timmy, a student in Ms. Grover's third-grade class at Sully Elementary School, was often teased by classmates because he displayed what they interpreted as "girl" qualities. Ms. Grover had been warned of this situation by Mr. Franks and Ms. Puterio, Timmy's kindergarten and second- grade teachers. Ever since his kindergarten year at the school, teachers and administrators noticed that Timmy preferred to play with girls and was noticeably uncomfortable interacting with boys and that he much preferred stereotypical "girl" toys and books. Mr. Franks noted that, as a kindergartner, Timmy gravitated toward the play station with a chest full of costumes. He especially liked a princess gown and tiara kept in the chest. At that time, the children didn't seem to care much. They occasionally remarked about those being girls' clothes, toys, or books, but Mr. Franks always stepped in quickly to say that all the clothes, toys, and books in the room were for everybody. He was a little worried that Timmy's parents might disapprove of this approach, but his mother, who always picked him up from school and often saw him playing with other girls or carrying around a doll, never said a word about it. Timmy's first and second-grade teachers handled the situation similarly but noticed the teasing intensifying. Ms. Puterio noticed the same thing and, like Mr. Franks, was always quick to defend Timmy. She also saw, to her disappointment, that several of the girls who had been friendly with Timmy began to nudge him out of their social circles and join in on the teasing. She tried to speak with the girls about this, urging them to be nice to Timmy, but it didn't help. Timmy, who was not very outspoken, did not seem upset about losing friends. Nothing escalated into a physical altercation, so Ms. Puterio did not worry much about it. She knew, though, that the teaching would become fiercer as Timmy grew older, and somebody would need to intervene more seriously. One day, a few months into the school year, Ms. Grover noticed several students standing around Timmy's desk, pointing and laughing. "What's going on back there?" she inquired. "Timmy's a girl!" one of the students shouted, eliciting attention and laughter from around the classroom. "He painted his fingernails like a girl," another student said, giggling. "It's just one nail, " Timmy muttered softly, bending forward and hiding his face in his arms crossed on the desk before him. Approaching Timmy's desk, Ms. Grover saw that the pinky nail on his left hand was painted white. "Everybody, take your seats. There will be no teasing in this classroom. We are who we are, and we respect one another." As the students sat, Ms. Grover knelt beside Timmy's desk and whispered, "Do your parents know you painted your fingernail?" "My mom knows," he whispered back, tears in his eyes. "She only would let me paint one." Ms. Grover felt conflicted. On the one hand, she knew children could be brutal with each other over gender identity and that most bullying at school happens beyond the earshot of teachers. She did not quite understand what was happening with Timmy, but she wanted him to express himself in whatever felt right. She also knew that she and the other teachers could not protect Timmy from the increasingly harsh bullying he would have to endure, especially when he started middle school. Part of her wanted to urge Timmy's parents to convince him to try to fit in a little better at a school to refuse to allow him to come to school with nail polish, to make him cut his hair a little shorter, and maybe even to help him try to make friends with some of the boys in his class. Another part of her wanted to figure out a way to create a safe environment for Timmy exactly as Timmy wanted to be. Still, she knew that would take a school-wide team effort from every adult in the building, and she was not sure everybody would be on board. She also figured she needed to find some educational way to address what was going on with her students despite not fully understanding it herself and to do so without further alienating Timmy. Questions: 1. Part of Ms. Grover's challenge is that although she wanted to make the school more welcoming for Timmy, she was unsure of her ability. This led her to wonder whether it might be safe for Timmy to conform while he is at school. What would you advise Ms. Grover to do?