This kindergarten teacher is using drag to teach his students
A kindergarten teacher is combining his drag performances with education and it’s incredibly inspiring.
Toronto-based John Paul Kane is a school teacher with a part-time love of drag.
Speaking about combining his work, Kane explained that it was “wonderful” to be able to bring together his “love of working with kids with my performance”.
“I’ve always been very creative and dramatic. There’s just something kind of magical in the transformation, I’m still me.”
Kane explained that he draws inspiration for his drag persona, Fay, from the children he teaches.
“Ultimately my kids have influenced my style. The music I choose and the colours of my costume. The kids have inspired her more than anything else,” he said.
He added that drag and children were the perfect combinations because children love the over the top nature.
“When you bring drag performers together with little kids it’s the perfect relationship.
“Drag performers are like clowns, they play things up. They’re like a cartoon come to life,” Kane said.
The teacher and performer spoke about his drag teaching to Today’s Parent because he runs a storytelling session, Fay + Fluffy, across Toronto as well as other North America locations.
He explained that he hopes by doing it he will break down the stigma around LGBT+ culture and eliminate homophobia in future generations.
“I hope what the kids get out of coming to story time is an opportunity to see that things that are different aren’t scary, that things that are different are amazing,” he explained.
He added that families “from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences and relationship and gender identities” coming to his sessions and that meant that everybody could celebrate diversity.
“To see that diversity in people is what needs to be celebrated and the more that we’re exposed to that the more comfortable we become with each other.
“The grassroots aspect of what this is, is that you’re giving these little morsels of stuff to these kids who really honestly some of the most powerful teachers in the world.
“I’m hoping that it’s like dropping a stone in the pond and it just ripples out,” he added.
