in yesterday's education 649 class, one of the leadership groups presented a three hour segment on equity in the classroom... their presentation very helpful and informative, though at one point i had to speak up about my disdain for the lack of information offered to the class about resources for teachers of queer students. time constraints are always a problem when covering many topics, so i understand why some information was not broached. that being said, the other sections of the presentation involved strategies for teachers when dealing with issues of diversity, and it felt as if the segment on lgbt students was simply left behind. this could have been an oversight, or a simple consequence of trying to finish up a leadership group project in time to present it to the class. regardless of its reason, though, such an omission reflects a larger trend among educators to concern themselves with many issues of diversity while forgetting those student identities that are still socially acceptable to scorn.
additionally, offering "tools" like sensitivity and open-mindedness to potential educators dealing with issues of sexual orientation in the classroom is irresponsible; not only does a lack of more specific teaching methods leave us mac-ers high and dry when it comes to working with queer students, but it inherently diminishes lgbt students and their needs. finally, this lack of specificity raises a very troubling question: if teachers are uncertain about what exactly they're being sensitive to, how can we expect them to help and accommodate these students?
in response to the lack of these resources in the presentation, i took a few moments to search out some myself... here are a few really helpful resources for teachers dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom:
http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1011
http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1032
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html
Caitlin
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an excellent point about "dancing" around some issues. We do tend to generalize at times, when in reality we all need some concrete examples and ideas. Thank you for including the resources. I had an experience with a student who came out to me when I was teaching. He had told another teacher who said some very hurtful and mean-spirited things to this student, as a result, the student began to struggle much more with his sexual orientation and identity. While I did my best to be supportive and to try to reassure him that he should be proud of who he is, I wish I had some resources to help me, help this student. I will be happy to share more details in person.
As someone who just presented this morning, I sympathize with the difficulty of presenting the massive amounts of material without neglecting anything. We did not do a good job of creating a space in which the class could really participate in a discussion about religious issues in the classroom. That being said, I agree that we were left without resources. There are definitely some social identities that remain isolated and singled out, mostly because those who oppress LGBT people cite their religious liberty as a shield. There was case in Ann Arbor that we didn't have a chance to talk about that was a prime example of this: Hansen v. Ann Arbor Public Schools, 2005 (I think). These are really tricky to navigate and I hope that more resources will become available as the public consciousness continues to shift. We'll get there. But it will take time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caitlin. I appreciate the resources. I know time is tight in presentations, but I felt like LGBT issues were semi-blown off considering the time they devoted to other issues, and just in the way they were half presented and dropped. Kids will be dealing with their orientation, and will often be confused or singled out for it. I can't remember who said it, but the comment about kids exploring at that age rubbed me the wrong way. Yes, I know kids that were exploring that way. A large percent of the population has at least one same sex snuggling encounter as a youth. However, I also have friends who were completely sure and out by the time they were 13. And it wasn't at all easy on them in our school. We had a teacher who made denigrating comments about gays based on religion and the principal wouldn't do a thing about it! The issue is near and dear to me, and I don't want to perpetuate problems by not addressing them. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHi Caitlin. I am definitely behind in trying to read people's blog posts. The issue of LGBT people/students is important to me. I have seen a student tormented in a school and finally left because of the lack of support by administration. I often have trouble w/ people hiding behind their religion. I am Catholic, but even Jesus say to "Love your brothers as yourself." There are many instances where we are being told to accept diversity in the classroom yet I think we need to understand RESPECT also. I do hope we receive more instruction on the social issues in the classroom in the Fall. I know we will certainly be advantaged in the classroom by these discussions. Thanks for always finding great resources by the way. Susan R.
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