Well I must take full responsibility for the outcome of our vocal bashing session. I do defend what I was attempting to do, which was to expose the sheer volume of deviant slurs aimed at gay and transgendered people. A sense of awareness of just how far it can go gives teachers some guidelines of what to look for.
I also feel that I was successful in addressing the goals of acceptance vs tolerance and how we as new teachers will be at the front lines of creating diverse and safe environments for learning.
In retrospect , probably more editing of the terms used. Maybe more focus on what we were looking to communicate to our fellow teachers in regards to how LGBTQ students navigate the "scary" parts of a school.
Our through will be much more about becoming teachers who are aware that these conditions do exist . Also how we can make our classes safe havens that teach trust and awareness of diversity and it's benefits to all students, teachers, faculty, and community that help make up a school.
The last thing I was trying to do was to look like a hypocrite by saying don't say these words that I just demanded you say...
For our through, I think we should also try to better define the problem before we talk about solutions. LGBTQ students are more likely to feel less connected to school and teachers, more likely to miss school and get lower grades and they have a higher risk of depression, suicide, and drug abuse BECAUSE they are bullied and harassed. That is why teachers must stop the harassment and create a safer learning environment.
ReplyDeleteI also think we should make explicit connections to the drug abuse and homeless groups since 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ and 55% of gay adolescent males have a substance abuse problem. By reducing the LGBTQ-related harassment, teachers can kill three birds with one stone. This might help our peers realize what is at stake here, and that it's not just about being "PC" or making sure peoples' feelings aren't hurt.
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ReplyDeleteCraig,
ReplyDeleteObviously your "into" was full of good intentions. One thing however you have to take into consideration when doing these firing line types of activities is your audience. We're all adults and all of us have probably had to endure teasing and harsh words. Had you completed this activity in a high school class, it may have sent some of your students over the edge and instead of creating tolerance it could easily backfire. Teenagers are far less mature and will probably only take this opportunity to learn new slurs to call people. I personally would never call someone a "faggot" or a "carpet muncher" no matter what was required of me. Yelling at people to call other people harsh words just brings in more hostility to the classroom than acceptance.
Check this out, very depressing but may be helpful for your presentation:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2400.html
By no means was your "Into" a failure! I think it was thought provoking and an interesting way to spark thought and discussion within the class. I don't think it would necessarily be a good activity to do in a conventional classroom, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have done it in our class. Afterall, the students in our class are in the credential program with the intention of becoming good teachers. Shouldn't we be allowed to try things that may be risky without having to worry too much about it not working out just right? I think it's important that our class be a safe place to try educational strategies that may be conroversial and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteOn a slightly different note, I think that we need to be aware that when working with our students, we shouldn't make everything political. We can teach acceptance, compassion, and awareness of diversity without politicizing the issues. When we make things political or personal, we draw a line that, I think, often ends up dividing rather than uniting us. I think it's better to focus on positives and how to come together rather than point out the divisive parts of issues.
-Ariel