This article raises some great point about addressing LGBT education at an early age in the schools. The introduction starts off with the production of school as a heterosexual place and that is a very important statement to consider. To clarify that statement about the schools the article states "... a place where childhood is both nurtured and sheltered, and attempts to address what are seen as 'adult' issues are sometimes seen as intrusions into or threats to this safety zone." Our society had become so accustom to hiding what might make people "different" from the norm. I think many people are afraid if this subject is introduced at an early age maybe their children will become gay. It is a somewhat ridiculous thought but I think people and especially parents are afraid of the change. Society looks at childhood as a time of innocence and there are some thoughts that introducing this material may be too adult for them. When in reality introducing this subject matter to them at this young age might make them more accepting of others!
I think that the No Outsiders program is a great idea that they have been putting in place in some schools. Laura, a lesbian elementary school teacher, seemed very nervous about introducing the idea of a woman with another woman. Her students seemed to understand the concept of a man with another man, but how would they react to this? After reading about a prince with another prince " Laura observed that most pupils did not react negatively to the outcome, although mention of lesbians evoked laughter and cries of 'yuk'." There are positive and negative aspects about this quote. The positive is that children seem to be more increasingly accepting of the thought of a man with another man. The downside is that there still seems to be hesitation by students when it comes to a woman with another woman. But I think by being introduced to role models that are lesbians such as their teacher, they will quickly become accepting and have a better understanding of lesbians as well as gays. I think Laura sets a great example for her students!
Towards the end of the article Kate talks to the class about certain words that could be offensive to. It is not uncommon, even today, to hear someone use the term 'gay' with a negative connotation. People will use it as an insult to someone that isn't even gay. So are we implying that being gay is bad if we are using it as an insult? I sure think so, which is why I think it is very important to inform children that it is not okay to say that! This teacher talked with her students "asking the class how she might feel if she were called gay, informing the children that she was gay" This was a very important step for the teacher and her students.
Comments: I think that this was a great article! I think that the No Outsiders project is a great way to introduce LGBT into the classroom. Books are a great way to introduce new subjects to children. In the beginning of the article I wasn't surprised to read that Laura's co-worker, who is also a Jehovah's witness, hid the books behind shelves. I think that is reprehensible considering those books are to educate children. Even if her personal values were against it, I think the children still had a right to be educated on the subject!
Hyperlink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJw3s85EcxM
About 11 Year Jazz who was born a boy but lives as a girl. She talks about being called a freak and how people treat her differently after they know. But despite how some people react i've never seen such a happy little girl! She's inspiring!
I thought it was really interesting that the author had wanted to bring awareness into elementary schools of these differences. At first I did not know how to feel about this when reading the article but after thinking it over and reading a few responses such as yourselves, it really would make sense to do so. Like you said it helps start to teach kids to be more accepting to differences so when a situation arises they will know how to handle it and someone else's differences will not be such a shock to them. great job!
ReplyDelete