Hello all!
Congrats to Professor Grandson and thanks to Brie and Nathalie for their presentations!
The film got me thinking of how I would talk about and teach my students--and faculty members-- about homosexuality. First of all, it struck me as odd that the gay and lesbian speakers had to first say that they were not their to "recruit" the students. Why did they have to say that? Educating students about homosexuality should not only be on the agenda for teachers who are gay, but all teachers as they talk about other multicultural issues. It was interesting to hear teachers work out their "beliefs" and how students as young as 3rd grade were able to talk about stereotypes of gay people and how they heard "that's gay" and "faggot" thrown around on the playground. Granted, some of the kids don't necessarily know what these terms mean and that's why they turn to their teachers and care takers for explanations.
After watching the teachers in the staff development meeting struggle with how they should educate their kids--their hesitations and confusion around homosexuality--shows how much we need to talk about homosexuality NOT just on Gay Pride Day, but as often as possible in our classrooms. It's a fine line, given that some parents/care takers grow up teaching their children to uphold their religious or cultural beliefs that ostracize and discriminate against homosexuality, however that doesn't stop the conversation. The child can still be educated on how to RESPECT everyone, because at the end of the day a person who is Gay is still human and should be treated as so.
No comments:
Post a Comment