I think that the two articles we read from the "Rethinking Our Classrooms" book for this upcoming class meeting were quite interesting. They both brought up some really interesting issues regarding gay and lesbian education, particularly for elementary school teachers, and gave some really good tips on how to discuss these issues in the elementary school classroom.
For starters, I definitely agree that, like Mary Cowhey said, "When schools do get involved in promoting gay-straight alliances and so forth, it is usually at the secondary level" (173). In my own experience, I don't think that discussion about gay and lesbian rights and issues began until late middle school; and gay-straight clubs and groups were definitely not part of extracurricular activities until high school. I wonder why that is, though. I never gave it much thought until reading these two articles, but it definitely seems like although children are beginning to use hurtful words relating to gays and lesbians, like "faggot" or "dyke," at an early age (Gordon claimed even by 1st grade students are using these words to be hurtful towards one another!) the issue is not being addressed until much later in their schooling.
I think that part of the problem might be that we as educators are ourselves still a bit uncomfortable with the issues regarding gays and lesbians. I don't think that there is much of an emphasis in our preparation within the Education program that shows us how to deal with gay and lesbian issues as much as with issues of racism and intolerance. As the articles reveal, however, the issues of anti-gay language and behavior in the classroom are just as much issues of intolerance as anything else that we discuss in the classroom. This is where the other part of the reason comes in ...
Another part of the reason is that parents are also uncomfortable, especially at the elementary school level. I genuinely think that if homosexuality was discussed in the elementary classroom much like issues of antisemitism, racism, womens' rights, etc., there would be a number of parents who would be outraged. Even if the problem of children calling one another "faggot" was dealt with in the proper, educational way, much like Gordon suggested, I don't think that parents would be too pleased. I think that our society is still too deeply rooted in thinking that being gay or lesbian is "wrong" and "taboo." Therefore, until our society accepts being homosexual as just another way of life, then I don't think that we will be seeing these issues discussed as much as other issues of intolerance.
What I wonder is - -
If we are to teach about gay and lesbian issues in the elementary school classroom, when do we do it? Do we make it part of our tolerance curriculum like any other issue, or do we wait until it shows up in our own classroom by a student calling another student an anti-gay or lesbian term that is intended to be hurtful?
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I do agree that we have not been educated on gay and lesbian issues to the same extent that we have been on others – such as racism, intolerance, etc. However, with the diversity of family dynamics that compose this country, I feel that it is our responsibility as educators to familiarize ourselves with gay and lesbian issues. Unfortunately, I also feel that a great many educators are themselves uncomfortable with homosexuality and thus stray away from teaching surrounding issues in the classroom. In general, when people form an opinion of gay and lesbian individuals, they are focusing on the supposed “impurity” or “wrongness” of their lifestyle. The solution to this so-called problem is to ignore the issue all together. Many fail to recognize or make connection to the fact that gay and lesbian individuals are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends and so on. Regardless of their lifestyle choice, they play important roles in the lives of our students.
I do not feel that we should wait to address gay and lesbian issues until they are hurtfully brought into the classroom. If we wait for these instances to occur, then the behavior of intolerance has already been learned or unknowingly accepted. We need to present tolerance of gay and lesbian peoples just as we would promote tolerance and acceptance in regards to individuals of different cultures, ethnicities, etc. Unfortunately, the debate of at what age and to what extent will be constantly argued. Thus the question surfaces, how long it will be before educators thoughtfully and purposefully incorporate gay and lesbian issues into their classroom?
I feel that teaching about gay and lesbian topics is something that is very important in todays society. Many people have no problem about coming out about who they are so we need our students to treat them as they would treat anyone else. I definitley think that it is something that needs to be taught but we really do have to come up with the right way to incorperate it in order to not have a ton of angry parents. With young students, I feel it is appropriate to briefly talk about it when words like "faggot" arise in your classroom. This way you are just reacting to issues in your classroom. A young student needs to know not just that the word "faggot" is inappropriate, but the reasons why it is not acceptable.
On the other hand, if we do not have any reason to bring up the issues of gay and lesbians, I do feel that we should try and hold off discussion until students are able to handle it. I do feel that middle school is about the age in which students can start having an actual discussion about the topic. It should however definitley be incorperated into a tolerance or acceptance unit.
This is a difficult issue, but it is something that must be discussed. We want our students to hear a neutral stand point on the topic of gays and lesbians. You just never know what kind of information they are finding out about the topic at home. As teachers we can only please so many people, but we need to try and teach our students to be well rounded and accepting.
I completely agree with what Greg, Jillian, and Melissa have said so far. The issue of gays and lesbians incorporated into the curriculum is a tough one. It could possibly be a touchier subject than the issue of the Native Americans not wanting to have an Indian as U of I's mascot, for example (depending on who you are talking to). I say this because society has made it an even bigger issue. There are two sides to every story.. one side believes having homosexual relationships is right and the other side believes it is wrong. That's fine and all, but what we're failing to mention is the fact that there ARE homosexual relationships in society. Some children in our schools are exposed to them whether people like it or not. If we're going to teach tolerance of others, then we must include gays and lesbians, too.
For so long we have been taught that schools need to be safe environments for students. Students need to feel comfortable with their school in order to survive their education on the whole. We must ask ourselves.. Are we truly creating safe environments for ALL children? What about those children that are perhaps homosexual themselves, or questioning their sexual orientation?? Is it right to leave them in the dark, or put them down for their sexual orientation? No, it is not right. If we don't accept those children, or the children coming from homosexual families, then we are not creating safe environments for our students, and we are not promoting the accepting environment that we so often address.
With this being said, I think it is important that gay and lesbian issues are taught in schools. I would go as far as saying it should be taught in the elementary schools. Granted, the conversations on this topic will not be in depth due to the young ages, but I think it is still important to mention when talking about acceptance. There are books that can be used for younger children explaining homosexuality in a lighter sense that can be used in the classroom. Yes, just as everyone has already stated, it is a touchy subject that will anger many parents. It would be smart to have faculty back up when it comes to teaching this issue--power in numbers--because you will want their support when an upset parent comes to complain about what their child is being taught.
Furthermore, I do not think that harmful language should ever be allowed in the classroom. This is an expectation that should be set right at the beginning of the year. I feel that once your rules are set in place, with all students understanding what is expected of them and their behavior and understanding the consequences of misbehavior, there shouldn't be an ongoing problem. If we don't say something to put a stop to the hurtful words immediately, we set ourselves up for failure. And, as Melissa said, if/when a harmful word does come up in the classroom, this would be a good opportunity to explain to all the students why the word is unacceptable.
I just realized that I was looking at a previous post that Greg had put up on the main page, so that's why I kept saying, "Greg, Jillian, and Melissa." I'm sorry about that Anna!! Good points and great question!!
Thanks, Anna, for your thoughtful post and for starting this important thread. I'm glad to see that several of you have already responded, and I hope more people will join the discussion. A couple questions to think about (which may simply be echoing questions already raised):
-If the social studies curriculum is, in part, "social education" -- a study of the pressing social issues of the day -- should gay and lesbian issues be included in that?
-Most of us would say that we want to (at minimum) promote tolerance and acceptance of differences in our classrooms. Does that, or should that, include gays and lesbians?
-If there were quality picture books available that dealt with this issue (and there are), would you consider using one with primary-aged students?
-What about parents or other staff members who might not think that this is an appropriate topic for school? As a teacher, how might you address their concerns?
Hello! I know that this thread was posted a long time ago but I feel like this issue is constantly being discussed in education so I thought it would be a good time to post! The Social Studies curriculum is “social education” so I think that gays and lesbians are apart of that and the issues should be brought up in the social studies classroom. I do not think that there is an age that is right to bring this up. It is a way of life that people at all ages deal with and are apart of.
The promotion of tolerance and acceptance of gays and lesbians should definitely be discussed. I understand that there are strong religious views and beliefs that go against gays and lesbians but aren’t there strong beliefs against other minority groups? These groups are looked down upon should be the groups discussed in classrooms. I understand that some of the students’ home lives are not acceptable of these differences but that does not mean that the student should not learn about the groups and learn to accept them. It is possible that the children can open up the eyes and minds of their home lives.
I plan on using picture books that deal with gay and lesbian issues within my classroom. Children need to know about the diversity within the world and be accepting of it. It is a touchy subject because of all of the negative views and it may not be the “norm” in this area but I believe it should be ignored.
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