Sunday, October 6, 2013

Talking Points #3: Hyperlinks on Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth (Vaccaro, August, & Kennedy)

A) August, Gerri, Megan S. Kennedy, and Annemarie Vaccaro. Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth. Praeger, 2011. 1, 83-100. Print.

B) HYPERLINKS
    The excerpt from Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth serves as a detailed account of the struggles that LGBT youth encounter in the educational setting. In addition, the text provides a number of methods that teachers of each grade level can use to integrate LGBT studies into school curriculum. August, Kennedy, and Vaccaro discuss the appropriate methods of which to teach LGBT issues in schools, as well as examine the concerns, judgments, and harm that arises when students who identify as LGBT are silenced, excluded, harassed, and dismissed. The authors encourage educators to incorporate LGBT issues into elementary and secondary curriculum, and express how proper communication between teachers and students is vital in deeming schools as safe environments.
    According to August, Kennedy, and Vaccaro, both communication and curriculum act as core components in order to effectively teach LGBT issues to students, regardless of their grade level. The two factors work hand-in-hand. However, societal figures, educators, and family members may not be aware of the correct forms in which to educate others regarding LGBT issues. Some schools dismiss the idea of introducing this curricula, whereas states such as California have incorporated LGBT issues into the curriculum to promote safety and respect. In the instance of California, data and statistics for schools in this state that educated students on LGBT issues supported the assertion made by August, Kennedy, and Vaccaro that the inclusive curriculum helped to improve overall safety and respect for both LGBT and straight youth.
    As discussed in Safe Spaces, there remains multiple approaches to teaching LGBT issues to youth that are quite effective. GLSEN contains a list of valuable resources for educators to use in the classroom setting. There remains a need in current society for the incorporation of LGBT curricula, and some classroom materials discussed in the text have also been used effectively by educators in other schools throughout the nation. In August 2013, the state of California also passed the School Success and Opportunity Act aimed in helping transgender youth to receive the same opportunities in schools as their straight peers. The development of new laws to protect LGBT youth in schools, as well as the incorporation of inclusive curriculum in schools, has aided in making the school environment safer.
    The ineffectiveness or disregard of some teachers to educate students on LGBT issues can actually place students in harm's way. Not all educators who promote the integration of LGBT issues in school curriculum are as successful in teaching LGBT awareness to students as other educators have been. Other educators, however, have chosen to reject the idea of teaching students about LGBT issues, or have directed inappropriate behavior and comments to LGBT youth (as discussed in Safe Spaces). Such behavior made by teachers and peers in the classroom has impacted LGBT youth in a negative manner, affecting them emotionally, as well as their overall well-being. Bullying is unacceptable, and when both students and teachers engage in this particular form of bullying, there are dire consequences. Recently, several adolescents committed suicide as a result of incessant bullying. Had both the teachers and students at the schools stood up for LGBT youth rather than contributing to the hurt or ignoring to help, the school environment would have been more protective for LGBT youth, and deaths could have been prevented.

C) QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/POINTS TO SHARE
    Regarding a point to share, I feel that more schools should introduce LGBT issues into their curriculum, and that society should become more aware of the pain that LGBT youth experience as a result of bullying by fellow peers and some teachers. It is startling to know the number of children today who have taken their lives due to the amount of harassment that had plagued them. Other LGBT youth, like the young man in the article by Linda Robertson, have fallen into the negative clutches of society due to being uncertain of what to do to please those around them. In the article, Robertson discusses what she had prayed for as a parent. I think that society makes the mistake of not realizing that God loves everyone unconditionally. Many people of this world do not love others enough, and make the mistake of hating one another over meaningless things. Race, class, and sexual identity does not stop God from loving all, and none of those factors makes Him love anyone any less. Robertson had prayed not to have a gay son, but realized that her prayer had been answered in a way that she had not expected when her son passed away. She learned to love him unconditionally, and at the end of the article, Robertson discusses how she wished she had not considered limitations and made mistakes, but had instead loved her son completely. I believe that the lesson shared in Robertson's article applies to Safe Spaces and society as a whole. In Safe Spaces, the authors discuss how individuals (whether it be in educational settings or the community) can help others become more aware of LGBT issues in order to make LGBT youth feel safe and respected. If everyone were to just love and respect one another without limitations, then the hurt would cease, and both schools and society would become safe places for all.

1 comment:

  1. Such a thoughtful post, Elizabeth. Great use of the hyperlink option!

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