Safe Spaces- Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to
LGBT Youth Annemarie Vaccaro, Gerri August and Megan S. Kennedy
Reflection:
I wanted to write a reflection on this piece because I feel strongly about this topic. It doesn't necessary relate to me personally but I know a lot of people who have struggled with this. It makes me feel sick to my stomach that YOUNG adults have so much hurt that they consider taking their life due to issues of sexual orientation. We hear more and more about suicides and the ages are getting younger and younger. Even though there are many LGBT organizations, a lot of people don't feel comfortable reaching out. In this story it talks about how educators can create safe spaces which I find really important. Students should feel safe at school since that is where a lot of discrimination happens.
"When someone with the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing. Our classrooms need to be mirrors and windows for all students-mirrors in which youth see themselves in the curriculum and recognize their place in the group, windows through which see beyond themselves to experiences connected with, but not identical to, their own. Creating safe spaces for all students..." I really enjoyed this quote, I think that it is saying that sometimes we all don't have the same experiences and sometimes we all don't agree on the same things and not everyone has to, but everyone has had an experience in life where they felt they didn't belong, and somehow that connects us to eachother.
Points to Share:
Thinking back to when I was in High School, we never talked about these issues in the classroom. The "norm" was having a mom and dad at home, or being boyfriend-girlfriend. I think it is very important for educators to get on board with this even if they don't agree. If you are a teacher you obviously care for children and to see children taking their lives due to issues in the school, how could you not want to help?
You picked out a great quote! It really stood out to me too. I completely agree with your point to share. If teachers are seeing these children take their own lives at such a young age, they should be doing something to help the cause. I also remember in high school that the normal thing was to be boyfriend and girlfriend. If a boy and a girl walk down the hallway holding hands most people say "Aw they're so cute together!" but if people saw two girls walking down the hallway holding hands, they would just get looked at weird and made fun of. I loved when you said that students should come to school feeling safe yet unfortunately, this is where a majority of the discrimination takes place. And how did you get everyone's blog address on yours!?
ReplyDeleteI had to copy and paste everyones in word and then copy and paste it on my blog, hope I didn't forget anyone!
DeleteI also really liked that quote, I felt like it will impact on many people. In class last week, we talked about how the idea of mirrors and windows. The students need to be able to learn about things that connect to themselves, but they also need to learn how other people live in the world around them.
ReplyDelete