Reflection -
I read the Ready, Set, Respect article from the GLSEN website.
To start, this website was great and very user friendly. It is an ultimate go to. If they don't have an answer for you, they provide you with the links of the people who do.
The page I chose to read is advertising for a program to help Elementary educators teach and discuss topics focussing on LGSBT. I was impressed by the initiative to start this dialogue so early with kids. It is an important topic and something that needs to be tabled at a young age. If children don't have an understanding of LGSBT at a young age there is a higher chance of intolerance as they grow older. In my personal experience, the topic of LGBST wasn't really acknowledged until late middle school/high school. If you ask me...that is too late. At that point the bullying is at it's highest point. It is smarter to target the subject before the bullying begins. Not only does an early discussion of this topic decrease the chances of potential bullies it breeds an environment where people of different sexual orientations can be comfortable. It is important not to make LGBST taboo, the more it is talked about the better people can confront their differences.
The page I read provided a trailer to the Ready, Set, Respect program which I thought by itself was insightful ....hopefully this video works...
In my own experiences, I was not exposed to the ideas of LGSBT until High School. Which, as you noted, casts individuals who identify themselves as LGSBT are outcast, and students who were not exposed simply went with the masses and outcast the "different" students. By exposing students at a young age, they can be more open to differences, rather than outcast their classmates. Also, the video you linked to was very moving for me, and I can relate it to my current experience in my 4th grade classroom, where the children call each other "gay" (in a derogatory manner) a number of times. I wonder if they understand the implications of the word, or if they are just using it as an insult, without being educated. I think that all students should understand what "gay" and "lesbian" actually mean, and then decide for themselves how they want to act.
ReplyDeletei agree about when you said,that if it is not taught at a younger age then as they grow there is a higher chance of intolerance
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