I wanted to include a bit of a throwback post here. The video that starts out the post was created for my teacher preparation program a little more than six years ago, but it is just as relevant today. The following post, however, was written a couple summers ago. I had deactivated the post after a while because I was unsure of its efficacy in achieving the point that I wanted to make. I have made the decision to include it here just as I had originally written while employed at my previous school because I see that, in this time, there is more need than ever to make all of my students feel safe in my classroom, even those who do not necessarily feel safe in their everyday lives. I recognize that my support of these students may be a bit controversial to some, but I believe that it can make all of the difference in the lives of those students who identify as LGBTQ+, out or not.
Original post from July13, 2018
In case you have been living under an Instagram story-less rock, you are probably aware that Instagram has just rolled out a super-amazing "Ask a Question" sticker for stories. It serves two primary functions:
1. You can ask a question and allow people to type their responses. This is different from the poll options that we had before, and so much better. (We all know that short answer is usually better than multiple choice.)
2. You can open yourself up to any questions that your followers might want to ask you!
Obviously, everyone who noticed this new function proceeded to ask or open themselves up for questions because, well, that's what we do.
I am not super popular with the teacher community just yet, so I didn't see a ton (read any) questions from teachers. I did, however, get a decent response from my students. A few of the questions that I responded to were about whether or not we could get a classroom pet for next year (maybe), whether we would be using flexible seating (definitely), my favorite scientist (Ada Lovelace & Richard Feynman), and a few questions about where they could find my husband, who is also a teacher, on social media (they can't). One question, however, really stood out to me.
"Do you think that an LGBTQ+ club or senior project thing would be successful in our school?"
I genuinely didn't know what to say. There was so much that I wanted to offer, and so much support that I wanted to give. But, the forum was not right for me to go into everything that I wanted to tell this student. So, I responded to this in the best way that I could:
"Our school can be, at times, a pretty rough place to be for people who don't identify as cis and straight. It's because of that that I think that some sort of organization or structure that would support LGBTQ+ students is so important. And if this is something that you are interested in implementing, I would be honored to be with you every step of the way."
I both pushed this out publically in my stories and privately to the student. But, I feel like I didn't say enough.
See, I got two different responses to this in messages from two different students, and they really serve to illustrate the reality that so many students face. The first response was,
"omg I didn't ask this, BUT PLEASE START AN LGBTQ+ CLUB omg. imagine we would be the coolest kidz in skool 😂😂"
As silly as this message is, it was sent by a student who really needs the support that open, caring teachers and communities can provide.
The second response, however, illustrates another side of the story,
"Lgbt stands for liberty guns beer trump"
This is the culture that so many kids, like the one who asked the original question and the one who responded privately to me face. This is why they need that support and community. Obviously, the second student genuinely believed that they were being funny. I don't know whether or not the many students I have who are personified by the second student realize, though, how much harm they are causing when they say things like this and the countless other comments that I have heard in the halls. If they don't realize, I hope that I can someday reach them by showing them the hurt that they cause. But if they do realize the truly damaging effects of what they are doing, and choose to do so anyway through some misguided sense of right and wrong, I really struggle with how to approach this problem.
I fully understand that values differ among different individuals, cultures, and communities, and I try to be accepting and tolerant of this, especially as an educator of middle and high school students. But, I think that it is important, even when the dominant culture in a building aligns with the second student above, to provide a way for students like my original questioner to feel safe, supported, and valued.
I feel like I haven't said enough about this in my classroom, because I did not feel like it was my place. Did I step in and shut students down any time they made a "that's so gay!" comment or said anything demeaning about the LGBTQ+ community? Of course! Did I actively campaign for any LGBTQ+ students that I might have? Sadly, no. In my mind, it was not my place to step forward and impose an organization or structure on students, even if I thought that some might benefit. I had constantly told myself that if a student wanted something like this, I would let them take point on the project, and serve primarily as a source of knowledge, information, and support. I am so glad that someone finally felt comfortable enough to ask me about this, and I could not be happier to help them move forward, if that is what they truly want to do.
So many of my students do not understand the reality of life for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. They don't know that, according to data from the 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), of surveyed LGB students, 10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, 34% were bullied on school property, and 28% were bullied electronically. They don't know that LGB students were 140% more likely than their heterosexual classmates to not go to school at least one day during the 30 days prior to the survey because of safety concerns. They don't know that, even though LGBTQ+ youths account for only 7% of the population, according to a study done by the Williams Institute at UCLA , they make up nearly 40% of the homeless population. They don't know that 29% of LGB youths have attempted suicide at least once each year.
Or, maybe they do know, and that makes it all the more upsetting. I am so excited to be able to work with some of my students to help them build a space where they can feel supported, but I worry about what this could bring about in the rest of the student body. I don't want my students to be subjected to more abuse because they stepped forward to receive support. I don't know the solution, but I do know that I want to do the best that I can to make the world a better place for my students.
Original post from July13, 2018
In case you have been living under an Instagram story-less rock, you are probably aware that Instagram has just rolled out a super-amazing "Ask a Question" sticker for stories. It serves two primary functions:
1. You can ask a question and allow people to type their responses. This is different from the poll options that we had before, and so much better. (We all know that short answer is usually better than multiple choice.)
2. You can open yourself up to any questions that your followers might want to ask you!
Obviously, everyone who noticed this new function proceeded to ask or open themselves up for questions because, well, that's what we do.
"Do you think that an LGBTQ+ club or senior project thing would be successful in our school?"
I genuinely didn't know what to say. There was so much that I wanted to offer, and so much support that I wanted to give. But, the forum was not right for me to go into everything that I wanted to tell this student. So, I responded to this in the best way that I could:
"Our school can be, at times, a pretty rough place to be for people who don't identify as cis and straight. It's because of that that I think that some sort of organization or structure that would support LGBTQ+ students is so important. And if this is something that you are interested in implementing, I would be honored to be with you every step of the way."
See, I got two different responses to this in messages from two different students, and they really serve to illustrate the reality that so many students face. The first response was,
"omg I didn't ask this, BUT PLEASE START AN LGBTQ+ CLUB omg. imagine we would be the coolest kidz in skool 😂😂"
As silly as this message is, it was sent by a student who really needs the support that open, caring teachers and communities can provide.
The second response, however, illustrates another side of the story,
"Lgbt stands for liberty guns beer trump"
This is the culture that so many kids, like the one who asked the original question and the one who responded privately to me face. This is why they need that support and community. Obviously, the second student genuinely believed that they were being funny. I don't know whether or not the many students I have who are personified by the second student realize, though, how much harm they are causing when they say things like this and the countless other comments that I have heard in the halls. If they don't realize, I hope that I can someday reach them by showing them the hurt that they cause. But if they do realize the truly damaging effects of what they are doing, and choose to do so anyway through some misguided sense of right and wrong, I really struggle with how to approach this problem.
I fully understand that values differ among different individuals, cultures, and communities, and I try to be accepting and tolerant of this, especially as an educator of middle and high school students. But, I think that it is important, even when the dominant culture in a building aligns with the second student above, to provide a way for students like my original questioner to feel safe, supported, and valued.
I feel like I haven't said enough about this in my classroom, because I did not feel like it was my place. Did I step in and shut students down any time they made a "that's so gay!" comment or said anything demeaning about the LGBTQ+ community? Of course! Did I actively campaign for any LGBTQ+ students that I might have? Sadly, no. In my mind, it was not my place to step forward and impose an organization or structure on students, even if I thought that some might benefit. I had constantly told myself that if a student wanted something like this, I would let them take point on the project, and serve primarily as a source of knowledge, information, and support. I am so glad that someone finally felt comfortable enough to ask me about this, and I could not be happier to help them move forward, if that is what they truly want to do.
So many of my students do not understand the reality of life for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. They don't know that, according to data from the 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), of surveyed LGB students, 10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, 34% were bullied on school property, and 28% were bullied electronically. They don't know that LGB students were 140% more likely than their heterosexual classmates to not go to school at least one day during the 30 days prior to the survey because of safety concerns. They don't know that, even though LGBTQ+ youths account for only 7% of the population, according to a study done by the Williams Institute at UCLA , they make up nearly 40% of the homeless population. They don't know that 29% of LGB youths have attempted suicide at least once each year.
Or, maybe they do know, and that makes it all the more upsetting. I am so excited to be able to work with some of my students to help them build a space where they can feel supported, but I worry about what this could bring about in the rest of the student body. I don't want my students to be subjected to more abuse because they stepped forward to receive support. I don't know the solution, but I do know that I want to do the best that I can to make the world a better place for my students.
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