Response to Kelly's Blog
Kelly Wrote:
"At the elementary level, 3rd grade, I wonder if this is something I would ever feel comfortable teaching and if so how parents would feel about it? It crosses into sexual education which is a touchy subject and often the cause of much controversy in the field of education. "
Hi Kelly,
I had the same exact thought! I am a K-3rd grade resource teacher and as I explored the website I questioned how this would be handled in my school. Even if I felt comfortable enough discussing this topic, which I think is a sensitive topic, how would the parents feel about this? I think it would be more accepted by parents and easier at the high school level. I try to teach the children that I work with to respect and appreciate the differences among one another, no matter what that difference might be.
I think that for a guy or girl to come out and talk about their sexuality is difficult yet brave. I feel bad for those who build the courage to come out to only be hit with bullying and harrassment. I am glad that there is support out there for these children and I think it is great what GLSEN is striving to do. Harassment and bullying is a huge issue in the schools today and having an organization like GLSEN, may help to protect more children.
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I agree with what you both said about the challenge that exists in presenting the right amount of acceptable information in regards to sexuality in an elementary classroom. I don't believe we need to be as specific as to what sexual orientations really exist with the younger children, but promote and teach acceptance of differences and tolerance of every child. Bullying happens every day. In one of my past classes, I found a really cute scripted play where the children were animals and for a quick example, one was a tiger with Teret's Syndrome. The animals were taught by each other to look past the physical differences in each other. There are many fun and cute activities we can do with our children in school to help them understand everyone is different and how to deal with situations that are new or uneasy for them. I think there is a creative way out there to help teach about any of these very controversial issues. GLSEN may just be one of these websites that provide enough insight for us as educators.
ReplyDeleteI work in the pre-elementary (preschool) space where we are continuously praising and encouraging children to explore and celebrate their differences. Boys are perfectly comfortable dressing uo in "princess" costumes and playing with dolls. Everyone is just "friend" in preschool and hugs happen all day long with girls and boys, boys and boys, girls and girls. The children in my preschool are very accepting of others as long as the others are not interfering in what they want to play with. The GLSEN website was very interesting and a great resource - but I understand the reluctance to introduce these issues in elementary school.
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