One of the scenarios that I chose to focus on this week was in relationship to the use of homophobic terms. My parents taught my sister and I from a young age the importance of not using homophobic terms. Throughout my sister's elementary school years, she was a huge tomboy. No one would be her friend and she was judged all day, every day at school. To me, it seemed as though the young children that were making fun of her did not realize that it was a bad thing. My sister would come home crying every day because no one would talk or play with her. After my parents talked to the teacher several times about the situation, the teacher said that she would address it with the class. The problem continued until she was in five grade. In fifth grade, my sister changed her appearance and she had several people that were trying to talk to her and be her friend. Even though I was not in her situation, it was still very hard for me to see her like this.
If I was informed by someone that they do not want their children interacting with them then I would try to find the reasons why they did not want me interacting with their child. I would make sure that I would do all that I could to treat them the same and I would not judge at all. Just because they have different sexual orientation than others, does not mean they are any different than me or other individuals. Lastly, I would make sure to respect their decision after talking to them if they really did not want tme teaching or interacting with their child.
Children should have the opportunity to be included in all activities. They should never feel they are not allowed to play with other children because of the way they look, act or dress. It would be a great idea for teachers to talk to the children and answer all their questions they may have about other children and their families. They should be taught to have respect for others and their families.
ReplyDeleteThat had to be so frustrating for your sister! As a teacher, I WANT parents to let me know if a child is having problems at school so I can take care of it. Then I tell the parents to please let me know if the problem occurs again and we will further action. There was actually a girl I worked with at the YMCA one summer and she had short hair. One of the kids ran up to her and very rudely said "You look like a boy! Are you a boy?" and the girl was very annoyed and said no, I am a girl. So I took the little girl aside and I told her that made her sad and she should not say something like that to a person and I had her apologize. I probably would approach that situation differently now, with my current education, but I feel that the girl I worked with appreciated that I talked to the child about her comment.
ReplyDeleteJessica
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really difficult thing for not only your sister but your whole family. I could not imagine coming home from school every day and watching my sister cry because nobody would play or talk to her. Why did she decide to change her appearance?
Tara
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers should teach people about diversity and address bullying in the classroom. When children use homophobic terms, it affects other children. As a result, educators must use anti-bias education to overcome bias in the classroom.
I kind of went through a similar situation as your sister. Throughout elementary and most of middle I was a tomboy. I was teased my the pretty girls but made friends with some of the boys. I think it game from having an older brother. Though my experience wasn't as rough as your sisters I can relate to how it feels to be judge on your appearance. As children experience like that can really have an impact on their self-esteem. As educators, we must expose our students to things that present diverse groups of people.
ReplyDelete