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The importance of managing diversity in schools
The importance of managing diversity in schools
The importance of managing diversity in schools
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Students are becoming increasingly self-aware and finding their identities earlier than before (Poteat et al.). Daviess County High School needs a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) as a club because it will bring awareness to the school’s diversity and create a safe zone. Having a GSA will make the school safer with education enlightening the minds of the students of the problems and solutions that are presented in the club. A GSA is an organization that will make the school a safer and inclusive place for students of all backgrounds. The organization relates to a number of students heterosexual or LGBTQ, the club builds leadership skills, and it increases inclusivity among groups.
As a pansexual student, I will feel an amass of security if Daviess County High School (DCHS) had a GSA. I come from a conservative family who is not open to the idea of the LGBTQ community.
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These results show that the students who claim they are not interested, maybe are just not participants in extra-curricular activities or they discredit that the LGBTQ community needs to educate others about the matters the community faces. A variety of people commented in the survey that DCHS needs GSA so people will appreciate the LGBT community and respect them more. In an interview I conducted the potential leader of the GSA Audrey M answered, “That the school should have the club because this is a public school and there’s separation of church and state so there is no reason that there should not be a GSA.” Although, another person in the survey wrote, “There is no need for a GSA since gay marriage is now legal,” but, that is not the goal of the club. The goal of the club is to be inclusive and create a sense of peace and harmony among students and
Mercer, L. R. & Berger, R. M. (1989). Social service needs of lesbian and gay adolescents. Adolescent Sexuality: New Challenges for Social Workers. Haworth Press.
High school is a time for students to develop new interests, talents, and hobbies. As well as, prepare them with material they need for college or the workforce. Most schools, Sequoyah High School being amongst one of these schools, are lacking the resources that students need in order to pursue these academic interests. Although Sequoyah High School is a great high school for students in Monroe County, there are several issues that still need to change in order to help better the school system as a whole.
This article highlights the ways our school and district are failing these students. We proclaim to be an inclusive “place”, but truth be told we are only comfortable if you conform to our definition of “normal”. The article suggests that, at the elementary level, we can include literature that features different family structures as an introduction to acceptance of differences. Last year, our library had a picture book, And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins that were in a relationship and wanted to start a family like the other penguin couples. The minute the “content” was brought to our librarian’s attention, the book magically disappeared from the shelf. The issue was brought up before a faculty meeting, and the majority of the faculty agreed with the book being pulled from the shelf. The sad part is that we do have a couple of children within the school who have a family structure that resembles the characters in the book. I was lucky to grow up in a household that did not discriminate based on color, religion, socioeconomics, gender, or sexual orientation, but I learned quickly that my views are not similar to those of my peers. Here in South Mississippi, we are “behind the times” and not aligned with the rest of the nation when it comes to meeting the needs of LGBT students. How do we even attempt to close that gap when so many of the teachers and administrators do not agree with or believe in the “life style and choices of” LGBT
Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go; which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression; not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens.
In the past three decades, gays and lesbians have become more assertive in expressing their rights within American society. Being gay comes as a source of pride for some, while being a social stigma for others. Though people who identify as LGBTQ are gaining legal rights and protection, they are still subject to discriminatory laws and social intolerance. Those who hold negative attitudes towards gays and lesbians are likely to have less likely to have interpersonal communication with them. This is because of the existence of negative attitudes, in addition to the anti-gay violence and harassment that some LGBTQ people continue to suppress their sexual orientation. Being someone who identifies as LGBTQ, it is important to me that people are educated about the problems that are commonly neglected in terms of interpersonal communication between homosexuals and heterosexuals and how these problems coincide with the vast amount of LGBTQ homeless youth there are in America.
The movie “It’s Elementary” does a great job showing the positivity reaction kids have to presenting LGBT issues in the school system. The documentary showed that all age groups can benefit from these lessons. For example, a heterosexual, 8th grade social studies teacher felt it was very important to teach his students to be respectful and not afraid of their sexuality. This teacher started his lesson by asking students to share stereotypes. He then related these stereotypes to LGBT issues. One student shared with the class that he uses slurs “out of ignorance”. This
LGBTQ people are often victims of violence and hate speech, which ranges from bullying to teasing in schools. The initiatives to change these issues were formed mainly by the board, teachers, equity staff, and students. There were two influential groups: the Toronto Board of Education Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Employees Group and the Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC (GALE). These two and other local community groups who were mainly interested in youth issues offered volunteer speakers for schools to advocate for a better educational system. These actions were followed by the creation of other groups that aimed to provide support to LGBTQ youth; such as, the Teens Educating About and Challenging Homophobia (TEACH) in Toronto; in BC, YouthCo AIDS Society and Gay Youth Services, Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to make sexual diversity more visible.
Extracurricular clubs are just another thing added to students’ everyday schedule. It’s where they meet friends, share interests, find new hobbies and create memories that last a lifetime. What if schools didn’t provide the right club need for their students? In 2007, out of almost 100,000 schools in America, only 3,000 of those schools had registered GSA clubs (“GLSEN Releases Research” para. 2 ). “GSAs are student-run clubs that aim to make the school community a safer place for all LGBTQ+ and straight students” (“Frequently Asked Questions” para. 2). Students are relying on these clubs to help them stand up against discrimination and to help the school understand and respect the LGBTQ+ community (“Districts Get Warning” para. 7). Despite
This is just another example of the ways school administration can step out of real issues, especially in non-academic spaces where they may feel less agency over. However, it must be taken into consideration that Grinnell College has been cited as one of the most queer friendly colleges by the Princeton Review, even though they have not been entirely receptive to the needs of queer students in the past. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that some campus administrations are more receptive when students are out on campus and have increased visibility, especially with regards to the presence of student groups (Clawson, 2014). The Construction of Identity Spaces The larger LGBTQ community often comes together in explicit identity spaces, such as the Stonewall Resource Center.
LGBT protective policies are legitimate enough to try and abolish bullying and discrimination towards LGBT students, but its not the only things that needs to be done. GSA clubs have been found to be key to a healthier school environment. “schools with GSAs report feeling less isolated, exhibit a greater willingness to be involved in school and community activities experience more positive social relationships, and exhibit increased academic motivation” (Currie). Implementing LGBT related material in the school curriculum is also a very good way to bring the whole school together and educated them on sexual orientation. Some Students that are not well informed tend to react in violent ways because they simply don’t comprehend the topic. So if a student doesn’t understand why his peer is homosexual than he is going to act aggressively towards him by bullying or harassment. All these three actions taken in order to try and abolish harassment towards the LGBT youth, I believe to be enough. Schools have done all they can to to try and ensure a safe environment for not only LGBT students but for all students. Now maybe the real reason why there is still harassment in school environment might not be because schools aren’t providing them with a save environment but because there are certain students that have been brought up with different believes than other and different ideas of what is right and wrong. Not all students are the same, and unfortunately we can’t control what happens at home.
Students who were frequently bullied in school because of their sexual orientation have lower grades: an average GPA half a grade lower than that of other students. Gay teens are 2 times more likely to contemplate discontinuing their education, either not planning on completing high school or attending to college. LGBT teens are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression due to family rejection than straight peers and 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide . About two-thirds of LGBT students reported having ever been sexually harassed in school in the past year, nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression. These statistics show that school isn’t a safe place for students who identify themselves as LGBT
The chapter seems closed-minded since they recently registered very low attendance at a required program regarding LGBTQ and the Greek-letter
In the United States, only 12 states require queer sex to be included in sex education curriculums with 3 actually requiring the negative implications of queer sexuality be taught (Bitner 359). In a society where LGBT youth are still largely marginalized and separated from mainstream culture e.g. romantic books and movies, stand-up comedy, and other forms of media, the discussions of same sex education in schools is yet another reinforcement of the repeated negligence in including a diverse range of sexualities in aspects of society that involve the topics of sex and dating.
Baker, Jean M. How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community. New York: Harrington Park, 2002. Print.
Barber, Heather, and Vikki Krane. "Creating a Positive Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youths." JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education,