Homophobia is Real

Anyone who took 663 with me knows that my review was written on the inclusion of gay themed literature into today’s classroom. Actually, I’m an advocate for YA literature in general, because I believe that every student can find representation in the wide variety of genres. I can’t say that I was shocked when I came across this article, but it saddens me to see that religious organizations’ opinions are still weighing down heavily on the introduction of the topic of homosexuality into the schools. With the influx of same-sex marriages, same-sex parents – how can schools deny what’s going on in the world around them?

This article, was especially upsetting because they dismantle the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN)’s 2003 National School Climate Survey, which is GLSEN's second national survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. It is a crucial tool in the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) mission for fighting anti-LGBTQ bias in K-12 schools across the nation. This report provides details on the experiences of 887 GLBTQ high school students who were surveyed nationwide. Also, this study showed that school performance, grade point average, and college aspirations of GLBTQ students were also negatively affected among those who experience harassment.

In the article, they claim that that terms such as “homophobia” and “heterosexism” are bogus. The idea to incorporate gay themed literature into the classroom is to combat homophobia and reconstruct the heterosexist curriculum. Religious fanatics claim there is a pro-homosexuality agenda, which pushes students to experiment with their sexuality. The pressures on gay teens can be overwhelming--to keep secrets, tell lies, deny who you are, and try to be who you're not. No one has an agenda other than letting our children know that they can feel safe as they come to terms with their identity.


It is our duty as teachers to understand the needs of our students. We are responsible for their emotional well being as well as their academic standing. Adolescence was a difficult time with the onslaught of hormones – imagine if your feelings are not taken into consideration because they are not considered “normal.” No one should ever have to feel alone. If we could alleviate some of the stress that our gay youth experiences, perhaps they would feel comfortable enough to ask for help, rather than turning to self-destructive measures to deal with their misery.

Almost all schools have a heterosexist curriculum in that course content almost never recognizes that some of the most influential figures in art, literature, and history were gay or lesbian. The only image that most schools will allow is representations that focus on the negative aspects of homosexuality; oftentimes the negative stereotypes are reinforced as well, such as feminine males and butch females. But by excluding the topic of homosexuality and reinforcing negative stereotypes in the school system are we only harming GLBTQ youth? Homophobia affects all young people, regardless of sexual orientation. I as an educator want to promote a classroom where everyone feels free to express his or her true identity in a safe environment. By incorporating YA literature with gay themes and characters, we are offering representation to our GLBTQ youth, and we are educating our straight teens on an important issue that has long been in the closet.

Chrissy

Children Need Exercise

I have to include this article, because I commend anyone who tries to incorporate daily exercise into their children’s lives. Anyone will tell you that exercise is an excellent way to start the day. Claire Parker, who is a mother of two young boys as well as a former athlete, implements the 10-6-7 method: ten minutes - six times a day – seven days a week.

As a mother of two young boys myself, I was intrigued to see how she fared in her experiment. It seems that the boys were just as eager to participate – they opted to ride to school in the rain – rather than complain like most parents think would. Boys are often labeled as rambunctious and show a need to let off some serious steam, but wouldn’t exercise constitute as a serious form of recess?

What really struck me was that Claire mentioned that she noticed a difference in the boys’ behavior; they seemed more relaxed, even calm at times. She does note that some time in front of the “telly” is necessary for both herself as well as her children. Did I forget to mention that this all takes place in England?

The reason that I’m passionate about this cause is because people are so afraid that they are pushing their children into physical activity that they lose sight of all the benefits associated with daily exercise. Children have so much energy – believe me – I require an afternoon latte just to keep up! But seriously, if we structure activities for our children that are fun, or involve them in sporting events that will help them to let off some steam, then we are actually helping them to release some of the energy that they carry around all day.

The Power of YouTube!

My husband and I are forever indebted to YouTube! (and Matt) for enabling us to post our movie at the last minute. We worked so hard and our son was very excited for everyone to see his athletic accomplishments. While we thought we had completed all the necessary stages for publication, we lacked one. I had burnt the movie to disk, but did not realize that there was a “Finish movie” step that was necessary in order to view the movie at a computer other than our own.

While we were slightly familiar with YouTube!, we had never really explored its potential. With the help of Matt and my husband via cell phone, we were able to resolve this conflict. It’s funny how we go through life never encountering various things, and then all of a sudden, they are everywhere. By this I mean that although I had heard of YouTube!, I never realized what a great tool it was. Of course, after the presentation, my husband immediately removed the video. I’m sure you understand that having a video of your child for all to see can be quite dangerous.

But overall, I was very happy with YouTube! I also warned my brother; because my sister was so taken with the YouTube!, she wanted to create a horror flick using this beastly picture I have of him. There was a 28 second clip we saw entitled “El Chupacabra spotted on a beach in Puerto Rico.” It was just some poor soul, who was slightly large, walking on the beach. Just think what you could do to your enemies who have no experience in the technology arena!! Needless to say, he’s been on his best behavior. It’s so important to know how to move around this new and changing world. My son woke me up the morning after my movie debut to ask me what everyone thought of his performance. I was so happy that I could tell him that they loved him!

Chrissy

Boys and School

I thought that this article was interesting, especially since a few of us in class have read Raising Cain. This article is yet another example of why multimodal literacies (visual, print, media, critical, sociocultural, and digital) work better in the classroom, because they ensure that all students will make some form of connection to the content. The truth is that children, especially boys, need room to move. Confining students, anyone for that matter, to a room and talking at them rather than with them can be detrimental to one’s health.

Michael Gurian, author of The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in Life and School, believes that boys are better at spatial- mechanical tasks and perform better in school when they are active. The article focuses on creating lessons for either boys or girls, but I think that if teachers incorporate audio or visual or digital forms of instruction that many children that were once lost in the classroom will have the opportunity to engage in the lessons.

Website

I have created my website in freewebs.com. I am still in the process, but I have managed to link my blog, as well as some other sites that I believe would be beneficial. Am I going about it the right way? I would appreciate some feedback. I am not sure how to market myself, so any suggestions would be appreciated!!

As far as manipulating the site, it was pretty easy to navigate.

C

My website is in the upper right hand corner of my blog. I went through the steps of linking it to this post, but apparently I did something wrong!! I'm not as savvy as Dawn and her big, blue dragon!!

Movies on Demand

I just realized that I have not posted my thoughts on the whole movie process. Spielberg, I am not, but all kidding aside, I feel pretty confident (we’ll see what happens on Tuesday!). I did experience some technical difficulties, but with the help of my wonderful husband I was able to work out the kinks. Don’t worry; I did most of the work myself!

The theme of my movie has changed a bit, as you’ll see on Tuesday. I was going to throw the whole thing out and start fresh with a horror film, but I stuck to my guns and actually learned a thing or two about making a movie. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome.

Millenials, and Bobos, and Portfolios...Oh My!!

When I began the chapter on Shape-Shifting Portfolios, it immediately brought me back to Gee’s chapter in Alvermann on Millenials and Bobos. These adolescent resumes are becoming a staple in the educational journey of many middle to upper-middle class teens today. As far lower class students are concerned, portfolios may serve a different purpose than they do for many of the millennial youth who strive to become a part of the “elite group” in society. As in the case of Mario, he was simply trying to connect with his Mexican heritage.

My twenty-something cousins, who are obviously millenials, have extensive portfolios. The experiences that they have had in their young careers never cease to amaze me. Clare spent a semester traveling around the African continent, at times living in less than ideal dwellings, absorbing a culture sometimes far removed from her own. Her sister, Sarah, spent two semesters abroad, one in Italy and the other in Ireland. I am in absolute awe of how self-sufficient these young women have become.

After reading this chapter, I see that their portfolio increases in size and experience in all that they do throughout their college careers and well into their first job experiences. Clare, like Katie, is seeking work that will be fulfilling as opposed to seeking a high paying job. I thought the section of the chapter titled ”The Shrine” was a bit too much. While I think that establishing a meaningful portfolio will be helpful, I think that putting all one’s accomplishments on display illustrates arrogance.

I liked the example of Thomas who was opposed to the idea of portfolios until he became engaged with his schoolwork. I found it interesting that it wasn’t considered cool for boys to be smart. Who makes these decisions? But Thomas eventually quit sports, so that he could join the academic decathlon team. He became so invested in his learning that he made it his top priority.

Even though Mario, the last boy in the chapter, shared a very different story than the other two, he still was building a portfolio of knowledge and experiences that he felt were crucial to his life. Since reaching the status of the elite group will most often be out of reach for many lower class millenials, as the chapter states, it is our job as educators to guide our students towards experiences and knowledge that will help them achieve their goals in life.

Super Soaps

I thought that some of you might be interested in this review from BC (Blogcritics Magazine). The article focuses on the soap opera, Guiding Light, which has now teamed up with Marvel comics to create a super hero for the show. I caught the show today and the movie “Sin City” instantly came to mind. The story begins with Harley Davidson Cooper - may be more names now- being electrocuted, causing an abundance of electricity to flow through her veins. She plays a cop on the show, but now with her new super powers she rivals Robo cop. After they placed her in a skimpy, silver, teeny-weeny outfit I had to shut the show off. It was a bit goofy for me, but I do have to say that some of the graphics were pretty impressive. As the article discusses, many of the themes in comic strips are racy enough to be paired with tawdry storylines of the soap operas.

It seems that Radical change is not only being introduced to young adults, but to the housewives of America as well. I personally thought that the show was a bit off the wall (corny), but I’m interested to see what others think. Also, I thought that this online magazine, "Blogcritics" was pretty interesting as well. I’ll be interested to see what else they have to offer the public.

Chrissy G.