What’s On Your Mind About Back-to-School Time?
It’s back-to-school time, so I thought I’d once again put up a poll to see what’s on our minds this time of year. Please share any further thoughts in the comments.
schools
ABC, LGBT: Why Elementary Schools Must Teach About LGBT Families
Only two out of ten elementary school students have learned about same-sex-headed families, according to a new study commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Combine this with the fact that same-sex families with children live in 96 percent of counties in the United States, and we clearly have a failure to teach children about the world and people around them.
Happy Gay-Straight Alliance Day!
Today marks the first-ever National Gay-Straight Alliance Day, a project of the Iowa Pride Network in partnership with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). In honor of the occasion, I’ll point out my coverage a few years ago of the 20th anniversary celebration of the GSA at Phillips Academy, which has the second-oldest GSA in
This Week Only: Free Streaming of Anti-Bullying Film
In honor of No Name-Calling Week, educational film company Groundspark is offering free streaming of its anti-bullying and anti-name-calling film Let’s Get Real. Aimed at students in grades five through nine, it is notable for not preaching at kids, but rather letting them speak in their own voices about race, sexual orientation (real and perceived), learning
Video: Elementary School Kids Discuss What “Gay” and “Lesbian” Mean
“What Do You Know” is a new short film from the Welcoming Schools initiative that shows children ages six to twelve (including some kids with lesbian and gay parents) discussing their experiences with the words “gay” and “lesbian.” The full 13-minute film, used in Welcoming Schools diversity trainings and playing in film festivals across the
Bias, Bullying, and Homophobia in Elementary Schools: Are Teachers Prepared?
The media has been full of stories about bullying and its damaging effects—but most stories have centered around middle-school and high-school students. Less has been said of bullying in elementary schools. A new study from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), however, shows that such bullying does exist—including bullying and teasing based on homophobia and gender-nonconformity. Those
How a First-Grade Teacher Addresses Gender Stereotypes and Variance
Here’s today’s must-read article: Melissa Bollow Tempel, a first-grade teacher in Jackson, Wisconsin, has written at Together For Jackson County Kids about how she approaches issues of gender stereotypes, gender variance, and gender-based bullying. It’s full of insight and actionable ideas. Good stuff, and worth sharing. (For more on the topic, you might also want to
New Resource for Teaching LGBT History in Schools
There’s a great new resource for teaching LGBT history in middle and high schools—and it might even teach us parents something. The Anti-Defamation League, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and StoryCorps have just released Unheard Voices, “an oral history and curriculum project that will help educators to integrate LGBT history, people and issues into their instructional programs.”
Back-to-School Preparations for LGBT Families
(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column the first week of September.)
Hurricane Irene raged up the East Coast this past weekend, sending people scrambling to the stores for bottled water and canned tuna. Of course, hurricanes weren’t the only thing I prepared for this week. Back-to-school time is here, so I’ve been buying pencils and erasers alongside the flashlight batteries. And because I am an LGBT parent, I’ve also been thinking about the “emergency supplies” we should have as we navigate the sometimes-stormy weather of our educational system, in case our children encounter anti-LGBT prejudice, bullying, or simply exclusion.
What Are Your Back-to-School Concerns?
It’s back-to-school time, so let’s do a fun little poll for all of us who have children braving the wilds of education: [polldaddy poll=5451069]