First, I was really glad that I had the opportunity to attend this seminar. I liked that it was geared towards teachers and future teachers and discussed issues that have come up in classrooms. I think that it is important to attend seminars like this one about all and any issues of diversity or any issues that are "difficult" to talk about. The exposure and awareness to these types of discussions are very valuable.
I did not know that about one out of ten people are of GLBT. That was fascinating to me. I also really enjoyed that they provided everyone with a sheet full of definitions. Some of them I had never heard of and I think it is important to identify certain terms when discussing and becoming educated on a topic such as this one. I found all of the panalists to be knowledgeable and important to the discussion becuase they all had different experiences that were very interesting and important in learning.
I found the topic of how to talk with small children about GLBT issues very intriging. The woman who had taught in NY had some great insight into how to handle situations, but I still find myself struggling to think about how to do that. It is something that one has to think very carefully about. The other woman (Dee?) had an interesting story about kindergarteners asking about a girl and a girl getting married. The teacher of that classroom sent those students to the principal and after some thought she came up with what I thought was a really great answer for these students. She said "People are lucky when they find someone to love." I think that sometimes we overthink what we would say to students about these "tough" issues, but really simple answers like this one are sometimes the best. It was some nice food for thought!
A TE348 instructor gave us the name of a blog that provided a diverse set of literature that is constantly being updated. I think this was a really helpful piece of information and a resource that I might use for my final project in this class. She didn't know the exact address off hand but it is called Worth The Trip. Hopefully I can find it and use it as a helpful resource becuase she said it also has insider reviews on books which is very helpful!
Overall, I was really glad that I had the opportunity to attend this seminar. Things like this really continue to open my eyes to issues of diversity and culture. In addition, my friend was on the panal becuase he is a homosexual music education student. It was nice to see him speek about his experiences to a group. My TE250 teacher was also there (running the event) and it was very nice to catch up with her after the seminar!
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3 comments:
Gina,
I was sad that I missed the seminar but I think it's so important that we go to events like this and I really enjoyed reading your entry. I want to teach lower elementary and was thinking about how to talk to kids about GLBT issues, if at all. The example that you gave was perfect! I think the GLBT community is very underrepresented and as teachers we are obviously responsible for the welfare of our students, so it's so important for us to be informed about all different kinds of people.
Hey Gina,
Thanks for the info about the GLBT event! I had the Lambda Awards last week for class which are about GLBT issues. The librarian told me that literature about GLBT does not show up in picture books. Did you happen to hear otherwise? I thought it was interesting that a teacher answered her students questions about a girl-girl relationship by noting that it is nice when you find someone you love. She side-stepped the issue really well which is probably best in Kindergarten! It is super hard to stay neutral on diverse issue such as GLBT!
I will try to link to this resource. These experiences sounded really valuable for all who went. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on what was said - it really is good "food for thought", especially for future teachers who will deal with this in their career and in life in general. This seminar is great for anyone to attend!
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