tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374913.post85720459220282520..comments2024-03-11T06:40:05.456-05:00Comments on School of Blog: Homophobia and defensive teachingjuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17948010246097186377noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374913.post-28741880398919504172007-02-26T14:41:00.000-06:002007-02-26T14:41:00.000-06:00Thanks, Leo. We taught this lesson today with two...Thanks, Leo. We taught this lesson today with two of the classes and, while I definitely heard some offensive under-the-breath comments, I did not have to face my fear of dealing with a rowdy bunch of ninth graders hooting and hollering.<BR/><BR/>When I teach this lesson with my rowdier class tomorrow, I may bring up the point you made. My art historian friend Meredith also noted that the sexual innuendo in this image is probably not unintentional. However, I will make it clear in no uncertain terms that I expect them to speak and act with maturity.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17948010246097186377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374913.post-31401939331836164022007-02-26T10:38:00.000-06:002007-02-26T10:38:00.000-06:00At the beginning of every class, I would establish...At the beginning of every class, I would establish as one of my class rules that disparaging invective and insults based on race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation were inappropriate for the class. Bundling them together is the best way to approach that issue, I found.<BR/><BR/>That is not a substitute for class discussions on sexuality, including gay sexuality. It is not easy, and it does run the gauntlet of a lot of immature banter, but it is important to have. This is not just a matter of teaching tolerance; it is also central to the subject matter we teach in Social Studies, English and Science. To ignore the sexual dimension of history, for example, is to teach an impoverished history. To have a full appreciation of the phenomenon of lynching, one needs to understand how sexual stereotypes are embedded in racism. Similarly, to understand the social functioning of slavery, one needs to have an understanding of the sexual expolitation of enslaved African-Americans.<BR/><BR/>Regarding the cartoon you posed, I would not deny that it could be read by sexually anxious and unsure adolescents as gay. When your own sexual identity is insecure, you tend to read everything as a sexual threat. But in reality, the cartoon represents a window into a particular moment in the construction of gender roles. The notion that the aristocracy/Ancien Regime was effeminate rather than masculine [which may intersect with certain aspects of a gay/straight split, but is not synonymous being gay] was one expression of a reorganization of gender roles at the start of modernity. It is rather far ranging in cultural terms, and even includes forms of literary expression [flowerly and elaborate forms of expression versus economical writing]. It is not possible to understand small r republicanism, the revolutionary democratic political ideology of the French revolution, of Jeffersonian politics and the early working class movement, without examining a certain assertion of a modern form of masculinity.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01784866518186243240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374913.post-374636591176701832007-02-19T08:06:00.000-06:002007-02-19T08:06:00.000-06:00I think that there are two ways to have "big conve...I think that there are two ways to have "big conversations" with kids. One way is to have the "big conversation" all at one time. The other way is to make it a running theme throughout the year with lots of little conversations as they are appropriate. <BR/><BR/>I certainly don't think you want to ignore the issue, since that would mean passively accepting their behavior. If negative comments are accepted what will be accepted next? <BR/><BR/>Just some thoughts,<BR/><BR/>Andrew Pass<BR/>http://www.pass-ed.com/Living-Textbook.htmlAndrew Passhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03467297626934604339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374913.post-84716232646371744742007-02-17T14:09:00.000-06:002007-02-17T14:09:00.000-06:00When I was teaching I found that the problem wasn'...When I was teaching I found that the problem wasn't really the gay issue, but anything had to do with sex would result in "pant hooting"<BR/><BR/>Before presenting something that I knew was going to result in that sort of a situation I'd make a statement along the lines of "I can see where this topic is going to distract you. Do not go there. Joke about this all you want after class privately but we have stay focussed on the real issue to make it through this lesson."<BR/><BR/>The mistake is in throwing something up on a screen, waiting for the disaster and THEN doing damage control. Another mistake is censoring any sort of otherwise legitimate material which requires a mature response. Kids don't learn self-control if they aren't ever exposed to material that doesn't require it. <BR/><BR/>Acknowledging that it is indeed odd/bizarre/looks like sex, BUT we are going to stay on topic anyway, "Is that clear?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com