Teaching Tolerance

     Before starting this blog post topic, I had never heard of the teaching tolerance website or any other website like it. While exploring the website, I found many different and useful lesson plans, videos, activities, etc. that will be helpful in teaching my students in the near future. It was neat how you could put in different parameters and it would help you to find an activity that would be best suited to what you wanted to teach and your level of students. Depending on what you want to teach and how your students learn best, it may be helpful to use a video versus hands on activity versus a independent written activity.

     I believe this website will also be helpful for me as a teacher to learn how I can teach a topic to my students that I do not feel completely comfortable taking on myself. These classes have taught me a lot about having an open mind and approaching my students and issues in an open way, but I am still nervous about dealing with these things first hand in a classroom very soon. I believe this website will be able to help me to start the conversation with my students from the beginning of the year and lead me in the right way to do the best I can to create an open, caring classroom. I hope to use this website quite a lot in my classroom and lesson planning, even as a student teacher.

A Different Religious Service

     I have gone to the same church since I was three years old, the year the church opened. I go to North Point Community Church, a non-denominational mega-church. I understand people consider my church a mega-church because of how many people go there, but for me, it feels like home. I cant walk down a hallway without seeing someone I know and saying hi or giving someone a hug. I have met many family friends and life long friendships that are going strong. Dress is very informal; jeans are definitely ok. We sing very contemporary, modern Christian music every Sunday. It is very different from traditional hymns, but most members know every word to every song even though it is different. Though it is very relaxed and unconventional, I have learned a lot feel as though North Point is home for me.

     For my blog post, I went to a catholic church. It was not a small church, but compared to North Point, it was on the smaller side. The first thing I noticed was that the dress was much more formal than my church. Jeans definitely would not have been acceptable. As I sat in the back by myself, it was very focused on rituals and doing the same thing the same way. It makes a lot of sense for me, but is very different from what I am used to. I was lost when it came to what to say, when to sit or stand, and what to do. I had no idea what to do but it gave me a chance to sit back and think what it must feel like to be completely different in my church. While I would have never done this before this class, I really feel that this was a valuable experience and that I learned a lot from this experience. This also made me think about what it will be like to have a student who practices a different religion than I do in my class in the future. I will always have students that are different than me and I need to learn how to work with people who are different then me. I have learned so much from the blog posts in this class and I am thankful that we have had to think and talk about these topics.

Gender Identity

     Our society and what we accept is very different than what was accepted just a few years ago. Another aspect playing a large role in how I see things is from living in the south. The south is largely considered conservative and as a result those who go against the normal are seen as different and many times are not accepted by society. For me, I was born as a female and have identified as a female ever since. As a result, I have been on the privileged or powered side of the gender dichotomy. While I have been on one side of this dichotomy, I do not have a problem or look differently on those who do not identify with the gender they were born as. I think that you should have the ability or opportunity to choose and live in a way that you want to and the way that they feel the most comfortable. I do not believe that I would ever identify with the opposite gender, but I support those who do as that is their choice and it is how they feel and see themselves.

     I have never had someone in a position of influence over or around me that I look up to that has been born as one gender but identified as another. Growing up, this was never something that was discussed in my family or something that was a topic of discussion. As a result, I think that I could be very closed off to those who are different than me, but I have chosen to be different than those in my family. I also know that the introductory education classes have also opened my eyes to many different things, including gender identity. I know that it is important to be open to all of these different things, as I will have many different students who will be dealing with many of these and I will be able to help them and grow them into the best person they can be.

     Both girls and boys can identify as the opposite sex. Though, I think it is harder for guys to identify as a girl, than for girls to identify as a boy. I think it is easier for girls to identify as a boy, because even from a young age, many girls are seen as tomboys or more boyish than other girls. For many boys, if they identify as a girl, they are seen as not enough or not a man. I will have boy and girl students that will struggle with gender identity and I look forward to helping to grow them into the best person they can be.

Raising A Gender Neutral Child

     Before reading this blog post topic or these articles, I hadn’t really given much thought to raising a gender-neutral child. Actually, there are a lot of things that I had not thought about until this class and I am thankful that this class has brought many things to my attention that will greatly impact me as a teacher in the near future.

     After reading these articles, I can see why these parents have chosen to raise their children in a neutral-gender environment. Gender differentiation between male and female has become very distinct in the past years, which is not the best for our children. Roberts writes, “Gender affects what children wear and what they can play with and that shapes the kind of person they become” (Lucky boy raised without gender stereotypes). I understand that there are differences between boys and girls and as a result they will be raised differently, but I do not think people should try and shape children to be a certain way. An example that comes immediately to mind is toys. It is okay for children to play with all types of toys. Playing with a Barbie is not going to make a boy like boys or become gay. For example, my brother has three sisters and as a result has played with many girls’ toys and grew up playing house. However, he is definitely as boy at heart. Davis and James write, "Identity formation is really critical for every human being and part of that is gender" (Canadian Mother Raising 'Genderless' Baby, Storm, Defends Her Family's Decision). I think that we need to be careful in how we tell children that they can or cannot do certain things while growing up, but in terms of raising a gender-neutral child, I do not think it is best or the right thing to do in society today.

     Like I said, I do understand why these parents would want to raise their children in a neutral environment, I, personally, do not think it is the best thing to do in today’s society. Good or bad, these stereotypes are ingrained in society and these children will not be raised to handle these stereotypes when they get into school. This may lead to bullying and other issues in school, because most other children are not raised this way. While I do not think bullying and teasing about this is right, I can see how it would be detrimental for a child to experience and would want to prevent this from happening. With all of this said, I think it is completely up to the parents in how they will raise their children and they can do what they choose, but you cannot shelter or prevent your child from experiencing today’s society. And, for today’s society to accept gender-neutral children, it will take years of change, even though I do think that it could one day happen if all of society understood why.  

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/yvonne-roberts-gender-neutral-children

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/genderless-baby-controversy-mom-defends-choice-reveal-sex/story?id=13718047#.TzrzM5jg-zA

Privilege

     Growing up I never had it easy, but I never wondered where our next meal came from. I grew up in Forsyth County going to private school. It was never if I was going to college, but where I was going to college and for what degree. I had the chance to experience new things and to go to different places shaping the person I am today, all because of the privilege I have being the race, gender, religion, etc. that I am.

     According to Sensoy and DiAngelo (2012), privilege is “the rights, advantages, and protections enjoyed by some at the expense of and beyond the rights, advantages, and protections available to others” (p.58). They go on to say, “privilege is not the product of fortune, luck, or happenstance, but the product of structural advantages” (Sensoy and DiAngelo, 2012, p. 58). I use to think that privilege was just living a better life or having something given to you. After reading part of Is Everyone Really Equal, I realize that my privilege I experienced growing up was at the cost of someone else’s privilege or lack of privilege. I have never lived as the minority or as the one majorly different from someone else and as a result do not have the experiences of feeling different or the outcast as those who are not the majorities have possibly felt more frequently. As a result of this, I believe I will need to be intentional in leaving those preconceived ideas and stereotypes at home when I go into my classroom. It will be important for me to have an open mind when meeting and interacting with my students. I think that knowing about this in advanced will help me be a better teacher in the near future.

Sensoy, O., & DiAngelo, R. (2012). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press.