Blog #1, Racism, Prejudice and Bias
As future educators, we need to be aware of the critical issues throughout the world today. Some major issues throughout the world are racism, prejudice and bias. When it comes to racism, schools should have anti-racism programs, assemblies, seminars etc. Unfortunately, there are children who live in racist households, teaching them that racism is okay, which is clearly not the case. I think that what a lot of parents don’t realize is that their children copy them, mimic them and learn from their words or actions. When children grow up this way, they bring it out of their homes and into their schools, within their friend groups and into the real world. Unfortunately as teachers, we do not have control over what they are learning at home, therefore we should teach them the right things in the classroom. While I do understand that talking about these specific topics to our students can be sensitive or uncomfortable at times, it cannot be swept under the rug any longer.
While I do understand that not all children believe in what their parents say, oftentimes they are too scared to tell their parents how they really feel. This is why we need to be sure as educators that our students feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. I know for me personally, I want to be the teacher that all of my students can come to when they need help, advice or even to vent. I want my students to know that my classroom is a safe place for them to express themselves. Children are extremely impressionable and that is something we need to keep in mind. When it comes to talking about the LGBTQ+ community, I know that everybody has a difference of opinion. While I know that there are so many different opinions, I do not think that it should be tolerated within a school as a whole or classroom to show any sort of hate towards members of this community. Just like when we talk about religion, there are some people of different religions or cultures that are constantly being harassed or bullied because of who they are, or what they believe. All children should be taught from a young age that they are allowed to be themselves, and that everyone should be treated equally no matter who they love, what they look like, what they believe in, etc.
Looking at the article that spoke of U.S states that require LGBT education, I was shocked to see how little states require this. I think that it should be a requirement for all states and all schools no matter what. What people need to realize is that there is so much diversity within American history, whether it is LGBT history, Black history, and so much more. The fact that as per August 2019, there were multiple states that are actually prohibited from talking about LGBT within the classroom. Some states are even required to speak down upon the topic. Nowadays in school, a lot of the topics that we cover in history are repetitive. I remember personally learning about World War I and World War II at least 3 different grades from middle and high school. Instead of continuously repeating what we learn in classes such as history, we should introduce new topics or parts of history to go over. Not only that, but I think it would be great to go over current events once a week so that our students are always up to date on what is happening in the world, the changes being made and so much more. We need to teach our students the past of course, but we need to show the students how we went from one point in time to another, including LGBT, racism, equality, etc.
I was lucky enough to be apart of a school district that was very accepting, and taught students that we are all equal, no matter what differences we have. I was also super thankful to be a part of this district because we were oftentimes considered to be a cultural melting pot, therefore I was always exposed to different cultures, ways of life, religions, beliefs, races and so much more. As future educators, let's strive to teach our children how to love everyone no matter what differences they have from us. Students must know that everyone is equal and should be treated that way as well. We need to teach our students that it is perfectly fine to be themselves. Not only will this change how things are within a classroom or school, but it will also change the world.
Here is a link to the National Teachers Association with some articles about racial justice in schools, having a safe place to talk about these issues and so many more great reads :)
https://neaedjustice.org/racial-justice-is-education-justice/
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-08-14/states-that-require-schools-to-teach-lgbt-history
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