"Start Seeing Diversity Video" Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Todd Parr is my absolute favorite author with his colorful pictures which depict various ways we are all different and how it is okay. Did you know it is even okay to eat macaroni and cheese in the bathtub?! These books address many different forms of the human families and peoples. I used to teach Sunday School with a goof friend of mine who is gay and he read this story to the class but felt he had to leave out the pages which state; it's okay to have two mommies and two daddies. I find it sad that he felt he could not mention what he was actually living each day. 

I am struggling a bit in the area of approaching the area of LGBT family make ups ONLY because I was brought up with this being not okay because of what the Bible says and these teachings go back to my childhood. I also have been taught to be loving and not to judge others so I am working very hard to learn how to approach this subject and to be more inclusive to LGBT families within my classroom. If a school said I was not to approach this subject I would most likely do research on the affects this type of exclusion would have on the development of the students both of the LGBT family as well as those who had other family make-ups and not learning tolerance. Also, if a parent were to approach me with the same request I would listen to their point of view but at the same time give documented cases of how this will not affect their child in any different manner than a heterosexual teacher. I am afraid if a family is adamant about not having a LGBT teacher for their child I most likely will not change their thoughts and might suggest other programs they could explore.

I have heard co-workers make remarks about children in ways that are awful and it makes me see red. I cannot tolerate any negative statements made about children and especially to their face. If I were to hear the words such as mention in our examples I would probably loose my mind. I guess I need to work in this area as well.

I know we need to teach our boys differently when they are with us in the classroom, girls too for that matter. I have done a few papers about the different learning styles between boys and girls and it is very interesting. My inner battle with being more inclusive with the LGBT families is frustrating and embarrassing and I am not sure what to do in this case. I do have a new element added to this dilemma this year. I have a little girl with lesbian parents, one she calls mommy and the other daddy. I cannot seem to get myself to call another woman "daddy" and I do not know why. I hope I have not offended anyone, I am just trying to be honest so that I may learn and change.