LGBT

I am extremely happy that I got to witness this LGBT meeting on Wednesday night. I loved that they really addressed issues that will help me a lot as a future teacher. I really encourage everyone to sit in on a meeting with this group because I thought it was extremely beneficial and informative. Not many people are comfortable discussing such issues but I think that it's important to open up and become aware of diversity. There were four different leaders in the front of the classroom each offering a unique experience to share with us. The first leader was a teacher from a New York school where she had many students in her classroom with gay or lesbian parents. The second leader was a lesbian women who works for MSU and is in charge of a group with issues of sexual orientation. The third was a man with a lesbian daughter who had a daughter (his granddaughter) and some issues she had at school with two moms in her family. The fouth leader was an MSU student who was a gay man in the college of education. I really loved how diverse the leaders were from one another in their situations they've experienced.

I really enjoyed the first leader who worked in a New York school because she gave us examples of how we should be cautious when dealing with diversity. She stated that we need to be careful on mother's day or father's day and possibly make it a day where we celebrate someone that is important in our lives instead of including or excluding certain people. I thought this was a great idea because many teachers wouldn't necessarily think about this and how it might affect some students. Coming from a family with two moms, I can especially relate to that issue and how confused I was as a kid. It would have definitely been easier if my teachers were aware of these kinds of situations.
Also, I think it was a great point when she said that things are made into bigger deals to the students when we as teachers make them more dramatic than they really are. If we are just up front and honest with the students, issues won't get blown out of proportion.

I encourage everyone to attend one of these meetings! Everyone was extremely kind and helpful, wanting to answer as many questions as we had. They also handed out a sheet of definitions to clear up some confusion we might have which I thought was a fantastic idea! I will definitely be attending another:)