I believe that we shouldn't hide anything from the youth. There are age-appropriate conversations that can be had and done so effortlessly with cis-gendered students. We talk about love and dating to children and don't assume it's an agenda if the characters are straight. We romanticize innocent play to say they like you and don't find it weird but make it an issue if its two boys showing this type of action. We are hypocrites when it comes to this topic, we will say its nature but ignore all the parts of nature that's queer.
"Talking about “bullies” makes it seem like an individual problem and glosses over homophobia, sexism, racism, Islamophobia—all the critical issues that underlie conflicts among children and adults."
This is often done to make it easier for the oppressors to talk pretend that they are inclusive and care but honestly bullying is just an umbrella term to all the issues. We don't address any of the problems when we try to address bullying.
"The cornerstone of nurturing classrooms and schools is community, where everyone talks out problems, gets to know each other, and feels that they are part of something larger than themselves. Part of this is emphasizing empathy, which is at the heart of both solidarity and social justice teaching,"
This quote just repeats what I believe in and that's being uncomfortable and growing from it instead of finding the middle ground and glossing over everything. From that discomfort is where we find true solutions and are able to reflect how we choose to treat other differences. Classrooms are the best place to learn this because it's meant to be a space to explore and question, not a place that pushes beliefs and "answers".
Also going over the policies, I know many schools and people who do not uphold this view of welcoming the conversation about gender and more. They can happily talk about other topics but are angry about having to practice holding space for other communities.
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