I find it interesting that teenagers are very perceptive on how parents’ involvement influences how they share their information about their friendships. According to the article by Blair and Fletcher, if there is history of overreaction and heated arguments between parents and their children, they are less likely to disclose information about their friends and what’s going on in their lives, be it positive or negative. However, also the less involved and interested parents are in their child’s life also affects, over time, the likelihood of sharing information. I may infer that this type of behavior could be also projected by the student in the classroom and it influences if they would like to share important information either positive and negative with their teachers or other school staff. As a result, as teachers, it is important to gradually create an environment where students feel comfortable to engage in the classroom and eventually trust their teachers to share information about their lives and have a good rapport with them.

F. G. Bonser, a psychologist working at the beginning of the twentieth century, called intimate friendships “the most potent in the development of man as a member of society.” William Bukowski, a developmental psychologist working at the end of the twentieth century, refers to close friendships as the “most enduring form of relationship across the life span.(Way 2011)

I liked that this article (The Hidden Landscapes of Boy’s Friendships) challenged the notion that all male friendships are simplistic and unemotional. Our culture views male friendships from a superficial, uncritical lens that does these kinds of relationships a disservice. It contributes to negative stereotypes about men as unfeeling, etc. Continue reading What about Girls Friendships? →

…the prevalence of anti-LGBT language and victimization, such as experiences of harassment and assault in school…school policies and practices that may contribute to negative experiences for LGBTQ students and make them feel as if they are not valued by their school communities (GLSEN, 2016, pg.1)

As educators, we need to make sure our students are learning from each other through how they communicate and treat their classmates as a partner. Although we set up the tone of how students treat each other in a respectful manner, in fact, we don’t usually recognize how students treat their peers once they stepped out the class or the school. Based on our recognition, bullying, prejudicing, harassing, even fighting usually happened around to our students. What can teachers(we) do?

In order to avoid these negatives consequences, we can influence the climate of our classes and make sure our classrooms are the places where our students feel welcome and comfortable as their homes. Particularly, students who are part of LGBTQ community have more personal experiences regarding those negative consequences in school. In order to support these students, first of all, teachers have to understand these students (I mean to respects/accepts students’ identities). We probably want to ask the questions that are personal such as: How do you feel being part of LGBTQ in the school environment?; How do you think your peers think about you as LGBTQ student?; What is your expectation in your classroom, including the teacher?; What is(are) your struggles that impact your learning, etc. According to GLSEN (2016), the survey indicated LGBTQ students feel not belonging in the school community because the isolations of teachers and peers regard their sexual orientations and identities. This is one of the reasons why students drop out the school community. Another main reason is about safety. According to GLSEN (2016), the survey showed LGBTQ students treated through verbal and physical in negative perspectives (pg. 3). For instances, verbal harassments (i.e so gay), physical assaults (i.e. punched, kicked) and the negatives of social diffusions (i.e. comments on Instagram, Facebook). Therefore, teachers and school staffs should provide an environment where LGBTQ students feel safe. Teachers might plan curricula that related to the theme of LGBTQ to make understanding to the whole class. According to GLSEN (2016), the survey summarized the involvement of the inclusive curricula/programs (i.e. Gay-Straight Alliances) increase LGBTQ students’ participation because the curricula relevant to their personalities. Moreover, for students who are not belonging to LGBTQ community, they could able to learn the history of this minority group of people, as well as to understand the feeling of how their LGBTQ peers feel in the school community. Don’t you think such inclusive curricula are meaningful?

“Providing professional development for school staff to improve rates of intervention and increase the number of supportive teachers and other staff available to students;”
(GLSEN, 2016, p. 14)

A couple weeks ago, we had to look up the terms Gender, Gender Socialization, Cisgender, Transgender, Intersexed and Gender Non-Conforming for homework. In the following class, we then watched a portion of Growing up Coy and had a really interesting conversation; however, I must admit, all the terminology, at the end of the day, is slightly overwhelming. Some of the notes I jotted down included:
– Genitalia does not equal sex.
– We can’t see gender, only gender performance/identity/expression.
– Sex refers to hormones, sexual organs, genitalia.
– Gender – our societal role.
– Male/Female are adjectives, not nouns (scientific).
– Cisgender = consistency of sex and gender.
– Queer = non-binary
– Fem = performance
– Masc = butch
– Intersexed = sex of both Continue reading I may not know what it means, but I’m on board. →