DANI: So, all three of us have had experiences that are probably similar to what students at your school are going through. I know, personally, when I was having a tough time, it would have made a huge difference to me if one of my teachers had done something, even if it was just to tell me that they noticed and cared.
There are a lot of views out there about sexual orientation and gender identity, and we’re not trying to tell anyone what to believe. I just hope that, if you see a student who’s struggling and you don’t feel comfortable reaching out, please find them someone to talk to who can offer support. Having just one person at school who we can count on to listen and care really makes a difference. It saves lives.
In this simulation, you’ll hear Ms. Yazzie, a high school teacher, react to some common challenges that teachers and other school staff face: preventing harassment in the classroom and reaching out to students who feel left out and alone. You’ll hear her intervene when she hears offensive language and sees someone getting harassed. Then she’ll have a one-on-one conversation with a student who’s being mistreated to see what she can do to support him.
TYLER: I hear anti-LGBTQ slurs at school all the time. Every day.
CASEY: Many times a day. And these are just as unacceptable as racist or sexist slurs!
DANI: We’ll show you what we’re talking about...
Imagine you’re a science teacher. You’re in the middle of a lecture, it’s the last ten minutes of class, and you hear two guys whispering to each other...
BOY 1: You’re just a big fag!
BOY 2: You’re clearly the bigger fag.
TYLER: If you were this teacher, how would you respond? Let’s consider a few possibilities.
You might want to ignore the comments and finish your lesson. I get why teachers have a hard time deciding what to do. You may really need to finish the lesson before the bell, or you may be worried that if you address the slur, you’re giving it more power by drawing attention to it. But, if you ignore what was said, it’s almost like you’re condoning it, and that’s not cool.
TYLER: You might quickly reprimand the boys and try to refocus them on your lecture by saying something like, “Guys, pay attention! You’re gonna need these notes for the homework.” It’s good that you didn’t just ignore it. But, it kind of seems like you’re reacting to the noise, and not to what the boys actually said. So they’ll never learn that words like “homo” and “faggot” are not funny but hurtful.
You’d be clearer by saying something like, “That kind of disrespectful language is not okay in my classroom. Don’t let me hear it again.” and then resuming your lecture.
DANI: I know some teachers say at the beginning of the year that discriminatory language of any kind is not allowed, and they make students sign a contract or they post rules on the wall. So when a rule is broken, they can say something like: “We all signed a contract that we wouldn’t use that kind of language in here.”
TYLER: That works pretty well as long as the rules are enforced every time, not just sometimes.
CASEY: But, like, in my experience, I feel like teachers don’t always intervene with offensive language like that, especially if they don’t think anyone in the class is LGBTQ.
TYLER: They’d probably be surprised if they knew how many kids in their class actually are affected by words like that.
DANI: According to the CDC, 11% of high school students identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or unsure. And around 1% of young people identify as transgender. And those are just the folks we know about. Many young people are unsure about their identity until later. And consider that over 20% of high school students have a family member who is LGBT, and almost a third have a close friend at school who’s LGBT.
CASEY: So you probably have many students who would prefer a more accepting school climate, free from bullying and harassment. And that starts with teachers, administrators, and staff at school. It means so much to know that someone at school has got your back.