Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

     This is my 6^th year teaching preschool in a small town. The topic of gays and/or lesbians has never come up in my classroom. I do not include books depicting gays and/or lesbians in my classroom, because we do not have children from LGBT families. Every year I have students from nontraditional families, therefore I do include books that depict their diverse families. If I were to have a student one year from a LGBT family, then I would approach this topic and use books to help students understand. I would have students discuss their families, what makes a family, and how their family is similar and different from other families. I would hope to help students see that every family is diverse and yet they all include love, support, and respect. The “Start Seeing Diversity” video (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010) demonstrated things teachers could do in the classroom to help students understand sexual orientation better and what they think it means. When an issue arises in the classroom, then I feel it is a good policy to engage the students in conversation and help them understand their own identities and how their actions/words impact others.

      Many times I have seen parents come into my classroom and get upset about their son playing in the housekeeping center where they are cooking, taking care of the babies, playing dress up, etc. I  point out how great it is that they are acting out positive things they have seen at home and explain that he will make a great dad, husband, or whatever role he is pretending. Parents and families can send positive and negative messages to their children that will impact the child’s role and identity. I want my students to feel comfortable in expressing themselves, learning who they are, acting out various roles, and developing a positive self-esteem.

     I had to stop and consider how I would respond to a parent/family member who informed me that they did not want anyone who is perceived homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child. I think I would explain to the parent/family member that they have the right to remove their child from the program if they did not agree with our school policies of hiring teachers and staff members. I would also explain to the family that our school only hires highly qualified teachers and staff to educate and care for the children. I would explain that someone’s sexual orientation does not interfere with their ability to educate, care for, or interact with the children. I would respond by saying that everyone is diverse in their own way and that we cannot discriminate against someone just because we do not agree with their choices, where they are from, or the color of their skin.

 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Start Seeing Diversity. (DVD).  In EDUC 6357 Diversity, Development, and Learning.