Brian Damacio
Ms. Angela Sangha-Gadsden
College Reading & Writing 4th
Fire Project Contextual Essay
20. April. 2012
It’s only a Gay Issue
Today’s issues of bullying in schools touches all of the facets of life: social, political, cultural, religious, and economic. Bullying has become today’s “most talked” about issue. Across the nation, teens who identify as LGBTQ or of an outside norm are being harassed or even worse, beaten because they are different.
According to Huffington Post’s Gay History Bill: California Senate Votes For Mandatory Gay History in Schools, California is the only state in the nation to mandate teaching LGBTQ history in their public school education system. this has been a step forward in this nation full of resistance against the LGBTQ community. This issue of bullying goes far beyond the corridors of the hallways and classrooms. Today, “one in ten students who do not report these incidents do not do so because they believe their teachers or staff do not do anything or are powerless to improve the situation (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network | GLSEN, 2011).” Lack of safety within a school has left students to fend for themselves in a word of homogeneous groups attacking people who do not fall within their identities.
While bullying has no clear solution for this issue to be addressed, the issue of a quality education arises. In Social Class the Hidden Curriculum of Work by Jean Anyon, public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make available different types of education experiences and curriculum knowledge to students in different social classes (p.4)
he issue of bullying extends further than the issue of economic within the structure of public schooling. Social issues like cultural and religious conflicts spark the issue of bullying. Anyon describes the education curriculum in communities of color to be “unexplained” and “fragmented” information. The ignorance of another class of people and/or the exploration of different customs and cultures creates a sense of strict homogeneity: this creates a level of ignorance within students of color. This is the same old story wherever you go. In Anyon’s Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work, the role of the teacher is described as “it [card with notes from the book] tells them exactly what to do, or they couldn’t do it.” There is no level of critical thinking as to exploring the ideas of other cultures. Marginalized people are pushed into an isolated world where they learn ideas and new concepts, but rarely get the bigger picture as to how it really is important. This is where the quality education, which explores these cultures and shows the greatness of everyone, comes in handy. Not only do people fight against the lack of critical thinking and cultural homogenization, but aksi they help bandage groups together (separating them from other, rather than coming together is a shame). Ultimately, this intermixes with political and economic concerns for congressmen and legislators to debate over.
The different issues bullying touches in schools give it a range of perspectives that bring many arguments as to how it should be addressed. Opponents that counter the argument for LGBTQ studies in school to prevent “bullying” suggest that it would be “a further burden [to] an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable (Leff).” While others like Leno argue, “gay children still struggle routinely with verbal and physical abuse at school (Leff).” The issue of bullying has been portrayed as a “gay issue” to the extent of it only being applied and/or happening to gay children. This portrayed brings this issue less public support based on the lack of information they receive through the comfort of their television. Big corporations in favor of a conservative agenda like FOX will not address that bullying is really a serious problem because ultimately bullying has been seen as only a gay issue affecting people “who do not follow the societal norms”. This issues has been left to be fought by organizations like GLSEN, the Trevor Project, Born this Way Foundation, and others like these because schools and states have not acted upon these injustices happening. Today, we have heard of teens killing themselves for having to deal with bullying all their lives and ending their suffering just because they are different. This issue is not new, nor has it been addressed properly. When will our society recognize and say enough is enough?
Ms. Angela Sangha-Gadsden
College Reading & Writing 4th
Fire Project Contextual Essay
20. April. 2012
It’s only a Gay Issue
Today’s issues of bullying in schools touches all of the facets of life: social, political, cultural, religious, and economic. Bullying has become today’s “most talked” about issue. Across the nation, teens who identify as LGBTQ or of an outside norm are being harassed or even worse, beaten because they are different.
According to Huffington Post’s Gay History Bill: California Senate Votes For Mandatory Gay History in Schools, California is the only state in the nation to mandate teaching LGBTQ history in their public school education system. this has been a step forward in this nation full of resistance against the LGBTQ community. This issue of bullying goes far beyond the corridors of the hallways and classrooms. Today, “one in ten students who do not report these incidents do not do so because they believe their teachers or staff do not do anything or are powerless to improve the situation (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network | GLSEN, 2011).” Lack of safety within a school has left students to fend for themselves in a word of homogeneous groups attacking people who do not fall within their identities.
While bullying has no clear solution for this issue to be addressed, the issue of a quality education arises. In Social Class the Hidden Curriculum of Work by Jean Anyon, public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make available different types of education experiences and curriculum knowledge to students in different social classes (p.4)
he issue of bullying extends further than the issue of economic within the structure of public schooling. Social issues like cultural and religious conflicts spark the issue of bullying. Anyon describes the education curriculum in communities of color to be “unexplained” and “fragmented” information. The ignorance of another class of people and/or the exploration of different customs and cultures creates a sense of strict homogeneity: this creates a level of ignorance within students of color. This is the same old story wherever you go. In Anyon’s Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work, the role of the teacher is described as “it [card with notes from the book] tells them exactly what to do, or they couldn’t do it.” There is no level of critical thinking as to exploring the ideas of other cultures. Marginalized people are pushed into an isolated world where they learn ideas and new concepts, but rarely get the bigger picture as to how it really is important. This is where the quality education, which explores these cultures and shows the greatness of everyone, comes in handy. Not only do people fight against the lack of critical thinking and cultural homogenization, but aksi they help bandage groups together (separating them from other, rather than coming together is a shame). Ultimately, this intermixes with political and economic concerns for congressmen and legislators to debate over.
The different issues bullying touches in schools give it a range of perspectives that bring many arguments as to how it should be addressed. Opponents that counter the argument for LGBTQ studies in school to prevent “bullying” suggest that it would be “a further burden [to] an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable (Leff).” While others like Leno argue, “gay children still struggle routinely with verbal and physical abuse at school (Leff).” The issue of bullying has been portrayed as a “gay issue” to the extent of it only being applied and/or happening to gay children. This portrayed brings this issue less public support based on the lack of information they receive through the comfort of their television. Big corporations in favor of a conservative agenda like FOX will not address that bullying is really a serious problem because ultimately bullying has been seen as only a gay issue affecting people “who do not follow the societal norms”. This issues has been left to be fought by organizations like GLSEN, the Trevor Project, Born this Way Foundation, and others like these because schools and states have not acted upon these injustices happening. Today, we have heard of teens killing themselves for having to deal with bullying all their lives and ending their suffering just because they are different. This issue is not new, nor has it been addressed properly. When will our society recognize and say enough is enough?