tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831872275053078956.post7716730685116293194..comments2012-04-18T21:33:37.677-07:00Comments on Tym with a Why: Transcend the ClassroomTym Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16524259312961676815noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831872275053078956.post-80757064581045580672012-02-28T13:17:05.833-08:002012-02-28T13:17:05.833-08:00Thanks for sharing that link, Tym. With all the b...Thanks for sharing that link, Tym. With all the bullying that goes on in schools, many times it is related to students being labeled as "different." While I'm not suggesting that all bullying is related to a student's sexual preference or identity, we as educators have to help students realize that being different is not bad, weird, strange or odd. I think one of the ways we can do this is through the literature that we teach. I don't know about you, but I grew up reading almost all white, male protagonists...even in short stories. And I always resented it.<br /><br />In addition to providing services to students like the glesn site, what about teaching texts from a variety of writers, genres, cultures, etc.<br /><br />There is a fantastic short story, I think it's called, Am I Blue? It's about a teen boy who is gay and is struggling with his identity. He gets a fairy godmother who shows him the level of "gayness" that his peers, teachers, and even townspeople have, by the degree in which they're blue. He sees a teacher who is partially blue, but when he sees the bully who picks on him...the bully is very, very blue. <br /><br />I know I'm not being the most articulate here because I haven't read the story in a few years, but this post made we wonder....what if we incorporate literature from across the spectrum? Would that make students less "different?" or would it help students accept "difference" or would the word "different" not take on such a strong meaning?T.O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863308702990788565noreply@blogger.com