In the short story Go Carolina from novel Me Talk Pretty One Day, author David Sedaris comically narrates his public school experience of talking with a lisp. Sedaris actually has a "lazy mouth," but as he conveys to us through his description of family life we see that he also happens to be gay. So, while his parents seem to associate his lisp with his love for cooking, cleaning and lack of interest in sports, the audience understands that his lisp is actually a physical barrier (and not another stereotype).
When reading this short story, teachers need to realize the prejudice being conveyed from the perspective of the narrator. While this book made me laugh hysterically, there was also an understanding that Sedaris had to conform to certain gender roles. While sports didn't interest him, he pretended to be interested anyway. In the article Adolescent Gender-Role Identity and Mental Health: Gender Intensification Revisited, Heather Apriss, Sara M Lindberg, and Janet Shibley Hyde describe gender roles and the important social implications of such behavior.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122597253/HTMLSTART
I find this discussion very important, especially in this age where sexual identity is becoming more important, and kids are "coming out" earlier and earlier. As educators (or future educators) we need to be aware of the various kinds of students we will be teaching. We may encounter students with lifestyles, that may or may not include sexual identity, with which we have issues. It our duty, however, to foster safe environments where all students feel safe and welcome. It is our duty to become educated ourselves about the different sexualities, different cultures, different backgrounds and social situations that students may be coming from. I am thankful that, in this part of the country at least, we would never think of sending a child with a lisp to a speech therapist in the hopes of correcting the speech impediment, but also a child's supposed sexuality.
ReplyDeleteIn American Culture, the gender roles discussed in Adolescent Gender-Role Identity and Mental Health: Gender Intensification Revisited are inevitable and are, whether we like it or not, a huge part of our society and the development of teenagers across the country. More recently, there has been a blurred effect between female and male gender roles in our society, but this does not mean that they still do not exist. As a teacher, being aware of the effects that these gneder specific roles have on our students is essential. I'm not saying to treat girls and boys differently, but to be sympathetic to their feelings and emotions that might stem from their oblivious conformity. They are not aware of these destinctions placed on them throughout their adolescent development, so all we can do is encourage them and what they feel. Some girls may want to be the "feminite" housewife type, and some may want to break the mold and take on a more "masculine" identity. Likewise, some boys want to be that independent provider, and some may want to be more "effeminite", like David Sedaris. I feel our role as teachers is to be entirely non-judgemental for each individuals' choices in gender identity. The evolution of gender roles in this society is always changing, and we need to be educated and up-to-date with the past and present gender roles that may potentially affect our students.
ReplyDeleteI find this to be a very difficult subject to approach. I obviously will be open with my students and sensitve to their feelings. But, as a teacher how to go about teaching a homosexual author/piece of literature without offending some people, and if I don't teach a homosexual author/piece of literature am I leaving those homosexual students with a feeling of not being represented? I do feel that homesexual authors and literature should be discussed, sensitively, because it is a prominent aspect of a lot of young adult lives. I just don't know how I could go about doing so.
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