Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). By Andy Marra

Reflection
The toolkit I chose was Ready, Set, Respect!  It was designed for elementary teachers to make every student feel safe, secure, and respected while in school.  Ready, Set, Respect is designed to focus on name-calling, bullying, and bias. GLSEN is an excellent resource for students who are being bullied.  What I like most about this site is that it does not just focus on straight students; it includes students with different gender identities as well (gay and lesbian).  I never had a program in school that taught me how to deal with different gender identities.  I had to ask my parents questions or figure it out for myself.  I believe this is a great tool to help students learn at a young age that there are many different gender identities.  Although, people may seem different because of their gender identity, they are not.  Everyone is equal and deserves to be treated with respect.

Though GLSEN has many useful articles, the one article I found interesting was Playgrounds and Prejudice: Elementary School Climate in the United States.  It states in the article “school climate and victimization can affect students’ educational outcomes and person development at every grade level”.  Elementary school students are the first to hear homophobic remarks by their peers.  This article found numerous key findings on biased language and bullying, non-conforming students, family diversity, and teacher preparedness.  There were my favorite key findings that I found remarkable.

·         “The most common forms of biased language in elementary schools, heard regularly by both students and teachers, are the use of the word “gay” in a negative way, such as “that’s so gay,” (students: 45%, teachers: 49%).  Many also report regularly hearing students make homophobic remarks, such as “fag” or “lesbo” (students: 26%, teachers: 26%) and negative comments about race/ethnicity (students: 26%, teachers 21%)”.

·         “75% of students report that students at their school are called names, made fun of or bullied at least some regularity.  Most commonly this is because of students’ looks or body size (67%), followed by not being good at sports (37%), how well they do at schoolwork (26%), not conforming to traditional gender norms/roles (23%) or because other people think they’re gay (21%)”.

·         “Only a third of teachers report having personally engaged in efforts to create a safe and supportive classroom environment for gender nonconforming students”.

·     Seven in ten students say they have been taught that there are many different kinds of families.  However, less than 2 in 1 have learned about families with gay or lesbian parents".

 

·         A majority of elementary school teachers believe they are obligated to ensure a safe learning environment for gender nonconforming students (83%) and students with LGBT parents (70%).  Eight in 10 teachers would feel comfortable addressing name-calling, bullying or harassment of students because a student is perceived to be gay, lesbian or bisexual (81%) or is gender nonconforming (81%)”.

I can relate to the second key finding because I remember going to elementary school and students were always bullying other students.  It followed up until high school and continued 24/7.  We never had a program like GLSEN to ensure that every student would feel safe in school.  Being bullied as a kid, I know how the pain feels emotionally and it is not a feeling a child should have.  I believe this is an excellent program that should be set up in every single school district around the world.  I encourage everyone to take a look at the GLSEN website and take a look at some of their articles.  What you see may surprise you.

Comments/Questions: Do you believe we should have programs in schools that help prevent bullying, name-calling, and bias?