Tuesday, November 9, 2010

11/9 - I Don't Think People Should Use Ellipses

Today began with me expressing frustration about students wasting time in choir.  Mrs. D seemed to agree and announced some moderate rule changes.  I hope they work.

Theory surprised me today by sparking a stressful philosophical dilemma in my mind, though I should ultimately recognize my role in sparking the spark...

I played a video clip from Glee for them to discuss (with an emphasis on the song, of course).  One of the responses I received was, "I would have liked it better without the gay guy......because I don't think people should be gay."  Another student immediately said, "Nice, someone who agrees with me."  I was downright stupefied, and without another glance starting rambling about the production of the a capella tuning in the song.  My mind, however, immediately reached a conflict...

When does a subject become more political than ethical, thus rendering it inappropriate for classroom conversation or teacher input?  Where is the line between culturally standard ethical viewpoints (which teachers are expected to uphold) and something controversial enough to be either political or religious (which teachers are expected to avoid)?  I think I can elaborate by describing two short [and true] stories that have happened recently...

1. A student said, in a conversation with another, "That's retarded!"  I interjected with the requisite seriousness and explained that using a word that legitimately describes an inherent characteristic of certain people as an insult is very disrespectful and insulting towards those who the speaker didn't intend to target.  The student (and those nearby) seemed to understand what I was saying, and I didn't hear it from anyone in the class again.
2. A student said, in a conversation with another, "That's so gay!"  I interjected with the requisite seriousness and explained that using a word that legitimately describes an inherent characteristic of certain people as an insult is very disrespectful and insulting towards those who the speaker didn't intend to target.  The student (and those nearby) seemed to understand what I was saying, and I didn't hear it from anyone in the class again.

In both of the above situations, someone made a comment that is, by my understanding of our culture, ethically incorrect, and as a teacher I was completely within my responsibilities to point this out and thus help the student develop into a more upstanding citizen.  However, as in today's event, when a student makes a direct statement about not liking homosexuality, I am caught in a position where I am expected not to address the comment since the student's perspective is religiously (and perhaps politically) motivated.  That almost seems like a logical place to "draw the line", but, quite seriously, what if the student had said, "I would have liked it better without the retarded guy......because I don't think people should be retarded," instead?

I know, I can hear the arguments, the most likely being, "That analogy is no good because no one thinks that retarded people choose to be retarded, whereas some people do think that people can choose to be gay."  My rebuttal: it doesn't matter what group of people I used as analogous to homosexuals, the speaker is still declaring an illogical and insulting attitude toward a group of people, and isn't that something that our educators should battle against?

I have learned to be even more careful in my selection of materials, because, evidently, some high school students are prohibited by their parents from watching such things as Glee (on the other hand, these students have also told me about the controversial readings they've done in English class (is controversial material only fair game for English teachers?)).  I have also learned that the "line" that I'm looking for is a squiggly one.  My ethics hurt.

We worked with just the boys in MS choir today.  Not all of them showed up, and the ones that did were so constantly distracted that it was more difficult to keep them quiet than my rowdiest class.


(Since I would typically link to my Theory selection here, I'll tell you instead that revealing the exact clip that I played for theory would distract from everything above, so I'm keeping it secret.)

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Edit:

What if I were gay?  I'd have to keep my mouth shut, at least in this district.  As a student teacher, schools have no legal pressure to keep me around.  Also important, however, is that before tenure, schools cannot dismiss teachers in discriminatory ways, but they also don't have to provide a reason for not offering a teacher a new contract after their current one ends.  As a non-tenured teacher in this area, I would probably have to silently endure comments like that (even tenured teachers often keep silent, because there are indirect ways to lose one's job for having a characteristic that a community disapproves of).  If I were open to everyone else about my orientation, the school in which I teach would be the final place of necessary secrecy.

I know of no one who feels the need to flaunt their orientation (except for some extreme homophobes), because nobody should care — but the idea that one would (and many do) have to resist standing up for themselves in order to keep their job is appalling.

7 comments:

  1. I agree, completely. I do think that you can use the same argument you used in your two examples about using disrespectful references in a classroom with regard to the person who "doesn't like gays". Like you said, they need to understand that what they are saying is hurtful to others. Obviously, there is no perfect answer to this dilemma. I do know this: your deep thinking on the subject and written expression of the conflict is a clear reflection of the quality of your nature. I know that you will make a great teacher!

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  2. You don't have the luxury to approach it professionally as an issue of ethics, although I believe you are correct in seeing it that way. The speech is either protected or it isn't. You may not like certain speech or behavior based on your own -or even commonly accepted- ethical perspective, but the U.S. Constitution may not back you should you choose to step in and correct such behavior.

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  3. Personally, I would have asked the student "how does the gay guy detract from the performance?"

    Perhaps his problem is that the actor playing the gay guy is useless and tone deaf. I don't know, I don't watch Glee.

    It would give you a chance to start a discussion without seeming political.

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  4. The statement "I would have liked it better without the gay guy......because I don't think people should be gay" can become acceptable if you substitute in groups that the person stating it probably finds gays more analogous to.

    I would have liked it better without the pedophile... because I don't think people should be pedophiles.

    I would have liked it better without the adulterer... because I don't think people should be adulterers.

    The problem is the warped moral view that homosexuality is wrong, not the preference against character traits that you find morally repugnant being portrayed positively in popular entertainment.

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  5. What I don't understand is how is it a Constitutional issue if the type of response you gave the student involved the unintentional hurt it may cause people who may be gay or may be retarded? Nothing political was brought up in your response, it was simply a point to be careful-saying things like that may offend someone. This simply reminds the child of the existence of homosexuals and retarded people, not that it is wrong to believe that being gay is wrong (since it may be their religious background, as pointed out). I think you handled it well, as both kids seemed to understand, no one said it again, and no parents have called the school in a fit of rage. Way to focus on what we can all understand-feelings getting hurt.

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  6. Unbelievable. "I would have liked it better without the gay guy......I don't think people should be gay." Better without Kurt? Not possible. The guy who plays him has so much energy. What do people teach their kids? I'm a student, and I'm working up for a big debate that is FOR gay relationships, including proof that Moses was the only one who said there was a problem. They say the bible was inspired by God, but it was written by men. Jesus was totally cool with it; he healed a Roman centurion's pais, or "male lover", and God had no problem with David loving Johnathon more than any woman. Ruth and Naomi, in the original Hebrew text, had the same kind of love that Adam and Eve shared. Once more, the Bible had to be translated by someone, and clearly that someone was a little bit homophobic.
    But, seriously, what does the gay character have to do with the musical number?! Is that all people see and judge by? Are we going to revert back to enslaving other races and burning free-thinking women at the stake?

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  7. I feel that both of those situations could be addressed in the same way. If it is the gay situation, one might easily say "well if someone was born (female, male, black, white, mentally slower, or some other point that would apply to them) what should be done with them?"
    It gives them something to think about without saying exactly what you think. You can easily cover yourself later by saying you only asked a question.

    My high school was very much the way your district seems to be. I knew several peers who were openly gay. The teachers rarely talked about it. Most were married so the question never arose. I can easily imagine a teacher in my district loosing their job for any of the reasons you listed. It is a sad fact in American culture.

    Continuing with the (WONDERFUL) biblical references by Kate, King James is thought to have been gay (the man who inspired the first or second (not sure) translation of the Bible). Having once been a Christian, I was infuriated by these ideas before, and only now wonder how many people pay any attention to the book they follow so "faithfully."

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