NCTE INBOX

October 4, 2005
...ideas
Free access to journal articles and book excerpts mentioned in this Inbox is provided for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available to journal subscribers only.


Coming Out in the Classroom October 11 is National Coming Out Day, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This year's theme, "Talk About It," focuses on the importance of discussing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues openly and honestly. These NCTE resources explain how language arts and composition teachers can "Talk About It" in the classroom. Many teachers shy away from frank discussions about the gay and lesbian identity of well-known authors, and in so doing, unconsciously perpetuate assumptions and stereotypes. The Talking Points article "Addressing Sexual Identity in Literature: Teachers' Perceptions and Comfort Levels" (S-C) explores these attitudes and offers suggestions to help teachers feel more comfortable with open discussion of LGBT issues. To what extent are open conversations welcomed in the classroom? In "confessions" (M), from Voices from the Middle, a student who confesses he is gay and a teacher who must hide her sexual identity make us question how much has changed in the past few years and what we need to do to hasten change now. "I Started Out by Not Talking to Anyone . . ." (M-S) from Voices from the Middle explains how one teacher comes out to his class of seventh graders. His words model how to introduce LGBT issues in the classroom, regardless of the teacher's sexual identity. For a model of how to discuss LGBT issues with students, check out the Teaching English in the Two-Year College article "Sappho and Aphrodite" (M-S-C). Through targeted class discussion, the author makes students aware of gender-preference prejudice and ultimately influences their understanding of the poems they read. The Language Arts article "No Blood, Guns, or Gays Allowed!: The Silencing of the Elementary Writer" (E) explores the ways that teachers react to various topics in students' writing and concludes that taking away students' choice of topic ultimately silences their voice as writers. "Creating a Place for Lesbian and Gay Readings in Secondary English Classrooms" (S) from the NCTE book Lesbian and Gay Studies and the Teaching of English: Positions, Pedagogies, and Cultural Politics (G) offers a gay reading of the film Strictly Ballroom to demonstrate the ways that sexual identity affect reader response for teachers and students. NOTE: Free access to journal articles mentioned in this Inbox is provided for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available to journal subscribers only. This Inbox Idea was published 10-04-2005. Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary, M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, G=General).