BlogPost 5

In schools I have attended, I have noticed how students who identified as a different gender were treated differently. People looked at them as if they weren't even human. I feel bad now for doing so but I kind of looked past these issues because they never affected me personally but now looking back, these students deserved to be stood up for. Why is being heterosexual OK and "normal" but being homosexual is not? Society creates these views as Rofes talked about in his reading. We often times don't even know how these students are affected by the negativity they receive on a daily basis. People look at those who are gay as being rebellious because they are gender-nonconforming. Rofes discusses childhood as sometimes being a sad time. We often blame certain people for making our childhood a negative experience because of the way they treated us and the hardships we went through. There are not enough institutions out there to help children who are in desperate need of someone to go to for guidance to get them through personal issues. I believe gender issues are never going to end unless they be seriously addressed. Too many times these students are being ignored and looked at as if their problem is insignificant. School officials want to deny that this type of behavior goes on in their schools in fear it will give the school a bad name. Is this fair to the students who are bullied everyday and no one will put an end to it? This itself is a reason why students are rebelling. They are not being heard. My vision for the school I hope to be teaching at in the next four years is that they will not ignore these problems. They will do something about them and will be there for their students. The students should be able to go to teachers and other officials at their school and know they are there for them and that they will help them. By not addressing the problem, bigger problems are created. The stereotypes need to be stopped. School should always be seen as a safe place where students can be who they truly are. They shouldn't have to hide that person in fear of not being accepted. I hope to create an environment in my school where everyone is treated equally no matter what race, gender, or ethnicity they are.