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Words


Gay
Fag
Queer
Homosexual

Nothing more than words. Words that made it on my board during second period today after hearing a student call something gay. I question how a homework assignment can be gay. I don’t believe they think homework is carefree or happy. A few years ago, fag was the word used to describe things they did not like. A few years before that, queer. I used the opportunity to talk about the origins of words.

Looking back on it, talking about the origins of the words listed above in the Bible Belt might not have been my best choice. However, I did it. The conversation focused not only on how the words have changed over the years, but also on the connotations that come along with them. My primary lesson, “It is not okay to name call – even in fun.” 

The students kept the focus on the word gay and all it implied. When a student asked me, “But Mrs. Victor, what do you think of two men being married?” I took some time to think before responding that it was not up to me to judge their behavior, but rather to treat them with kindness and love. I told them about a time in my life when I was judged and treated differently for having a baby but no husband. (Might this be against the Moral Code of Ethics for Teachers in North Carolina? Maybe, but after struggling with the situation myself for many years, I have found peace and know Sean is the reason my life is so wonderful today.)  


Yesterday, I showed a Tupac video in my 8th grade class. He talked about niggers and racism. Issues that have been brought up in the classroom well before I showed the video. One of the adults in the class spoke to the EC teacher about the inappropriateness of it. The EC teacher's response, “This is the real world. We need to meet kids where they are.” She gets it!!

In my other 7th grade class, the book we are reading (approved by the county) had the words damn and bitch in the portion we were reading aloud today. Words students use with each other without a second thought. Yet, when reading aloud in the classroom, it was uncomfortable for them. Another opportunity to discuss the power of words and how the story would change if the author had made different choices.

The power of words, whether they be words of kindness, hate, anger, love, or acceptance change our viewpoint. May students begin to see things from a different view.

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