Safe Spaces by August (quotes)

“To the extent that teachers, school administrators, and college professors create and atmosphere in which difference is not only tolerated but expected, explored, and embraced, students will be more likely to develop perspectives that result in respectful behaviors.”

August explains how people that have influence on students like teachers, school administrators and college professors can make a difference. In this quotes he’s stating that those people have to power to educate their students in an environment where they accept the differences between one another and not only that but also respect and look upon them as normal.  For example the way LGBT is seen in the US as something strange just because opposite sex attraction is consider inappropriate. August also talks about how “students carry their classroom experiences out with them when they leave” meaning that everything students learn in school will be pass on to others.

“Youth who see themselves as wise or powerful main characters or heroes worthy of celebration and emulation will feel validated, included, and safe inside their classrooms. LGBT youth rarely have this experience.”

This quote demonstrates how the rules and codes of power can affect a classroom. Students other than LGBT typically feel free to participate in class and express themselves because everyone looks at them as normal students. In the other hands LGBT students are most likely to be shy and less outgoing in school due to the fear of other students judging and not accepting how they are.

“The oft-state objective is for children to learn that families come in different shapes and sizes, live in different dwellings, observed different traditions, and celebrate different holidays.”

Like I mentioned before August believes that schools can help on the acceptance of differences between students and to see the differences as normal. Examples she provides to support her statement is that the same way divorced, foster, and single- parent families are in educational stories and books, including stories of LGBT families can be the key to make LGBT students to not feel left out in the classrooms. Also by doing that student will start to see LGBT people as normal human beings like everyone around them.

This reading go back to the activity and discussion we had in class where we wrote down examples of SCWAAMP and talk about how these are walls that prevent us from creating safe spaces where everyone feels integrated.