How to Address LGTB Students in Class

In Ad Lit for the past few classes, we have been discussing LGTB novels like Aristotle and Dante and sexuality, focusing on how they come into play in our classrooms. I know this is a touchy subject for a lot of teachers and/or districts mainly because it is one of the newest societal agendas that is being addressed. Just like how racial acceptance and support was the main "issue" in the 1960s, gay rights is in the news more today, and therefore, it will be coming into our ELA classrooms eventually.

Personally, I thought Aristotle and Dante was a well-written novel that could play a role in my classroom in the future, either as the novel to be studied or as a supplemental reading that could aid in the study of other pieces of literature. I appreciated the idea of bringing in LGBT students into our Ad Lit class to discuss their own experiences, but I personally didn't gain much from it. The idea was great, but the execution on the part of the panelists is where, I believe, it was lacking. While it was informative to hear their experiences, the panelists never shared any constructive advice on how to actually help LGBT students fit in in our classrooms. When asked about LGBT literature that would serve as effective tools to bring into the classroom, two of them had never read any and the other wouldn't recommend any that she had read. I found this to be difficult, because while I think we should try to meet the needs and interests of all of our students, we weren't presented with any real solutions to do this for this particular group.

I took it upon myself to research some LGBT novels that may be appropriate for the high school audience, and I hope that this may help one of my fellow English majors know how to bring this specific kind of text into the classroom.



American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese is a great graphic novel that deals with the struggles of racist profiling, identity, and trying to change oneself to fit into their surroundings. It revolves around a few main characters:

1. Jin Wang-- a Chinese boy who moves to a new school and struggles with where he fits in
2. Monkey King-- the king of a group of monkeys in a heaven-like place who tries to conform to the other gods' idea of normal
3. Wei-Chen Sun-- a new boy to Jin's school who came from Taiwan, and who, we later find out, is the sun of the Monkey King
4. Chin-Kee-- the embodiment of all racist Chinese stereotypes who comes to visit his cousin, and who, we later find out is the Monkey King in disguise
5. Danny-- Chin-Kee's Caucasian cousin who is embarrassed by his visits, and who, we later find out, is who Jin would become if he allowed himself to change

While this story may be confusing the first time through as to how all of these characters are related, it becomes a story of finding yourself in the midst of people who want you to change. We see the negative effects of trying to fit in to your surroundings (Danny), and we see how to be yourself, no matter what others say (Wei-Chen Sun). Chin-Kee's character prods at all of the readers to stop and think about what they believe about others who are different, including racist stereotypes they may hold. By being so blatant and offensive, Chin-Kee allows us to see how ridiculous and offensive our stereotypes can be. Other characters in the story, including students and teachers, also reveal stereotypical thoughts and how hurtful they can be to those they are directed at. This graphic novel is ultimately a mirror for the reader to see what they believe and how they act on those beliefs. It is a great story for adolescents because it makes them stop and think before they speak or act, something we all struggle with, and how much those words and actions can truly hurt others around us. The story shows us how we are all the same, no matter how we may be different on the outside, pushing the reader to understand that all should be loved despite what makes them unique.

 

P.S. I would encourage you to watch this video where Gene Yang, author of American Born Chinese, details how this story reflects his own experiences growing up, making the story much more real for the reader because the racism and discrimination he faces is real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYCZqt5WSOM&t=10s

 

El Deafo

I absolutely loved reading this latest graphic novel! I've never read this genre before Ad Lit this semester, but I now understand why it is so likable. El Deafo really describes deaf culture in a new way, and I love that Cece Bell is so open and honest with this story. I wasn't surprised to learn that it is based on her life because it seemed so personal and detailed (didn't sound like most authors could imagine all of these funny and sad stories that happened to Cece--plus the fact that the protagonist had the same name as the author was a little giveaway!). I've become more interested in the deaf community and deaf culture over the past few years, even developing a desire to learn ASL. While I understand that not all people who are deaf know or desire to learn ASL, I liked the way Cece presented this struggle in the graphic novel. She countered the stereotype that ALL people with hearing impairments know and ONLY use ASL to communicate in a very real way. By describing her experience with ASL classes, we are confronted with our own stereotypes of people, forcing the reader to examine what he/she really believes about those who are different.

Cece goes through several years of her life in this graphic novel, allowing the reader to follow along and struggle with her along the way as she faces stereotypes, discrimination, and the general problems with growing up. She lets us into her family and friend circle while showing how they all respond to her phonic ear and hearing aids, even providing us with a picture of what she would look like wearing all of her "gear." (pictured to the left). Cece wrote her story in such a way that we could laugh at the characters, either because they are rabbits or because of what they say/do, cry with her as she experiences pain and struggles, and rejoice as she makes friends and experiences her first crush. The story is also interesting because while Cece leads a somewhat "normal" and interesting life, she also has a "superhero life" that we get to see. After coming to grips with her hearing aids and phonic ear, Cece begins to imagine that she is a superhero with super powers (amazing hearing--because of her phonic ear). She becomes the hero of her class when her "special abilities" enable her to hear when her teacher is returning to the room, so the rest of class can party and have fun while she's gone. She makes friends who aren't put off by her being deaf but rather are intrigued and interested in her "abilities" and the equipment that helps her.  Overall, this is a great story, for adolescents and adults alike, as they either struggle to be different or struggle to accept those who are different. It describes the typical coming-of-age story....with a twist.





All American Boys-- Digital Response #3

In their novel, All American Boys, Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds attack the popular idea of race relations and police brutality within the young generations of our world. They present a story of two young men that attend the same school and have similar relationships with friends, but one is the unfortunate victim of an arrest gone wrong. This summarizes the theme of the novel, pointing out how race determines these two boys' fate, "Rashad and Quinn—one black, one white, both American—face the unspeakable truth that racism and prejudice didn’t die after the civil rights movement. There’s a future at stake, a future where no one else will have to be absent because of police brutality. They just have to risk everything to change the world." The story details the events that Rashad and Quinn encountered before, during, and mainly after Rashad's arrest. Like many stories that have been in the news recently, we see a black boy being arrested for a crime by a white cop, but we only ever see the negative story of the arrest, never the events leading up to or following after.



Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with several conflicting relationships and ideas that are solely based on the color of one's skin. Between the differing views of Quinn and Rashad, Quinn and Paul, and the general conflict in the middle of the community, the reader gains a better understanding of how much race relations affect people's daily lives. While people have been responding with the "Black Lives Matter" movement, I think there are better and more effective ways to respond to these situations.  Rocco Papa writes an article that highlights the goals of the "Black Lives Matter" movement and how ineffective it has been so far. I agree that some white people still treat black people as if they are "lesser than," but I also think that it is a difficult issue to understand if you've never personally been influenced by racial prejudice. He highlights how yes, there is white on black crime and mistreatment, but there is also black on white and black on black crime. It is never a one-sided relationship, so all people need to learn the importance of how to properly treat others. I would encourage you to take a look:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rocco-papa/the-problems-i-have-with-_b_11536162.html

We all, at one point in our in lives, will be affected by race relations personally or someone in our lives will have to deal with this issue. Because of its prevalence, we all must be equipped to know how to handle the situation, be understanding of one another, and treat people in general with respect and love. This novel focuses on how race is a ruler by which most people measure one another. As teachers of future generations, I think it is important that we encounter this problem head on in the classroom. Rather than waiting for it to personally affect our students, I think that it is our job to teach all students, without regard to race, how to treat one another in a fair and kind way. We have to equip them with the understanding that not all people treat one another the way they should. I can recall times in my life where I treated somebody wrongly and have regretted it; who can't? It is important, however, that teachers model right treatment of people because we are a huge example to our students. They look at how we treat our employers, our colleagues, and other students, so it is imperative that we show them how to treat one another in a kind and loving way, despite their race, ethnicity, or religious views.

By raising our students to respect one another, despite any differences there might be between us, we are able to pull books like All American Boys and American Born Chinese into the classroom as great examples. This first book in particular highlights the viewpoints of both sides, opening the conversation up to consider everyone's role in the situation, rather than focusing on the one side that affects us the most. While these books are simply stories that our students may read, they should also be paired with news articles and videos that show how this is a real life issue they will face, and they need to be prepared.