Teaching was my second career. In 2004 I was getting my practice teaching hours in a 1st grade classroom at an urban elementary school. One little boy, Jamaal, was already a handful at this young age and if he didn’t like something or someone, it or the person was “gay.” One day, after hearing Jamaal call a classmate “gay” way too many times, I said, “Jamaal. Do you know that gay means happy? It’s so nice that you think Terrell is such a happy guy.”
The dismissal bell rang and Jamaal went home.
The next morning Jamaal comes running into class. “Mrs. H, Mrs. H! I told my mom about me calling Terrell gay and that you told me gay means happy. My mom said that Terrell is happy to be gay.”
And then with a big ole grin going from ear to ear, “Mrs. H, are you gay?”
“Jamaal, I am so happy to be here and to see your smiling face. We’re going to have a great day!”
This is an example of what happens in the home manifests itself in the classroom. The relationship between parents and teachers needs to be a partnership for the benefit of the child. Sometimes the relationship is there and other times it isn’t. Teachers need to take into consideration the culture and the characteristics of a child’s culture such as the lifestyle and values in which the child is living. Along with academic education is values education to promote tolerance and understanding.
Hope the message of understanding stuck.
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