Teacher in Training

I discussed this with my classes during student teaching. Because I was in a small (conservative too) town, a lot of kids had never heard anyone tell them not to use “gay” in this context. Most kids did not care what I had to say and in a period of Government (one that I did not teach on a regular basis but observed most of the time), students quickly turned my discussion into the butt of a joke in class (purposefully using “gay” in a negative context just to see my reaction). My host teacher either ignored it or did not notice it. When I went to the administration to express my frustration, they just told me it was “typical” behavior and that I should just let it go.

It was beyond frustrating for me. At least the classes that were “my” classes listened to me and did not use “gay” around me.

However, this campaign makes me happy. I’m just hoping that some of the students mentioned above will see these someday. Maybe they’ll realize that it is actually offensive and they will stop using that word. Or maybe they’ll just roll their eyes and ignore it.