Assignments should foster empathy
Primary and secondary school English language arts curricula include stories from multiple races and ethnic groups, as well as stories about children who are bullied and who overcome their hardships. The purpose of teaching these stories is to instruct students on how to identify with the struggles of others and developing their sense of empathy.
Today’s programs, however, continue to overlook a crucial group: LGBT students.
These students are not properly represented in high school literature classes. By forgoing inclusive literature, instructors are presenting the idea that LGBT students are not worthy of empathy or inclusion. This leads to a lot of misunderstandings about these students, which in turn results in bullying from their peers.
Excluding a particular group of students not only hurts that group, but it also leads to a lack of stability for all minority groups in a school. When teachers and administrators do nothing to help a targeted group, they are making other groups vulnerable as well. All educators have a duty to protect the learning environment and foster a community of respectful students. This major responsibility is being ignored.
It is inappropriate to alienate a group of students based on race, class, gender, ability or perceived or known sexual orientation. The U.S. needs to step up its policy development to protect these children from the horrors they are facing daily while just trying to attain an education.
