Moment of DOH: Special Educator Needs "Special" Attention

Before sitting down to write this blog, I took a couple of days to watch the fireworks. Granted, jumping into the fray immediately makes for good "breaking news," but running off half-cocked to express my views on Diana Medley, et al seemed as wrong as they are. Hopefully, this will be a timely piece.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this before moving forward, as I am not going to rehash the whole story.

First to the special "educator" in question, what the .....?
                                                                       Remind you of anyone?

See it now? It's in the face.

Think I took a cheap shot? Well, you get what you give. I'd love to be the better person. I really would, but Ms. Medley really left me no room. (Of course, if you're a Palin fan, you probably missed my irony.)

Medley very clearly states that she believes WE (sexual/gender minorities) have no purpose in life. She rambles on before comparing us - whom she believes chose our sexuality/gender, who are living against the will of god, and who are offensive to her/her ilk - to her students with exceptionalities. As soon as it flew out of her mouth, I think she regretted it. But, she offers no redress. Hmm, Freudian Slip much?

I'll be blunt. Diana Medley should NOT be teaching in a PUBLIC school. I'm not saying that I couldn't forgive. But, forgetting is something I don't do often. Ms. Medley's beliefs make her an outstanding candidate for any private, conservative, religious school; though her ideals are toxic to the well-being of not just LGBTIQ students but to her students with exceptionalities as well.

Let's get more personal.

I am a special educator. I work with students in upper elementary and middle school. A number of them understand that I'm gay. Some don't. Some have expressed negative attitudes about LGBTIQ people. Others expressed support. My colleagues know about sexuality and my partner, as well. Their reactions have been much the same as my students. Through all my (minimal) interactions with these individuals regarding sexual orientation, I've been supportive of my community without being preachy. I've informed students that they are allowed to believe whatever they want, but I stressed the importance of knowing all the facts and thinking about how others feel before making those beliefs public. In this, I don't tolerate bullying of any kind. This includes the bullying of those who express deep religious beliefs or no religious beliefs. Though I've had to be more candid with some of the adults, I ensured an effort to afford them the respect I expected.

Essentially, I feel a part every PUBLIC teachers' mandate should be to foster empathy and at least tolerance for the diversity we all experience in the world. Ideally, this fostering would take an actions-speak-louder-than-words approach, and the teachers would model such empathy and tolerance. (Obviously, Ms. Medley does not believe the same.) I applaud Sullivan High School for taking steps, however awkward, to distance itself from those who would see it segregated. (Note: Mrs. Medley doesn't teach at Sullivan.)

And, what about the students, who rallied for the "straights-only" prom?

I grew up in a rural town with a distinctly conservative Christian bearings. By age 16, prom age, my sexual orientation began dawning on me. Despite this knowledge, had I been called upon to denounce or support a minority sexual orientation or gender identity, I would have balked at support. Given my status as leader among Christian youth, I probably would have attended a meeting to create such a "straights-only" prom.

Would this have made me hateful? ignorant? bigoted? Certainly.
Would I truly have any idea what my hateful, ignorant, bigoted actions meant? Not at all.

Regardless of how intelligent or "mature" these young adults calling for the segregated prom may be, they are still kids with what appears to be little to no real-world exposure to the LGBTIQ community. While I deplore their actions, I understand them at their deepest roots. Regrettably, some may harbor true hatred. More likely, these youth fall into two other categories: 1) those saving face and 2) those following their crowd. I won't go into the neuroscience of it with this post, but rest assured my theory is grounded well in science.

Fortunately, ignorance can be educated.

Ultimately
A post like this forces us to reflect. The fact is many of us surround ourselves with blankets of equality. Others within our community, such as the LGBTIQ students of Sullivan High School, are seldom or scarcely as fortunate. In time like these, after I've vented my indignation, I lean on hope and humor. Hopefully, you will equal amounts of both in the videos below.