High school teacher suspended after assigning an article on homosexuality in animals

[kpete]

Yesterday, Mr. Delong, a 10th and 12th grade Honors English teacher in Piasa, IL was suspended for assigning an article about homosexuality in the animal kingdom to his students. Should teachers ask their students to read about controversial topics? Should we allow parents veto power over the curriculum?

The local paper reporting this story quoted the teacher saying, "I have been suspended, but not without pay," Delong, of Carlinville, said Wednesday. "But I would rather not comment further until I speak with my union representative." In true student-activism fashion, a Facebook group called "Bring back Mr. Delong" has been created to show support and share information about this situation. I thank this group for sharing this photo.

Mr. Delong is reportedly a married, heterosexual teacher who identifies as an ally of the GLBTQ community and clearly has the respect and admiration of his students. This is just one of many examples of how teachers are taught to be conservative and non-controversial and why GLBTQ youth don't feel safe in schools. If a school district considers teaching with a scientific article written by a professor at Stanford University and published in a popular science magazine as controversial and worthy of suspension - then how can we convince other educators to stand up and teach critically? In order to help students learn to become critical thinkers and active citizens in a participatory democracy, it is essential to have teachers encourage students to question normative thinking and learn to critically evaluate information for themselves -- particulary with respect to sex, gender, and sexuality.

more:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gender-and-schooling/200910/high-school-teacher-suspended-after-assigning-article-homosexuality

[saltpoint]

1. Hold a town meeting, play an audio tape of kids' conversations on the school

bus, in the lunch room, and in the locker rooms, and then decide if the poor little dears would be irretrievably damaged by an article on gay penguins.

[imdjh]

2. When they first learn to call each other faggots.

The best response I have ever heard to the question of the appropriate age to discuss homosexuality with children, a mother and activist parent responded, "About the third grade, that's when little boys start calling each other faggot and homo."

[saltpoint]

3. Yep. Kids siphon off the coarse speech of the older kids at their schools

and neighborhoods and start wielding bigoted slang terms and phrases pretty early.

I don't see why this one teacher should be held accountable for the failure of U.S. communities to insist on dignity and respect for all their school-aged younguns.

[msongs]

4. do they teach about heterosexual gang rapes while dozens stand by and cheer? nt

[intheflow]

5. Yeah, you wouldn't want to introduce students to controversial topics

before they go off to live as adults in the real world. :eyes:

Not that high school students don't already know all about homosexuality, if not directly from someone they know (fellow student or family member), then by Ellen Degeneres, Will and Grace, or any of a million other popular culture references.

[NMMNG]

6. Facts have no place in school!

:crazy:

[Deep13]

7. Seems like a legitimate, scientific matter.

Not sure what it has to do with high school english class, but it is certainly a reasonable topic for research. And settled facts of today were once controversial. Social prejudice should never have a veto power over the truth.