Today at Davis during our after school program our lesson plan centered around slang. On Monday was part one of our slang lesson plan and today it was time for part two. Part one was 100% silly, we talked about what the world would look like in the future and drawing pictures and making up skits and words was a big part of making the lesson plan fun. Today was meant to be about 50/50 serious and silly.
A large issue I am passionate about at Davis is people using words such as gay and retarded in a derogatory manner. So today my motivation for creating the lesson was to give them alternative words and show them that those words are often not used correctly and thus are hurtful.
Our lesson plan started out a little rough around the edges, but after a scavenger hunt and after most of the rowdiest bunch had left we were left with a group of about 20 for our discussion to close out the lesson. We opened it up with some basic questions- like how do you feel about people using these words incorrectly, how would it make others feel, etc.. Now opening up these mature discussions to middle schoolers is a stretch at best, and I will not say that it went perfectly, but the insight of these (SOMETIMES) mature young people astounds me. Some comments were not necessary, but others were thought provoking. An issue I care about so much was taken seriously by my kids and for that I commend them.
I read something on a similar page this evening. One of my best friends is heavily quoted in this article- (http://evanston.patch.com/articles/gay-slurs-and-hetero-normatively-at-eths) about slang at Evanston- in particular about the words gay and faggot. It is so cool that Evanston and San Antonio are on the universes same page in some weird coincidence. And even though Evanston has some major flaws and so did our after school program and so does the world- and least everyone is trying. It's so easy to think that saying those words are simply part of our culture and cannot be changed. Whether it is a blogger for the Evanston Patch or just some idealistic young people in a middle school on the East Side (strong side!), there are people out there who believe change can be made to a system that has so long oppressed people who don't conform with the norm, whether that is a racial norm or sexual norm, either way stereotypes and derogatory terms are unacceptable.
Daily Hero: Those who have fought for social justice before me and those who will fight for social justice after me.
