Quote: Woke Read Alouds- "Now if you look at Kelly, you might not think that because you might be use to hearing people call people like Kelly she or her. I am going to let you in on a little secret. Just because people may dress or look a certain way on the outside, that does not necessarily mean they feel that way."
Response: Like as the student who lit Sasha's skirt on fire, typically when in school the LGBTQ+ is targeted heavily. Kids tend to single out others with "differences" as stated in the text that if their peers wore something out of the ordinary, they would say that they most likely love it as a way to build relationships and trust. Every human being is entitled to their own beliefs, but you still give people the liberty to feel what they want to feel and act how they want to. When we stop judging and start understanding, our stress goes down, and we find inner peace. Acceptance is like medicine for the soul. At the end of the day, how another person dresses, acts, or is in general is no reflection of yourself, so why would we care? Honestly as a person I grew more and learned from students I typically would not be friends with, both intellectually and physically.
Quote: Students and teachers at Oakland High responded by mobilizing support for Sasha. They collected money for medical expenses and sponsored a “Stroll for Sasha” along the bus route, which was spontaneously marked by rainbow ribbons. The varsity basketball team wore "No H8" t-shirts with Sasha's name on the back".
Response: What the text is trying to accentuate is that it takes a whole village to address certain issues such as hate towards the LGBTQ+, but one person to start the commotion. There were probably several other accounts of bullying towards the LBGTQ+ community, but the more severe the bullying is, the more serious it is taken. Little, micro aggressive comments should be taken to the same severity as lighting a skirt on fire. The importance of this quote is to make you think about all the other bullying that gets unnoticed; cyberbullying, sexual bullying, public harassment, and verbal bullying are all other different branches of bullying that still matter. Understanding the impact on individuals and society helps better understand the prevention and intervention process. Importance of Studying Bullying:
Quote: "There are reasons why teachers and administrators are reluctant to adopt school wide approaches that open up discussions of LGBTQ rights and homophobia. We worry about backlash from parents".
Response: This is an excuse. At the end of the day, you have to compensate for your students needs. You cannot worry about outsiders opinions when your students are going to benefit from your support. Targeted children often suffer from poor performance in school, sleep issues, anxiety, and depression. And let's not forget the students doing the bullying; they're at a much higher risk for a whole host of issues that could extend into adulthood, ranging from violent behavior to substance abuse. How your student succeeds is in your hands, not the parents. They send their kids to school for you to deal with the real world problems.
