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Each question presented will be answered individually, chronologically according to the Midterm Draft. Four subsections will be created;
- First
- Theorize
- Connect
- Enact
Accompanying images will also be included throughout this response. Additionally, all material referenced will have a citation beside it. [1]
First
- What are the designers of the website trying to say based upon the way they have presented these stories?
- There's a multitude of different stories, individualized to every person. "You're in Good Company" displays that there is a larger community and that you're not alone. Each individualized tab allows for an individual to learn and engage with material that is relative to them.
- How are you thinking about both the critique and tensions Gilbert (2015) addresses in chapter 3?
- The statement that conditions are not necessarily going to improve for everyone, contrary to what is depicted in It Gets Better, is absolutely true. According to Gilbert, "...then you may be a gay adult, but you will also still be poor, black or otherwise marginalized" [2] is an accurate critique of the media campaign that took place in the early 2010s, as It Gets Better only views the individual through the lens of sexuality. While the conditions of the LGBTQ may have improved in relation to the social climate, did their economic wellbeing increase? Not necessarily. The media campaign focused on the improving conditions of gay white men, which is established through "consumption, achievement, and individuality".[3]
*What tensions arise as a you move through the website and consider Gilbert’s (2015) argument in chapter 3?
- Although the self biographies on the website seem to highlight people of color, these biographies highlight almost exclusively the economically well off. One video "Meet the 17-Year-Old CEO Changing The Beauty Industry" glamorizes the success of a well off individual, who comes from a background which enabled him to succeed. The individual, Zach Dishinger, had the support from his realtor mother and appliance tycoon father. There is a substantial lack of intersectionality on the site as there is almost zero representation of lower to middle income individuals. This of course is the entire appeal of It Gets Better; that you too can be LGBTQ and become apart of the economic ruling class.
- What struggles might you face and what do you do with both the tensions and the struggle?
- You face struggles in every facet of life, you can approach each one of them with a different set of processes. Although I always attempt to deescalate, mitigate, resolve and integrate. First, attempt to prevent or deescalate the tensions/struggle through preventative means. Mitigate the tensions personally in an effort to withstand the length of the resolve process, as exhaustion from a conflict is usually what causes one to fail to overcome a struggle. Resolve the issue when the situation best benefits yourself and to the point where it hasn't exhausted you. This can be likened to the saying "choosing which hill to die on", as all actions require some type of energy to solve. Lastly, integration requires the understanding that the problem has to be integrated into the solution. That all solutions and the energy needed to conclude struggles will cause future struggles and tensions.
- How you might link the ideas of sexuality, sexual, and gender identity to your emerging sense of pedagogy?
- Including LGBTQ voices into the reading material is apart of my emerging sense of pedagogy. That primary sources which come from the point of view from a LGBTQ source would be beneficial for students when reading about a time period or topic.
- What curricular and subject matter can you weave together with the ideas you perceive to be within the stories?
- From a social studies perspective it would be conducive to integrate subject matter on socioeconomics with the stories. Its also great tool to use as a case study for autobiographies. Questions to be incorporated into the curricular could include "Are autobiographies complete if they exclusively include details regarding sexuality or exclude details regarding sexuality."
Theorize
- Why are you becoming a teacher?
- To engage students with history, government and economics, while also prompting civil engagement in society.
- What does it mean to teach, why and how do you know that?
- Creation of the ideal member of society, one which is knowledgeable about the material condition of themselves and others. Why and how do I know this? I do not know definitively what it means to teach, as each individual will have a differing understanding of what teaching is, my own understanding of teaching and education is based off the concept of paideia mixed with dialectical materialism.
- Upon what ethical, ideological, philosophical, and ways of knowing and acting upon the world is your sense of teaching based?
- My sense of teaching is based upon the principles of paideia and dialectical materialism. The Greeks viewed education as the basis for the development of well-rounded citizens of society. Dialectical materialism emphasizes the importance of the natural world, the conflicts and contradictions that arise from material sources. These two together form the ideological and philosophical basis of my teaching, one that is naturally and civically driven.
- How do those ways of knowing and taking action upon and in the world effect what, how, and why you teach what you do?
- History is the documentation of mankind's development, conflicts and contradictions from material sources. Its because of this I'm drawn to teaching history.
- How do all the above affect those young people with whom you are fortunate enough to work?
- Hopefully it will encourage students to understand their own circumstances and the circumstances of those around them. This will hopefully create more engaged and aware citizens who wield a sense of compassion for their fellow citizen.
- How have the readings thus far informed your answers to the above questions?
- All of the readings have promoted the understanding that processes and prior circumstances greatly play into an individuals present. Week 6's Histories of Misery is a great example that ignoring or promoting specific elements of an narrative is not conducive to teaching, that intersectionality is essential to all things.
- What are the intersections across the readings?
- Week 6's Histories of Misery displays that It Gets Better is giving younger people a false sense of safety in the future by ignoring other elements that play into ones success. It Gets Better focuses on the economically well off class of the LGBTQ movement without telling the stories of the working class. Its creates a false sense that with time all things improve, when in fact this is only true under the proper circumstances. Understanding, class, race and sexuality is essential to the holistic understanding of what ones future conditions may be.
Connect
- Please address at least 3 of the following topics we’ve covered in class:
- Concepts of culture
- Culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogies
- We must engage through meaningful interactions that relate specifically to a students culture. Because of our nation's changing demographics, the utilization of tools that once prompted learning among the white middle class no longer works in every school. Being flexible in the classroom by utilizing alternative vernacular is necessary in promoting learning. We have to promote learning through culturally responsive means or the future of our citizenry may be negatively sealed. Paris Alim stated; "Ironically, there is accumulating evidence that this outdated philosophy will not grant our young people access to power but rather, in our increasingly diverse society, it might reduce that access."[4]
- Critical pedagogy
- Intersectionality
- Intersectionality is the understanding of the various systems that play into the domination and subordination of people. Such systems include "patriarchy, classism, racism, and heteronormativity" as described by Ronni Michelle Greenwood. [5]. Utilizing intersectionality in the social sciences is necessary for students to gain "consciousness about domination and oppression" and to promote a students engagement in the civil society. [6]
- Engaged pedagogy
- Promote learning that is built through a cooperative learning environment, which is so often characterized by student apathy. This means building an environment where trust can flourish and where genuine learning occurs.
Enact
- How does the It Gets Better project help you think about all the above in relation to the theme you developed?
- Intersectionality is a necessity when speaking about complex topics.
- Which ideas help you make sense of what the designers are trying to do?
- The inclusion of various portals for various sexualities means they are trying to convey the message "not everyone's story is the same".
- What curricular and subject matter can you weave together with the ideas you perceive to be within the stories?
- Utilize these stories as a template for addressing autobiographies in social studies. Are autobiographies that selectively include sexuality a full depiction of someone's story?
- How do you take up the critique of It Gets Better that Gilbert (2015) discusses?
- The statement that conditions are not necessarily going to improve for everyone, contrary to what is depicted in It Gets Better, is absolutely true. According to Gilbert It Gets Better fails to achieve intersectionality because "... you may be a gay adult, but you will also still be poor, black or otherwise marginalized".
- How does this critique impact your thinking across readings?
- That if intersectionality is not included, the full picture of the problem or tension may not be fully reveled.
- What can you do through an engaged pedagogy for all of your students beyond the context of It Gets Better?
- Working to incorporate elements of intersectionality, rather than just focusing on a singular element of an individual.