GLBT, whew I'm glad they abbreviated it...

So, GLBT was a term I learned today, among many things I read in ch. 7 of Adolescents at School. I kind of had to step back a bit because this was a huge subject I hadn't really considered before. How would I handle it, if one of my students came out to me? I know how I handle it personally when I meet people who have a different sexual orientation than myself, but this would be a student who was looking for guidance. I suppose I would initially ask if they would like to talk about things, and preferably in private so they would feel more comfortable. I would just sit down with the student comfortably so they can open up and tell me what they need to say. I wouldn't make any judgments about what I heard and I would try to understand what they were feeling. If they hadn't come out to their family and friends I would first ask if they would want to, and if they did, how would they feel about it? Would it be accepted, or would it be difficult to do? These are all things I would let them explain to me, but primarily letting them speak and get it off of their chest. I can remember being that age and even now, just eager for someone to talk to, someone who could potentially help you. After we would be on the same page, I would try to gather information from counselors, and also see if this was a discussion the student should be having with someone more qualified than me. However I feel that if a student "came out" to me specifically I would do everything in my power to help them feel better about their situation. I would never pass off another student to someone else, I would always be there for the student in any capacity I could.
I suppose if the student and I regularly met I would be able to show them ways to feel proud about who they were, that a person can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and also be just a person. Their sexual identity has nothing to do with the person within, who they are at the very core can is what is important. Once they feel comfortable with themselves, they can find a way to do whatever makes them happy. Even if it is being a doctor, lawyer or business executive. (If any of you Weeds fans caught that sentence up above, please understand this was a very deep subject so I had to throw a little levity in there). Being an art teacher, I do think it would be appropriate to signify specific artists who were GLBT, to show the student that we remember these great artists for the things they made and did with their lives, not their sexual orientation. Just a handful of artists I would mention would be Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Frida Khalo. These are all great artists who are in turn great examples for those dealing with the struggle of identifying their sexuality.
One thing I read in Adolescents at School, and what I am going to remember and do first thing for my classroom will be to post a "Safe Space" sticker on my door to let students who know what that means, feel comfortable in my classroom.
Anyway, as I was researching artists I found some great images, so I thought I would post them. ;-)

Life is better Blonde

I'm 5 foot and a half, blonde, very girly and yes I drive a truck. I'm sure people are surprised and/or laugh when they see lil' ol' me jump down from the drivers seat. People always seem shocked when I drive through the parking lot and they see some blonde chick behind the wheel. Even one of my classmates stared at me wide-eyed the other day while asking if I drove a pickup truck. My reaction is always to laugh, I'm sure it is a funny sight to see. The sad fact is however that the way I look makes people call into question my ability to drive a larger than normal vehicle. Funnily enough my truck isn't even all that large compared to most other trucks. It is just the fact that girls who look and act like me don't usually drive that type of vehicle, which is sad because driving a truck can be really fun. I like to think that this is one of the many things that makes me unique and even though I am being discriminated against, I know that I can drive that truck and I can drive it well. I enjoy cars, my dad always took me around cars when I was a little girl and I like to drive interesting cars. So when I had the chance to get his old truck I pounced on it because I knew I would love it. So maybe I don't look like I the normal type of person who would drive a truck, but I do like driving it, so people can just stare and gawk all they want, I know I look funny, but I'm having fun. ;-)
I discriminate people all the time. It is one of my biggest flaws, one of which I am working very hard to get better about. One time in particular I can remember, is when I discriminated against one of my classmates who would later become one of my closest friends. I was sitting in the back of my darkened art history class at Kirkwood, huffing and puffing because I was late, like always (yes yet another flaw I am working on) when I saw the back of the blondest hair I had ever seen. "Who was that girl?" I thought. "Shes blonde, pretty, she dresses nice, I bet she is super-stuck up." She was always very intelligent about the classwork though, and she and I seemed to talk a lot about the same subjects. Then one day I saw her outside of school at Target and she smiled at me so I thought "hey she might not be as bad as I think." After that we both transferred to the University of Iowa and we became fast friends who happened to have a strange amount of similarities. Who was I talking about? If shes reading this, she knows who she is, eh Art of Blogging? hehe. Anyway my first judgment about her was way off and that is just one of many examples of why I am working on discriminating less and getting to know the individual more.
In my classroom I think respect and not making irrational judgments will be key. Just like in making judgments about art you must understand the story behind something before you can make a judgment about it. You wouldn't judge a painting without trying to figure out what it meant or the story behind why it was painted. Just like you shouldn't make judgments about why someone looks or acts a certain way. I think putting concepts like these into normal discussions in the classroom can help students understand it on a personal level.

Fourth Blog

Whew, its good to have my computer back. I had to reinstall my OS and I didn't have a computer for a week, so its nice to be sitting in front of my own computer again. Let the blogging begin...
It is strange to think about myself as a high school-er compared to myself now. I felt just as strongly then about things as I do now. The only difference between 18 and 24 is that now I realize I don't have everything figured out. At 18 I thought I knew what I wanted and what I thought was right, but the older version of myself realizes I'm just beginning to figure out what life is about. My identity has always more or less been the same. Short, blonde, goofy, dorky, creative, driven, etc. My identity hasn't changed, just the circumstances I'm surrounded by change. My artwork has grown with each new skill set I've acquired and although I still struggle to create new pieces of artwork, my ability to tap into my creativity has gotten stronger. As I have learned more about art through college and seeing other artists work I have gotten a better understanding of how to productive creatively. I try to grab a pen and paper as soon as possible now to try to and keep my ideas fresh so I can tap into them when I want to create a project I feel passionate about.
Artistic Self
3 a. Self Identification Personal
The thing that makes me feel guilty is loving and buying expensive clothes (I'm addicted to Juicy Couture). Actually making artwork I am proud of makes me feel worthy of being called an artist. People being completely honest make me laugh. Being late embarrasses me. My mother infuriates me. Driving fast thrills me. Playing outside on a warm day comforts me. Remembering my kitty makes me sad.

3 b. Self Identification Personality
The concept of peace is very important to me, and not just the hippie "peace, man" meaning of the word peace. To me it is a state of mind I would love to have one day, but as of today I am learning to become a peaceful person. All of the colors used to represent me and this concept should be strong and bold. All colors on the spectrum can be included for this idea.

3 c. Self Identification Transpersonal.
The object that conveys my most interesting public trait would be my identity of photographer. It has been a while since I have done true work as a photographer, but I always have my hand in it somehow. I think it will always be a part of my identity even as I become a teacher because photography was the first thing I fell in love with.