Making Safe Places Unsafe: A Discussion of Homophobia with Teachers
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 90
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A powerful book that examines homophobia and bullying in our schools.
Making Safe Places Unsafe examines how teachers grapple with homophobia in schools and classrooms. The topic of bullying and homophobia has been brought to the forefront of the daily news due to recent events, and this book addresses the challenges that it presents to teachers and students.
Practical language, applications, discussion questions, and reflective practices provide a framework to begin focusing on how intolerance impacts student learning and discover solutions to turning unsafe places back into the safe places they were created to be.
Making Safe Places Unsafe:
- Explores the problem of homophobia and how our own naivety concerning homophobia influences educational settings.
- Gives a voice to GLBT students who have experienced homophobia in their educational journeys.
- Discusses how one group of teachers defined homophobia and grappled with the issues surrounding it.
- Explains teachers’ views of tolerance and masculinity and how those items relate to homophobia.
- Examines teachers’ discussions about changing school environments into safe places for GLBT students.
- Explores what teachers believe about creating safe places.
This is a professional development tool to help pre-service teachers, administrators, teachers, students, and staff uncover their own biases and discover changes that will provide a safe learning environment.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Problem of Homophobia
Chapter 2: The Silenced Voices
Chapter 3: Homophobia and Teachers’ Perceptions
Chapter 4: A Boa, A John Deere Hat, and False Tolerance
Chapter 5: The Process of Change
Chapter 6: Safe Places
Chapter 7: Final Thoughts
Afterword by Allyson S. Linn
References
Chapter 1: The Problem of Homophobia
Chapter 2: The Silenced Voices
Chapter 3: Homophobia and Teachers’ Perceptions
Chapter 4: A Boa, A John Deere Hat, and False Tolerance
Chapter 5: The Process of Change
Chapter 6: Safe Places
Chapter 7: Final Thoughts
Afterword by Allyson S. Linn
References
Joseph R. Jones is an assistant professor and educational consultant. His PhD work from the University of Rochester’s Warner Graduate School of Educa¬tion explores teachers’ perceptions of homophobia through a collaborative professional development model. His main research interest involves con¬structing classrooms that embrace diversity and tolerance for all students.
During his teaching career, he has taught English at the middle school and high school levels. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in research, education, and English. Presently, he is an assistant professor at Radford University in Radford, VA.
During his teaching career, he has taught English at the middle school and high school levels. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in research, education, and English. Presently, he is an assistant professor at Radford University in Radford, VA.
This book evolved from Jones’ dissertation research and was reviewed by aca¬demics, practicing teachers, school administrators, and organizational leaders across the country. All of their comments were taken into account in creating the most effective text for educators to begin addressing the challenges of homophobia in classrooms and schools. Below are some of their comments:
“Joseph Jones has dedicated himself to a most practical instrument that provides a path to reflective thinking as a key part of a professional development process. Here he provides text and questions that can serve teachers and school administrators in increasing the safety and well-being of all who work together in a school environ¬ment. The focus is on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and questioning persons, but by extension this prescribed process could be used with many other intolerances that destroy learning environments and student success.”
—Glorianne M. Leck, PhD Professor Emeritus
Youngstown State University
“Joseph Jones has written an amazing piece of work that puts a voice to the struggle of our LGBTQ youth dealing with unsafe learn¬ing environments. This work should be read by educators, parents, and advocates alike. It will help those uninformed understand the students’ strug¬gles and realize there is a need to stand up and do something to help them.”
—R. Ashley Jackson, Coordinator/Facilitator
Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition
Jackson, MS
“Jones’ book gives voice and insight to the challenges that many gay, lesbian, bi¬sexual, and transgender students face in today’s schools. His book is a call to action for all educators to create safe and affirming schools for our youth.”
—Dr. Judy Chiasson, PhD
Human Relations, Diversity and Equity
Los Angeles Unified School District
“Jones has produced a text that will serve educational institutions; one that is thorough in its investigation. The questions and reflection sections within this text help educate teachers and administrators by having them take the time to explore the issues at hand and to make sense of how to promote a safe environment for students. Our children and our educators will benefit from this knowledge.”
—Sherry Blanco,
Secondary Art Teacher/Department Chair
Penn Yan Central School District
Penn Yan, NY
“An important and timely book written from one educator to another. Thought¬fully constructed, Jones guides the reader through a transformative process of understanding that will lead to greater acceptance of both our students and of ourselves. This book offers a rich opportunity for discussion by intertwining actual events and personal recollections with current social theory and practical sugges¬tions. Jones is careful not to suggest that anyone change one’s personal beliefs about non-heterosexual identities, but rather reflect on ways to improve school climate and teaching practices. This is an important read for teachers and parents.”
—Dr. Cathy Sweet, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor,
Nazareth College
Rochester, NY
“Being involved in Jones’ research and reading this book changed the way that I address homophobia in my classroom. The book helped me engage with my own teaching practices in ways that caused me to question the very nature of why we allow homophobia to continue. This book changed the way I teach.”
—Matthew Smith
Secondary English Teacher
Rochester, NY
“Jones’ use of actual experiences of GLBT students in the schools creates an awareness of how unsafe our schools are for these students. It has really taught me to be more cognizant of these students and to teach tolerance in my class¬room. He also provides many ideas of how to create change in our school sys¬tems in order to begin making our schools safer for these students. This should definitely be a source of professional development among ALL teachers.”
—Angela Parhad
Elementary Teacher
Hebron, KY
“Joseph Jones has dedicated himself to a most practical instrument that provides a path to reflective thinking as a key part of a professional development process. Here he provides text and questions that can serve teachers and school administrators in increasing the safety and well-being of all who work together in a school environ¬ment. The focus is on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and questioning persons, but by extension this prescribed process could be used with many other intolerances that destroy learning environments and student success.”
—Glorianne M. Leck, PhD Professor Emeritus
Youngstown State University
“Joseph Jones has written an amazing piece of work that puts a voice to the struggle of our LGBTQ youth dealing with unsafe learn¬ing environments. This work should be read by educators, parents, and advocates alike. It will help those uninformed understand the students’ strug¬gles and realize there is a need to stand up and do something to help them.”
—R. Ashley Jackson, Coordinator/Facilitator
Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition
Jackson, MS
“Jones’ book gives voice and insight to the challenges that many gay, lesbian, bi¬sexual, and transgender students face in today’s schools. His book is a call to action for all educators to create safe and affirming schools for our youth.”
—Dr. Judy Chiasson, PhD
Human Relations, Diversity and Equity
Los Angeles Unified School District
“Jones has produced a text that will serve educational institutions; one that is thorough in its investigation. The questions and reflection sections within this text help educate teachers and administrators by having them take the time to explore the issues at hand and to make sense of how to promote a safe environment for students. Our children and our educators will benefit from this knowledge.”
—Sherry Blanco,
Secondary Art Teacher/Department Chair
Penn Yan Central School District
Penn Yan, NY
“An important and timely book written from one educator to another. Thought¬fully constructed, Jones guides the reader through a transformative process of understanding that will lead to greater acceptance of both our students and of ourselves. This book offers a rich opportunity for discussion by intertwining actual events and personal recollections with current social theory and practical sugges¬tions. Jones is careful not to suggest that anyone change one’s personal beliefs about non-heterosexual identities, but rather reflect on ways to improve school climate and teaching practices. This is an important read for teachers and parents.”
—Dr. Cathy Sweet, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor,
Nazareth College
Rochester, NY
“Being involved in Jones’ research and reading this book changed the way that I address homophobia in my classroom. The book helped me engage with my own teaching practices in ways that caused me to question the very nature of why we allow homophobia to continue. This book changed the way I teach.”
—Matthew Smith
Secondary English Teacher
Rochester, NY
“Jones’ use of actual experiences of GLBT students in the schools creates an awareness of how unsafe our schools are for these students. It has really taught me to be more cognizant of these students and to teach tolerance in my class¬room. He also provides many ideas of how to create change in our school sys¬tems in order to begin making our schools safer for these students. This should definitely be a source of professional development among ALL teachers.”
—Angela Parhad
Elementary Teacher
Hebron, KY