The Power of Words


GLSEN's December 2003 National School Climate Survey, for example, revealed a direct link between at-school harassment and the declining grade-point averages and college aspirations of LGBTQ students.
"It's really simple: If you don't feel safe at school, you can't learn -- you're thinking about the next insult, the next throw against the locker," says Brian Juchems, program director for GSAs for Safe Schools. Based in Madison, the group provides leadership development and technical assistance to GSAs across south-central Wisconsin.
In June 2004, GLSEN surveyed state policies to determine how well states were protecting LGBTQ students from harassment. Arranged report card-style, the survey assigned each state a grade: 42 states received F's, and only two received an A.
Alarmingly, only eight states prohibited harassment based on sexual orientation, and seven states criminalized any positive mention of LGBTQ issues or people in the classroom.
Wisconsin's survey grade was a C; only five states scored higher.


Words that Reinforce Stereotypes Lesson Plan - Teaching Tolerance
http://www.tolerance.org/teach/web/power_of_words/pdf/power_words_lesson_5.pdf
Psychology Students (Anyone looking for EXTRA CREDIT?)
Any comments about Wednesday's Activity? - Post your comments here.

Comments

nora said…
I always did wonder about where some of these words came from - it's good to know some of them. Next time someone uses a choice phrase nonchalantly, I'll be sure to bring it to their attention that they're actually probably being offensive by using stereotypical thinking. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. XD

Popular Posts