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Bringing LGBT to Where it Should Be

Juliana Rupert
ERWC Period 4
October 14, 2016

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Table of Contents
Part One: Description:

Page 3

Part Two: Research:

Page 4

Part Three: Reflection:

Part Four: Works Cited:

Page 6
Page 7

Part Five: Annotated Bibliography: Page 8

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Part One: Project Description

I plan to teach Mr. Helmuths classes a few different lessons on the LGBTQ+ community at
Santa Susana High School. While I already have some knowledge, I plan to further research into
how learning about this topic affects students at this age, and why this topic isnt included in any
courses since it plays a big role in society at the moment. Despite being a bit of an introvert, I
will get the courage to speak to various student, teachers, and friends on and off campus to get a
better feel of what to add into the lessons. Planning the lessons and when I will teach them will
be the biggest step to overcome. I plan on having at least four lessons due to the reason that Mr.
Helmuth only has a few health classes. Each lesson still is in the works, but with more research
and help from friends, I expect them to be planned and ready by the second semester. Another
difficulty I might have is parents and students who do not accept the LGBTQ+ community; but I
feel like this wont be as a big of a problem due to the new law passed in California allowing
these lessons to be taught in schools.
Being apart of the LGBTQ+ community has allowed me to better understand the lessons
Ill be teaching. When I had first learned of the community in 9th grade, it was through my
friends and my own research. It had opened my mind to various ways to express myself, and put
my mind to rest that I was not the only one who felt out of place. Doing more research than just
using my own knowledge will allow me to introduce more than what I know and let other
students have that same reassuring feeling of belonging. I want to include both famous people
and anonymous friends into my research to provide examples, explanations, and personal stories

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to help further my projects success. The topics I plan to teach will not only be based on people's
experience. I will research into schools and their views on the community. Having demographics
involving the LGBTQ+ community will help solidify my teachings. Even though this is a touchy
subject, I want to include recent suicides, and tragic events involving the LGBTQ+ community
to show students that its not always safe for the community. While Santa Susana is accepting, I
want a lesson to include the dangers we face outside of a safe zone. The research will both be
online and offline to get the most out of this project.

Part Two: Research

Article One
The articles main purpose is to inform students, teachers, and parents about the
importance of teaching LGBT in all curriculums in all schools. The author, DeWitt, gives three
main examples on why schools wont allow LGBT to be taught. As well as these examples, at
the end he gives statistics from GLSEN School Climate Survey. Ranging from safety to
harassment. His main target audience is to both schools and parents, informing them on what
students feel about this topic as well as what they can do to solve this dilemma.
The article influenced me to pursue this project knowing that it wasnt weird or awkward
for it to be taught in the first place. Having an understanding of what Ill most likely face from
teaching a class about these subjects and how theyll have a bigger impact when I do. If I were to
continue this project outside of school I would need to know how most adults and parents alike
react to this topic being taught in schools.

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Article Two
The articles main purpose is to drive into detail about the new law that has passed. It
being that California schools are adding LGBT into history lessons. She begins the article with
how the law works, saying that students will learn as low as elementary about these lessons. She
goes on to include people's opinions on this law; most, if not all, are praising it and calling it a
good idea. The audience target is hard to make out, but most likely it is to parents and students in
California.
The article influenced me to teach the class about LGBT due to the reason that it
wouldnt be illegal anymore. My friend was the first to inform me of this new law and it gave
me the confidence to pursue this project. Knowing this law will make it easier for me to teach
others outside of school about LGBT and its impact to the society.

Article Three
This article is about informing a wide range of age groups about the new law. Unlike the
other similar article that talked about the LGBT law, this one includes more pros and cons to the
law and its effects to people of all ages. Berry includes various quotes, interviews, and facts into
the article which makes it a reliable source. This article is more towards people who had no
background knowledge to LGBT and people who have some.
The articles influenced me to find a better and stronger way to improve my teaching and
to argue against anyone who disagrees that teaching LGBT in schools is a bad idea. Researching

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into this more after my project is complete will strengthen my argument even more when I have
to face people who are against this.

Part Three: Reflection

1. I expect things to go smooth when I teach the class but I do have a fear that if parents get
word of my project that Ill face some criticism. I feel as though the lessons will inform
students and reassure them that they are in a safe environment for people in the LGBT
community.

2. The strengths of my project will come from the lessons themselves and the support I hope
to receive.

3. Some problems I might encounter might include parents who are not accepting to these
types of lessons. My biggest concern is that they protest enough to where I cannot
continue. It may never reach this point but its still a concern. Another concern is the fact
with students not taking this seriously or not caring or paying attention. I notice this a lot
in some cases and I dont want them to ignore this since its never going to be taught
again and may never be brought into the school system.

4. A way I can solve the parent problem is to report this to the vice principal or even face
the parents myself. I had been able to build my argument up based on my own
experiences and others. Facing the students is another problem with a different approach.

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My first approach might be having Mr. Helmuth speak to the class about respect. If
problems continue I might do this myself.
A bigger problem besides parents and students is time. Whether or not if I will have time
to cover all the topics I want or have a solid date to even teach these classes for. Ill need to plan
now with my mentor and the teacher if I want to be on time and cover the correct material.
Leaving the students with enough curiosity to do their own research.

5. I feel as though my project will be rough in the beginning but all I have to do is not
procrastinate and get right on it to complete this project on time, not upset anyone, and
leave an impact on students who will feel safer and more open about talking about
LGBT.

Part Four: Works Cited

Article One
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2015/07/3_reasons_why_many_schoo
ls_wont_offer_LGBT_curriculum.html
Article Two
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lgbt-curriculum-california-20160714-snap-story.html
Article Three
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/asexual-spectrum_n_3428710.html
Article Four

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http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/07/19/lgbt-history-california-first-to-teach/
Article Five
https://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/getting-started/tips-for-faculty-teaching-for-the-first-ti
me/

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Part Five: Annotated Bibliography

Article One
DeWitt, Peter. 3 Reasons Why Many Schools Wont Offer LGBT Curriculum. Education
Week. July 10, 2015. Online.

The articles main purpose is to inform students, teachers, and parents about the
importance of teaching LGBT in all curriculums in all schools. The author, DeWitt, gives three
main examples on why schools wont allow LGBT to be taught. As well as these examples, at
the end he gives statistics from GLSEN School Climate Survey. Ranging from safety to
harassment. His main target audience is to both schools and parents, informing them on what
students feel about this topic as well as what they can do to solve this dilemma.
This article was written back in 2015 but still has relevance. Recently, California passed a
law that school should include LGBT history in their lesson, making it now legal for it to be
taught. Having this article resurface can soften the blow to both people who had no opinion and
to people who are clueless about this topic. The main feature were the three reasons on why this
topic has yet to surface despite its heavy impact on society currently. The only weakness in the
article is the lack pathos. It mostly uses logos and ethos.

Article Two
Resmovits, Joy. Californias Students Will Soon Learn LGBT History in Schools. Los Angeles
Times. July 14, 2016. Online.

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The articles main purpose is to drive into detail about the new law that has passed. It
being that California schools are adding LGBT into history lessons. She begins the article with
how the law works, saying that students will learn as low as elementary about these lessons. She
goes on to include people's opinions on this law; most, if not all, are praising it and calling it a
good idea. The audience target is hard to make out, but most likely it is to parents and students in
California.
This article is relevant because knowing that I can teach a class without it being illegal
is fantastic to know. It also makes it easier to know that most of the students will be accepting of
the lessons. A special feature in this article is the law being passed in California. Having peoples
opinion to strengthen the reason to have this law is just supporting evidence. While this is
amazing news, the author failed to include the downfalls of the law. She only includes on why
this law is only beneficial to the schools.

Article Three
Mosbergen, Dominique. The Asexual Spectrum: Identities In The Ace Community. Huffington
Post. June 19, 2013. Online.

The articles main purpose is informing the audience of the variations of asexuality. The
section I chose is a part of a six part series on asexuality. The only thing this article includes
besides the introduction is a chart showing the Ace Spectrum. The audience is towards high

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school students who are still figuring out themselves. A secondary audience is adults who are
curious about this topic or who are trying to support their kids.
This article is relevant because of how I am teaching the class. It explained each branch
of asexuality so doing more research on the one topic wont be needed. A special feature is the
chart the article provides, making it easier to understand. Despite all this, I had yet to find a
single pro or con opinion. The article was simply a tool to understand a sexuality better.

Article Four
Berry, Susan. California: 1st State To Teach LGBT Curriculum. Breitbart. July 19, 2016.
Online.

The articles main purpose is to inform a wide range of age groups about the new law.
Unlike the other similar article that talked about the LGBT law, this one includes more pros and
cons to the law and its effects to people of all ages. Berry includes various quotes, interviews,
and facts into the article which makes it a reliable source. This article is more towards people
who had no background knowledge to LGBT and people who have some.
The article is relevant because of its pros and cons approach to the new law and how
people are reacting to it. It gives way to better and stronger arguments that Ill need to further
research into.

Article Five

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Davis, Barbara. Tips for Faculty Teaching for the First Time. The Teaching Center. 2009.
Online.

The articles main purpose