RI Laws and Policies Regarding Gender Identity and Sexuality

Throughout the state's history, Rhode Island has presented itself to never be a truly "first-to-do" state, but has always been part of pioneering efforts to push for progress in all sorts of issues (societal, financial, environmental, etc.). In the confides of societal issues such as gender identity and sexuality, RI played a role in some of the first breakthroughs in protecting the right of expression for thousands of students and adults alike. Although always not the literal halt of societal prejudice, legislation (at all level of government) are extremely impactful driving forces in gaining more support on a large scale, leading then into further reform. Rhode Island, being a progressive state, took great initiative in these sensitive issues in the early 2000's:

"In May, 2001, Rhode Island became the second state in the country to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression, thereby protecting transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations" (ride.ri.gov).

Following RI adding its support into the nation-wide movement of inclusion, many states came to follow. As for the changes that happened within the state due to this legislation, the obvious positives were the concrete guidelines that employers, schools, and communities had to follow under state-wide jurisdiction. But, a simple slip of paper law can not immediately reverse the lulls of societal ignorance, as people who held opinions on the topic before were more likely than not, to maintain their viewpoints. But the schools, some at the very least, attempted to truly apply these policies into their system of education. In a scenario like many school setting, groups are often separated into biological groups, sport teams, gym classes, locker rooms, and even certain clubs. But does it need to be like this, not really:

"...rather than divide or group students on the basis of biological sex (e.g. boys and girls), educators could employ other creative strategies to create teams to work on problems or projects. Gender-based policies, rules, and practices can have the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing, and excluding students, June, 2016 Page 10 whether they are gender non-conforming or not" (ride.ri.gov).

What is truly necessary in life that we need to separate people on "science-based" stigmas? In my eyes, the political climate of this issue is one that lies along an emotion vs. logic axis. One side believes why not let a person be who they want to be without the constraints of the outdated mindset commonly applied in our society's systems. While the other thinks that is a dramatic response to adolescent angst, and people are just in a phase. Which one is more sound? Well, to me the answer is pretty easy, but if it were as easy to everyone as it is for me, well the world would be a pretty simple place. Maybe one day, I guess?

Thomas Hehir's "Eliminating Ableism in Education"

Thomas Hehir from Harvard's Graduate School of Education wrote this indicative essay, painting a scene of what ableism looks like in the context of education and what we can (or have been done) do to combat it. Utilizing a real-world experience as an introductory device drops the reader into the shoes of those oppressed by this flawed system, providing a better lens through which to view the rest of the essay. I have pulled three important quotes that I believe are crucial in the moral of Hehir's messages.

"However, even though these laws were strong, existing practices were often difficult to change due to deeply held negative cultural assumptions about disability" (2)

Thoughts: Just like any other minority group, making headway in the journey to equity and equality in life and all its opportunities, legislation is just the first step. We see it in civil rights scenarios regarding minority ethnicities. Even after passing legislation like the Civil Rights Act, minority groups such as African Americans still faced racist prejudice, stalking them even to the present day.

"Some student's failure to learn to read may be due to poor instruction, thus compounding the impact of disability" (13)

Thoughts: Naturally, someone will pin any lack of development/skill on a person's disability, but is that always the truth behind the struggle? Likely not, we just assume the problem is the disability, but by confining all issues with a person's development (whether cognitive, behavioral, physical, etc.) we can increase the negative impact of the person's disability by curating a cultural/societal depression of that person's character.

"Fortunately, there is a foundation in both research and practice upon which to build a better future. Schools can take action now" (22).

Thoughts: Hehir, following this quote to explain the idea of including disability in more diversity efforts, is already being very impactful within schools. There are already activities furthering diversity appreciation and education, so if more schools can fit disabilities into this umbrella, many positives can come from it. The most important part of this quote, is the fact that schools can act now. With tons of legislation and political backup for these efforts, the school system can now act on their wishes to better education for the disabled more than ever.

Aria by Richard Rodriguez

 In his insightful personal accounts, Richard Rodriguez aims to bring us into his world of contrasting language. He grew up in a state of a cultural divide, a split life that essentially forced him to prioritize one language while slowly losing the other. Speaking on what effects traditional schooling has on secondary English speakers and the trickle-down effects it can curate into their respective home lives. Below are three quotes I believe work to convey Rodriguez's themes of separation and assimilation:

"The silence at home, however, was finally more than a literal silence" (38)

Thoughts: Not only did the spoken language get diluted in the home, but for Richard, a grave separation grew between himself and his parents. Thus, thinning out his connection to his heritage as a whole; fortunately, there was never a time when lost his entire culture but at the lulls of his Spanish usage, an apparent disconnect arose. These disconnects can be hard to admit or even detect as society force-fed English as a primary, leaving his traditions in the dust.

"What would they not do for their children's well-being?" (35)

Thoughts: Taking a dive into the minds of the other side of this issue, parents (hopefully) hold a natural urge to do what is best for their children. If this means confiding to the language your child is being confided into, then that is what they are willing to do. The nuns interrogating his parents in their own home on what forms of communication they use in their own domicile manipulates them into thinking they might be doing something wrong. A direct correlation to the ideas of the culture of power.

"At last, seven years old, I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen" (36)

Thoughts: Rodriguez here is describing the three-dimensional aspects of citizenship. Although he has the title of citizen, the stigmas and expectations of a US citizen reach far beyond that in our society, unfortunately. People assume a citizen can speak perfect English, be in touch with all American customs, and make the American culture a priority (including language). 

Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn

Patrick Finn was a kid from Southside Chicago, born to working-class parents, in a family of 8, who all followed the occupational lineage of those before them. But Patrick was a different fruit from the same vine, finishing high school and attending his local teacher's college. Eventually becoming a grad school professor, meeting hundreds of passionate and hungry educators, Finn aims to spread his awareness of the blind eye that the world has turned to working-class children. He believes and has experienced first-hand, that teachers are dismissive of the working class, molding them into obedient workers, of menial work completed day after day; a vicious cycle through generations. I have pulled three quotes from the first parts of his book, "Literacy with an Attitude", that I believe accurately depict Finn's overall message.

"We all participate in this social system as if it were natural, the way things were meant to be" (X)

Thoughts: Whether we are human enough to admit it or not, we cannot deny that our society is under some sort of communal blame for failing the new stream of generations regarding uplifting those previously shot down. Students of the working class have been force-fed lessons and teaching styles (subconsciously, we can hope) that aim to keep them in their menial positions of repetitive work with low wages and benefits. It takes upstanders, both in and out of the stigma, to reform our educational processes concerning low-class children. 

"...The sources of inequality I examine are in fact so subtle that the average parent, teacher, student, and taxpayer are not conscious of them at all" (Pg.1)

Thoughts: A majority of prejudice and stigmatic behavior happens subconsciously, an unfortunate natural act of society as we have lived for years. At the fault of those before us, society has been cemented in a way that changes the way we think or act in certain situations, but we fall into the blame for not doing something about it. In the present day, we fortunately have a much larger progressive basis in our general ideals (especially in the younger generations).

"Do it this way or it's wrong" (Teacher qt. on Pg.20)

Thoughts: Referring to the styles of education given to students of working-class backgrounds, we (unintentionally?) oppress them into the same molds their families before them were most likely in. The mentality Finn quotes here is a direct synopsis of what goes on in the classroom of these children, who are not given the intellectual light of day to break through their ceilings. Thus confining them into the vicious class cycle that haunts so many families trapped within the working class.

My Thoughts on the "Classroom Tour"

In class, we watched a 25-minute video of Mrs.Forbes going through all the intricacies, decorating decisions, and workflows of her classroom. Focusing on the bright and lively aspects of decorating, she aims towards a bubbly/happy mood to her space. Some would call the room loud and obnoxious and some might find it warm and welcoming. Mrs. Forbes teaches History and English at a middle-school level, partially explaining the themes of her decor.

Although she has a concentration in two different subjects, she displays a natural bias and preference for one of them, English. An admitting Hamlet super-fan, Mrs. Forbes tailors much of her posters and daily-use apparatuses to her favorite musical, leading to a high number of English-paralleled things around the room. Clever jokes and novelty images relating to English class fill the room's walls and her own desk. Aside from one poster and a small collection of books, the history material runs quite thin in what is visually represented everyday around the room.

As for the mood and overall feel of the classroom, it is very reflective of Mrs. Forbes' personality in quite a positive way. But although her room projects her awesome personality, I believe that these types of rooms are not the most productive to work in. Obviously, classrooms have factors that vary based on grade level, for instance, a kindergarten room should have rugs to sit on and maybe some posters of popular children's TV shows. However, I personally do not work so well in these loud, bright, bubbly classrooms, as opposed to the more mood-lit and warm spaces. In middle school, these types of rooms distracted me and often did more bad than good when it came to focusing on work.

I completely am aware of how much of a case-by-case opinion this is, as I know many people who find my type of educational space rather boring and even sleep-inducing. Additionally, I had high school teachers who followed the same classroom scheme as Mrs. Forbes, and just like Mrs. Forbes, carried a similar bubbly demeanor. People I went to high school with preferred these classrooms over the more simple and dim ones, even at a much older age than the kindergarteners who love these rooms just as much. But this is just another amazing aspect of people a teacher, your classroom is your space; make it an extension of yourself, because students will only be comfortable in your class if you are.

He Can't Sit Still (and that's ok)

If you ran a poll in my preschool classroom, asking the teacher, aids, and students who they thought was the troublemaker, all answers would float to one kid, Z. This classroom is a Special-Ed/IEP integrated classroom, contesting the old ways of complete separation of students, divided by differences. Z has a severe case of ADHD, where they cannot help but move around constantly, fidgeting with every little thing for some sort of sensory. When it's time to play, the students naturally float to one station, playing with a few toys at a time, considering their friends and what they're doing. 

But Z does the opposite; Almost ignoring everyone else's existence, he will bulldoze through a group of students, run to the full toy shelves, and swipe the entire row to the ground, making an absolute mess. His classmates start to cry as they are avalanched by wooden blocks and toy cars, and the teachers force Z to sit in the corner and isolate him in full. That's when he decides to stay alone in the corner, which he frequently doesn't, or not.

Z is a 4-year-old male black student from Providence. I know nothing of his home life or what kind of environment he lives in, but what I do know is that there is more to Z than the lash-outs that the teachers dread. 

He runs from corner to corner at all hours of the school day, but when it's rug time, I take a seat behind the rug on a miniature sofa. That is when Z comes over and sits right next to me, whether on my lap or leaning against me, he goes completely still. Fidgeting silently with one of the teacher's pop-it toys, Z and I quietly watch as the kids take part in the lesson. 

They think he doesn't understand, but that's not it. We don't understand, and once we open our minds, they will make us understand. It will just be in their own little way.

"Troublemakers" by Carla Shalaby

In her book, "Troublemakers", Shalaby finds herself engrossed in the counterproductive ways that schools handle children who cause trouble. Whether that be physical outrage, talking back, or even slight disobedience of expectations, educators and administrators deal with this behavior negatively, confining the student into an academic life of limited options. During my time reading, I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Shalaby's vivid and impactful use of imagery, molding these societal issues many turn blind eyes to into crude metaphors. Spinning the rudimentary argument right around, she makes us think about what we might learn from those having conformity forced upon them. We tend to think we have to teach the person who does wrong a lesson, while helpful in many scenarios, children can teach us more of a lesson than we do them. Well, that's at least what I got from it, I don't know.

I pulled three quotes from the excerpts; One encapsulates her entire thesis into a statement and two are hard-hitting metaphors that paint a picture of what is being done to these "troublemakers":

~

"What is the role of education in the lives of children carrying the burden of this witness, breathing these poisons into their delicate lungs?" (xvii)

The innocence of a child is a gift frequently taken for granted. A life a person gets to live only once, their environment and the people occupying it being the driving factor for the duration in which a child may enjoy this blissful life. As educators we want our students to live in this innocence of imagination and curiosity as long as they can, protect them from what the outside world might be doing to knock them off this track. With this, however, comes the idea that we must not let our children remain naïve to the world; To find a balance of awareness and nurture is the ultimate goal of the picture-perfect teacher.

"We cage the birds singing most loudly" (xx)

External fits of rage tends to be a common form of expression for children who become frustrated, confused, and/or berated by superiors. All of which, frequent actions by teachers whom lack a sense of perspective for their “troubled students”. When a young student attempts to communicate their issues in a way that makes sense to their young mind, adults often interpret it as another day of acting out, sending them to the principal’s office soon after. The caged bird metaphor is directly parallel to how teachers treat the students who cry out for help. By caging up those who verbally attempt to open up their minds to us, we contradict our quintessential roles as an educator.

"This book is interested in Anthony...and in kids like him, but not what to do with him. I am concerned instead with what we might learn from him about what to do..." (xxxi)

With another use of figurative language, Shalaby displays the sole purpose of her book: Provide a voice of truth for those who failed to understand those that cry out for help, the “troublemakers”. Additionally, she adds the other main idea at the end of this quote by articulating her idea that these students shouldn’t be scolded or pummeled with reprimand, but rather a source for which we can better understand the mind of those we wish to enlighten. Students are just the ones who learn in the eyes of the naïve, but the important lessons lie within the words and actions of those we think need our help the most.