I do feel that Latham had some good points in the article that could relate the struggles of the gay community to Melinda's story. Melinda is unable to speak and her friends are unable to listen. They force her to become outcast because they don't understand. This is also often true of members of the gay community in our society, although they typically are ignored by their friends more after they have spoken, as opposed to before speaking.
However, a large part of becoming an outcast lies in the hands of the "victim." Melinda is not able to share her story with her friends and she therefore carries a burden with no additional help. Likewise, many young people (and even adults) wrestle with the topic of their homosexuality and wonder how they can reveal to their friends and families that they are gay, knowing that when they do share that information they will become one of the outcast members of "normal" American society. They bear the same burden as Melinda: "What do I say? How do I say it? What will people think of me?"
I think Latham's inclusion of the scene toward the end when Andy corners Melinda is really beneficial because it helps us more firmly grasp the idea of being "closeted."
What Do You Mean No More Books?!?!
13 years ago
They bear the same burden as Melinda: "What do I say? How do I say it? What will people think of me?"
ReplyDeleteI think all adolescents, and arguably adults as well, can relate to these questions. Most of us have felt "silenced" at some point or another. I wonder what the difference between our "silence" and that of our young GLBTQ students is though. When breaking the "silence" results in heavy consequences, aren't we teaching our young people that "silence" is preferable? I'm not sure.
What can we do for these students as teachers?
As a teacher, I urge students to come forward and talk to someone - friend, parent, teacher, counselor, anyone who can help them deal with those feelings. My school has something called the STAR program, which is a student assistance program. If anyone in our building, staff or student, notices a change in a student, he or she can refer that person to the STAR team. This team confidentially contacts home, talks with the student, and gets the appropriate ball rolling for that student to get the help he/she needs. It's quite successful at the middle level.
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