Response
Reading Response I
Schooling, Sexual Orientation, Law, and Policy: Making Schools Safe for All Students
By: Charlotte J. Patterson
This article was full of information about sexual minorities and the hardships they face. However, it was very redundant and I felt I was reading the same facts and statistics that were previously said in the paragraph before. Also, the facts that were being used are common knowledge to many people in my generation’s age bracket. Perhaps the author thought she had some new and enlightening information that the public did not know about. That is just my opinion from reading this article. When I analyzed it after reading, I summarized the article into three main questions that the author had answered throughout her writing.
1. Are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth safe at school?
2. How do LGBT students cope with their unsupportive surrounding peers?
3. How can schools be made safer for LGBT youth? Based on the article, the author deems most public schools to be unsafe for LGBT students. They face bullies, depression, and loneliness. These factors lead to a higher rate of students getting involved in drinking alcohol at a young age, doing drugs, and having unsafe sexual encounters. Linked with all of these negative factors are grades. These students being bullied miss more days of school, receive lower grades, and have lower educational aspirations, such as going to college or trade school. Along with the depression that kids can fall into as a result of this bullying, the depression can turn into a severe end with the student attempting suicide. In the article, the author references a few different suicide attempts, including one that happened here at Rutgers University three years ago. LGBT students who are going through such a harsh time find different ways of coping. They resort to drugs and alcohol, which are negative forms of coping, or can seek help from a professional. Guidance counselors in
Schooling, Sexual Orientation, Law, and Policy: Making Schools Safe for All Students
By: Charlotte J. Patterson
This article was full of information about sexual minorities and the hardships they face. However, it was very redundant and I felt I was reading the same facts and statistics that were previously said in the paragraph before. Also, the facts that were being used are common knowledge to many people in my generation’s age bracket. Perhaps the author thought she had some new and enlightening information that the public did not know about. That is just my opinion from reading this article. When I analyzed it after reading, I summarized the article into three main questions that the author had answered throughout her writing.
1. Are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth safe at school?
2. How do LGBT students cope with their unsupportive surrounding peers?
3. How can schools be made safer for LGBT youth? Based on the article, the author deems most public schools to be unsafe for LGBT students. They face bullies, depression, and loneliness. These factors lead to a higher rate of students getting involved in drinking alcohol at a young age, doing drugs, and having unsafe sexual encounters. Linked with all of these negative factors are grades. These students being bullied miss more days of school, receive lower grades, and have lower educational aspirations, such as going to college or trade school. Along with the depression that kids can fall into as a result of this bullying, the depression can turn into a severe end with the student attempting suicide. In the article, the author references a few different suicide attempts, including one that happened here at Rutgers University three years ago. LGBT students who are going through such a harsh time find different ways of coping. They resort to drugs and alcohol, which are negative forms of coping, or can seek help from a professional. Guidance counselors in