Jack Boyd

Social studies teacher Lawrence Housley embraces Colorado’s social studies standards in his classroom.

Colorado Social Studies Standards require that teachers do more to include the perspectives of diverse racial and ethnic groups, religious minorities as well as LGBTQ communities. However, the Florida standards reject those same things. Students shouldn’t feel ashamed to be who they are, so learning about it in school makes it known about and ensures that students don’t feel excluded because of the different gender, religion, race, sexuality, etc.  

Students should feel welcomed in their school and not be uneducated on something very common in this day in age. If students are not enlightened on something that is so relevant in our society, students might start to question why it’s being hidden. Schools have now helped students find themselves by teaching a part of history not normally talked about nearly enough. By allowing students to learn about something so pertinent, making them understand and them feeling secure enough to speak out about anything evolving the subjects.

Students that are a part of the queer community would have a chance to get to understand it better and fear less for their futures. This also gives non queer students a chance to understand the community better. This makes sure that questions can be asked but in the presence of a teacher, in a calm and respectful way. Students should have the opportunity to ask questions and be observant of the world around them. LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. 

Multiple people think that exposing a child to things like these can change the way they think and turn them into a queer person. Unmasking children to the LGBTQ community, race, etc. at a young age in school helps them learn and be able to ask questions. It’s much better to learn from facts and opinions. students will feel more free to bring in family photos with two dads/moms and/ or racial/religious differences. It won’t feel awkward and if already talked about in the class it will feel typical and other children will not feel uncomfortable about another child’s parents.

Many parents are not happy about the phrase people are using “seeing themselves in the curriculum” because that shows that white children can’t be inspired by a black person and vice versa. There are many white people talked about regularly in social studies classes. This regulation is to make sure that there are people of all races being talked about, this way all students no matter what race or religion or sexuality has someone they can be inspired by. This doesn’t mean that children have to be inspired by that but it gives an option for true diversity in schools. 

Florida is banning important books.  Their school teachers would not be able to talk about LGBTQ, sexuality, ethnic groups, or anything related. This makes it so children only believe one thing and never learn the facts about history like a child should. Florida needs to stop banning everything that needs to be regulated.