Safe Spaces: Inside the Classroom Walls Quotes

"Most teachers are reinforcers. They teach their students the status quo; they shrink from challenging dominant social patterns and expectations, especially in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity. Even teachers who describe themselves as social justice advocates fail to challenge homophobic or transphobic language and images in many early childhood settings."

The idea that teachers are afraid of challenging dominant social patterns and expectations doesn't really surprise me, to be honest. I can't remember that many teachers that weren't taking the time to include LGBTQ students in their stories and examples. Plus, they have a lot of people watching over their shoulders that may not agree with them, like parents, other teachers, administrators, and members of the community. The last sentence of the quote really brings me back to Delpit. Those in power don't see their power and don't recognize a lot of the hurtful language in classrooms.

"The erasure of LGBT people is sometimes ensconced in textbooks or standardized tests; at other times, the erasure is a result of a teacher's assumptions about heterosexuality and gender conformity."

I can't remember a lot o times where I had heard about families with two moms or two dads in my schooling. Sure, there were divorced families and adopted families but those were still seen as normal. But, nothing about homosexuality and families with two moms or two dads. Again, going to this idea of power and privilege, straightness is a norm of society. So, schools use it as a base of their teachings because its easier for them to teach the norms because they believe it will be easier for students to understand and integrate themselves into that society.

"Erasure might be preferred, however, to the anti-LGBT teaching that some states mandate in their health curriculum."

I really didn't know that  there was anything called anti-LGBT laws in states in the year 2015. By denying LGBT students education about their health is basically denying a whole population of health concerns. These laws deny students from learning about gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender issues which is unsafe for students that identify as any of these sexual orientations. This creates an issue for their future! As teachers, its important to create safe enviornment and when these laws are created, that safe environment is eradicated. I found a website discussing the basics of these laws and this website uses the hasthag "#DontEraseUs" which is a clever hashtag to enhance that these are essentially erasing every other sexual orientation other than heterosexual.