Alyssa's Taking Action Post

Here is my post about how I took action with gay marriage.  I went on to the website Freedom to Marry (www.freedomtomary.org) 

On the website you can Join the Majority for Marriage Pledge, you can speak out and contact your legislator, you can join mayors in supporting marriage, and you can also donate money to the win more states fund.

Signing the pledge gave me a sense of accomplishment, and made me feel like I was giving back to  the community. I also like that most people in our class signed pledges for their group projects.

There are many democratic values that I feel contradict the ability for people to marry whoever they want to marry.  I found these Core Democratic Values and Beliefs definitions on (http://www.classroomhelp.com/lessons/cdv/cdv_definition.html)

Fundamental Beliefs

Life:

 A person's right to life can't be violated except if your life or the lives of others is threatened.

Liberty: 

This includes personal freedom, political freedom, and economic freedom. This is the freedom for people to gather in groups. They have their own beliefs, ideas and opinions. People also have the right to express their opinions in public.

Personal Freedom 

 the right to think and act without government control.

Political Freedom 

 the right to participate in political process.

Economic Freedom 

the right to buy, sell and trade private property and the right to employment without the government interfering.

The Pursuit of Happiness: 

As long as you don't interfere with others you have the right to seek happiness in your own way.

Common Good:

 Working together for the welfare of the community or the benefit of all.

Justice:

 All people should be treated fairly in both the benefits and the obligations of society. No individual or group should be favored over another person or group.

Equality:

 Everyone has the right to Political, Legal, Social and Economic Equality. Everyone has the right to the same treatment regardless of race, sex, religion, heritage, or economic status.

Diversity:

 The differences in culture, dress, language, heritage and religion are not just tolerated, but celebrated as a strength.

Truth:

 They should expect and demand that the government not lie to them and the government should disclose information to the people. The government and its people should not lie.

Popular Sovereignty: 

The power of the government comes from the people. The people are the ultimate authority over the government.

Patriotism: 

The people or citizens show a love and devotion for their country and the values. They can show this by words or by actions.

I think that in the classroom it is important to teach about equality and social justices.  Just like with any topic that you teach in the classroom as a teacher you need to make sure that you are teaching age appropriate/ and grade appropriate material. The classroom is where children learn most of their knowledge, from social issues to basic arithmetic. They learn a lot from each other and other opinions as well as from what the teacher is teaching. If teachers teach social justice appropriately in the classroom it will help the students to grow up and use there knowledge effectively. 

Abby's Post

Like Lauren, in order to take action in support of gay marriage, I went online to a site called Freedom to Marry (http://www.freedomtomarry.org/) and signed a pledge that declares not only my support of gay marriage, but also declares my intent to be active participant in the fight for marriage equality. I then posted a link to the pledge on my Facebook page, hoping to inspire others to sign it as well. This site offered several avenues for people wanting to take part in their campaign - the pledge being one example. I also clicked on the link that gave me step-by-step instructions on how to go about contacting government officials and voice my support for gay marriage. These are steps I will take. I feel like it is not only my duty to be an active participant in issues that affect my country, but also feel it is my duty as the niece/cousin/friend of members of the LGBT community. Signing this pledge and committing to contacting congress made me feel influential - like I could do my part to make a difference.

 

Voicing an individual opinion is the idea at the heart of democracy. Democracy allows the voices of all citizens to be heard, not just those in positions of power. Just as each person is entitled to their own beliefs and values, a person is absolutely entitled to their own opinion. Moreover, these opinions  should be able to be expressed freely, without fear of persecution (as long as the expression is not one of physical violence or verbal abuse. I am talking about logical, reasonable opinions.) We do not have to agree with our fellow voters, but in order to gain a clear understanding of issues that affect us all, we should at least be willing to listen to those who oppose us.

 

I believe it is not only a good idea, but a responsibility to teach about social justice issues within a classroom. The key is to make sure the lesson has a purpose and is age/grade appropriate. Social justice issues have plagued the world throughout history, and only by introducing them to students can teachers provide a complete overview of whole our country (and world as a whole) was shaped. A classroom is where students gain a huge part of the information that will shape the adults they will become, second only to the home. In a home setting, the views that are pressed upon the children are those of their parents, and are usually one-sided. If teachers take the time to introduce a controversial topic like social justice in their classes, students will gain a better understanding of the issues. This will lead to them forming their own beliefs and opinions along the way, not simply parroting the words of their parents. The education system serves the public interest by turning out well-informed, actively involved citizens.

 

The quote “Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies” sums up the idea that social justice is not simply for the mighty. Social justice is not meant for some but for all, with no regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Party affiliation does not matter - Democrat or Republican, it is the duty of a teacher to teach her/his students about social justice.

Teaching the BIG IDEA Behind Gay Marriage

Group Post:

               The "BIG IDEA" behind our chosen topic of gay marriage is the fight to make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. As the presidential election draws closer, this topic will become more and more prevalent, given the vast difference in where the two parties stand on the issue. According to the Human Rights Campaign, President Obama has led the way on significant advancements in equality for the LGBT community. From his historic endorsement of gay marriage equality, to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" within our military, to fighting for hospital visitation rights for same-sex partners, Obama has made the Democratic stand clear. President Obama has done more to improve the lives of the LGBT community than any other president in history. While this is a kudo for Obama, the reality is that this is due, in large part to the LGBT community finding a voice and fighting for their rights.

               One critical attribute of this big idea is equality, something all people should have regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Equality does not mean "separate but equal," a concept that plagued the civil rights movement. Equality means equal, in every sense of the word.  It should not called "gay marriage" but simply "marriage. Segregation, another critical attribute of the topic, is an idea thought archaic by most of the United States, but for many people the idea of segregation only applies to issues of race. Why? The act of segregating is defined as "the separating of one person, group, or thing from others, or the dividing of people or things into separate groups kept apart from each other." By telling the LGBT community that they are not entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples, those against same-sex marriage are perpetrating acts of segregation. Many of these same people would be outraged by acts of racial discrimination.

               As a country, we need to stop accepting acts of discrimination and segregation. We can no longer take on the attitude of "It doesn't affect me, so who cares?" or "I'm only one person, what can I do?" One way to accomplish this change in attitude is to start teaching students the facts early. Of course the subject is controversial, and must be handled with care. But if it is introduced in a way that is unbiased and age-appropriate, we as teachers are ensuring that students gain only the relevant information and are allowed to form their own (educated) opinions.

               To provide Information Knowledge, teachers will need to present a general overview of the gay marriage, including facts (when policies were put in place, when laws were changed, etc), concepts (the parties' opposing viewpoints, for instance, or the idea of equality), and generalizations (for example, relating the topic civil rights movement of the 1960s). While this information is important, it is somewhat hollow without Procedural Knowledge; that is, explaining how to make sense of the Information Knowledge that has been presented. Our textbook says that the purpose of Procedural Knowledge is to "empower people to set aside bias and subjectivity in order to engage in impartial analysis of new knowledge for the sake of more objective ideas." This would involve asking students to use executive processing functions and think critically. In other words, we are asking them to apply the Information Knowledge.

 

To break up this concept as a lesson to teach, we would do the following:

 

Step 1: What are gay rights? What are the issues that people are currently fighting for? What are some recent developments (positive and negative) in the fight for gay rights? (Information)

 

Step 2: What has President Obama done so far in his presidency to support gay rights and the LGBT community? What is the stance on gay rights in Massachusetts?  (Information)

 

Step 3: Which political party opposes gay marriage? If their candidate is elected president, what may happen to the LGBT citizens of this country? (Procedural)

 

Step 4: What can YOU do to take a stand? (Procedural)

 

During our class discussion, we will:

 

Take a poll to find out where our group stands on the issue of gay marriage. Do they think that any compromise other than full equality is acceptable? After we get a baseline idea of the group's stance on the issue, we will introduce facts about gay marriage that the group might not be aware of, including the rights that are denied to same-sex couples by banning gay marriage. (Even though most of our class has already expressed their views - supportive - on gay marriage, some might not know why they really support it. It may just "seem like the thing to do") In order to provide an unbiased overview of the issue, we will introduce both parties' viewpoints, as well as the reasoning behind them. After our presentation of facts, we will re-poll the class and see if opinions have changed. If there is no change, we will ask our classmates if any of the information we have presented has helped to firm-up their support of gay marriage, or made them question where they really stand.

 

 Gay Rights vs. Civil Rights

The New Civil Rights Movement