"We are, at almost every point of our day, immersed in cultural diversity: faces, clothes, smells, attitudes, values, traditions, behaviors, beliefs, rituals." - Randa Abdel-Fattah. My students live and breath this very concept.
My students are inquisitive human beings with a thirst for social justice and equity.
Our school is an urban public school in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Students at our school pride themselves on celebrating the diversity that our location offers; its a welcome space for all students because of their respect for different gender identities, religions, ethnicity, races, sexual orientations, and abilities. Our school is known for its high standards, and the high achievement levels of our students. These kids really do hold our futures in their hands and that makes me feel great.
My Project
I have been teaching a Queer History class at my amazing public high school for two years now. This course explores the very nature of history: who gets to tell it, how voices get "lost," and how and why some history gets "discovered." Students who take the course gain a great deal of knowledge into the role queer individuals played in shaping history and how history shaped queer identity.
One of the favorite projects is an independent exploration of queer identity in literature, television, and film.
Your support of this project will add some of the newer award-winning films and novels (as well as a few classics) to our school library collection. Because some of the titles are "R" Rated, students have to have special permission to check these films out, but the exposure to diverse perspectives on queer identity ("The Way He Looks" is a Brazilian Film, "Women on The Verge" is from Spain) really helps students think beyond the American hetero-normative binary that they were raised in.
Your donation to this project will give students a chance to see themselves portrayed in quality popular works of artistic media, and that is a gift of becoming visible!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Fox and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
