Day of Silence

After debating it for the last couple of weeks, I decided I'm going to participate in the Day of Silence this year (at work). I may do it at home too... I'm participating in GLSEN's 15th annual Day of Silence in order to reflect on the prevalence of name-calling, bullying and harassment that still occurs every single day in school. Although I will continue to talk for necessary instructional and behavior management purposes, I will otherwise be remaining silent throughout the rest of the school day--which will be interesting because I normally talk to my students quite a bit.

For those who aren't familiar, The Day of Silence is an annual event designed to illustrate the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT. Anti-LGBT bullying is a pervasive problem that creates unsafe learning environments for all students.

As an educator who cares, I believe in a world where all students deserve to feel safe and welcome at school regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.