Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/27719
¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! deal with bullying. Do we deal with it imme- diately and responsibly, or do we look away? Every day in schools across California there are opportunities for teachers, education support professionals and principals to turn bullying into teachable moments. In fact, re- spect and tolerance are lessons that can last a lifetime. What’s more, confronting and ad- dressing the bullying of all students is part of the California Education Code and the le- gal responsibility of educators. Most people think they know bullying be- I havior when they see it, but what about when it relates to the bullying of gay, lesbian, bisexu- al and transgender (GLBT) students? It’s an is- sue some people aren’t comfortable talking about, but that doesn’t make it any less impor- tant. In fact, when you look at the research, you may be surprised. Did you know that the suicide rate for GLBT student continues to be three to four times higher than that of other stu- dents? Two out of three GLBT students say they don’t feel safe at school. And nearly 85 percent report being verbally harassed. That’s no way for a student to spend their day at school — scared, hurt, unfocused on learning. But students are not responsible for the safety of our campuses. Adults are. And we can’t stand by while our students feel unsafe. School districts cannot back down from con- fronting incidents when they occur. Educators cannot dismiss homophobic language when we hear it. And we cannot wait for students to enter middle school or high school before we start teaching them about tolerance. That’s why I’m so proud of this issue of the California Educator and the resources that have been compiled for this feature. With GLBT bullying so prevalent in our schools, it’s important we recognize it and stop it. The awareness we raise will not only promote a safer learning environment, it also has the potential to improve the lives of our students — in some cases, even save them. I know the statistics on GLBT bullying aren’t pretty, but we can make things better just by being aware of the issue and vowing to make our schools a safe zone for all students. ¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! [Yes we can! Why not?], words inspired by César Chávez, encourage us to remember that, together, we can achieve great things. 4 California Educator | MARCH 2011 B Y C TA P R ESIDEN T D A VID A. S ANCHEZ don’t believe any child has ever been born a bully. I think they learn it from watching adults. And in schools, I be- lieve, they are keenly aware of how we Our students are counting on us now, more than ever. In addition to bringing awareness to their differences and promoting tolerance and understanding, we must continue to speak out about the bullying tactics of Sacramento poli- tics. The governor has proposed a balanced budget that relies on Californians having a choice to extend temporary revenues, but a handful of legislators don’t want to allow us to vote and are threatening their colleagues who are even considering support. Time is running out. More than $20 bil- lion in cuts to schools and colleges over the past three years have left our students with fewer teachers, fewer class options, and few- er opportunities to receive a well-rounded education. Even in the midst of this eco- nomic downturn, California maintains the eighth-largest economy in the world. We al- so maintain the largest student-to-teacher ratios in the country, and the latest round of 19,000 layoff notices that went out to teach- ers isn’t going to make things better. We can and must do better. As I write this, legislators have yet to reach an agreement on the state budget or whether to allow us to vote on the proposed tax extension. We must continue to make our communities aware of what is happen- ing to their neighborhood schools and col- leges. They must know that class sizes are too large, text books are outdated, arts and sports programs are being eliminated, and fees are increasing, because these con- ditions aren’t good for our students and aren’t good for California. It’s evident that our schools need more resources, but we can’t wait for the politi- cians in Sacramento to agree on how to in- crease funding, or even allow us to extend the current revenues. Some, it seems, are more interested in partisan platforms. Bullying behavior has no more place in the halls of our Capitol than is does in the halls of our schools — especially when so much is at stake. EDITOR IN CHIEF Malaika Costello-Dougherty STAFF WRITER Sherry Posnick-Goodwin CTA WEB EDITOR Karyn Ferrera Donhoff CTA WEB EDITOR Tiffany Hasker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Craig Hamilton CTA ELECTED OFFICERS PRESIDENT David A. Sanchez VICE PRESIDENT Dean E. Vogel SECRETARY-TREASURER Gail M. Mendes BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Allen, E. Toby Boyd, Donald L. Bridge, Tyrone V. Cabell, Mikki Cichocki, Elana Davidson, Don Dawson, Dana Dillon, David Goldberg, Jim Groth, Eric C. Heins, Marty G. Meeden, George Melendez, Theresa Montaño, Mary Rose Ortega, Cynthia Peña, Jim Rogers, Bonnie Shatun, Marc Sternberger, Michael Stone, Curtis Washington EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Carolyn Doggett ASSOCIATE EXEC. DIRECTOR Rebecca Zoglman COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jonathan Goldman CONTRIBUTORS Scott Buschman, Dave Crosland, Len Feldman, Bill Guy, David Julian, Dina Martin, Mike Myslinski, Kamran Nasser, Frank Wells EDITORIAL INFORMATION California Educator is published for the information and edification of its members. The editorial philoso- phy is governed by the policies of CTA. Articles and advertising reflect that philosophy. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@cta.org. 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