Talking Points #6: August. Making Room for One Another (connections)







In Making Room for One Another, Gerri August can be connected to a few of the different authors/ theorists that we have read about throughout this course.  To start, I picked up on an immediate connection to Meyer when August writes about a student who has two moms.  She talks about how different that student must feel especially during circle time when the children are encouraged to share stories about traditions, celebrations, vacations, and other notable family experiences.  Already the student with two moms has different experiences which could make for circle time to be confusing and or scary.  In the very same chapter, and even the same topic, I also see a connection to Delpit.  Delpit would say that this student knows how to be a child of two lesbian moms that’s not the issue.  Delpit would say to teach this child to function given her background; to function in today’s society. 

Here is a link to the GLSEN website where you can find many resourses to use that would benefit a student who comes from a non-traditional family. This site has different lessons you can teach about non-traditional families.

I also see a strong connection to Johnson in Gerri August’s writing.  She writes about this student named Cody who is having a hard time when a class poll is taken and the majority of the students voted/ replied “yes” when asked if they were excited about the exhibition.  Cody replied that he wasn’t excited and Trinity was continuously adding commentary about “yes” winning because yes had more votes.  When Cody became very upset the teacher asked that Trinity stop saying that yes was the winner and to phrase it differently.  The teacher requested that when reflecting on the poll that they use the terms “most and least” instead of “winning and losing.”  I see the connection to Johnson because Johnson would say let’s call it what it is.  We need to call it by its name.  Similarly to when August writes about the teacher coming in wearing an African shirt and a little girl came in calling her an Indian because she thought that her teacher looked like a Native American.  When the teacher went through the process of asking the student why she said that, the teacher explained that the shirt was actually from Africa.  Again, calling the shirt what it is which was and a shirt made in Africa not an “Indian shirt.” 

August makes a lot of great points in her writing.  I see many connections to a most of the theorists that we have studied thus far.  I think August has many very valid issues that she address in her research and I am anxious to hear more.  I am excited to meet with her on class and learn more about the studies she has done and the research she has come up with.