VOA标准英语2012--Teachers Taught to Combat Homophobia

Teachers Taught to Combat Homophobia

The instructor¹ training program begins with a staged scene. High school actors, playing high school students, walk into their English class talking about a teen who was beaten up the day before.

"If Travis wanted gay rights, he got them," says one actor. "Rights, lefts, uppercuts, a kick to the face. Bam!"

The discussion heats up, and the kids start baiting each other. Before long, the class is out of control. 

This training program is presented by Encompass², a non-profit group that focuses on diversity issues in California schools. The actors are students from the LA County High School for the Arts. School administrators³, counselors⁴ and teachers are in the audience.

According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, challenging moments like the one in the skit⁵, come up a lot. By the time they get to high school, 90 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered students have experienced physical, verbal or sexual harassment⁷ at school. 

Artistic⁸ Director Kevin Blake, who co-wrote the scene and plays Mr. McGregor, the teacher in the scene, says that can poison the classroom environment for everyone.

“Just on that basic level, if these students are feeling this pressure or this bullying⁹ or teasing or harassment, they’re not able to focus on their work, they’re not able to accomplish what they’re there in school to accomplish.” 

And when that happens, Skyler Jackson, program director of Encompass says, California teachers don’t have a choice about whether or not to intervene.

In 2000, state lawmakers amended¹⁰ the education code "...to include sexual orientation¹¹ and gender⁶ identity and those that are perceived to be different based on sexual orientation to be protected from bullying and harassment in schools.”

Twelve other states currently have similar laws. And a federal bill, which would require every school in the country to offer those protections, has been gaining support in congress.

An important aspect of the Encompass approach is that it’s not about changing a teacher’s attitudes or personal beliefs about homosexuality. Instead, the training offers tools to help teachers recognize and address sexual bias¹² in their class. 

After watching the first scene, teachers in the audience offer suggestions on how to better handle the situation. The actors then restage the scene, incorporating those suggestions. 

There are other diversity training programs, but Encompass is different. Instead of getting a list of do’s and don’ts, teachers get the chance to examine their own preconceptions, trade experiences, and then watch their ideas played out in the classroom. 

“What really made a difference was the improv," says Beverly Tate, who teaches at Pasadena City College, "the way they came back the second time and really stayed true to their characters and to see the changes in the way the teacher addressed the bias and the language in the classroom.”

Student actor Drew Cameron hopes they’re making a difference. “Hopefully teachers are watching this and not just thinking, 'Here’s some students that are putting on a scene for us.' [They’re thinking], 'Here are some students who are showing us how to be better teachers.'” 

Better teachers in a school where every student feels safe to focus on the job of learning.

1 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

2 encompass   

vt.围绕，包围；包含，包括；完成

参考例句：

• The course will encompass physics,chemistry and biology.课程将包括物理、化学和生物学。
• The project will encompass rural and underdeveloped areas in China.这项工程将覆盖中国的农村和不发达地区。

3 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

4 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

5 skit   

n.滑稽短剧；一群

参考例句：

• The comic skIt sent up the foolishness of young men in love.那幅画把沉溺于热恋中的青年男子的痴态勾勒得滑稽可笑。
• They performed a skit to amuse the crowd.他们表演了一个幽默小品来娱乐观众。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

8 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

9 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

11 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

12 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。