Gay teachers?

[otc877]

I'm curious to know if there are any teachers on this board, if so...

1) What do you teach//what level (high school, etc)?
2) Are you out to your classes//colleagues?
3) Any adverse reactions within the field
4) Do you reprimand students who use the ever popular 'that's so gay'

I'm curious mainly because this is the profession I see myself in, and I'm curious to know what it's like for somebody... similar to myself in that respect.

Thanks in advance,
Chaz

EDIT: I guess the same could apply to students with openly gay teachers. So, ya. Have at it

[Gerry]

Well I am a student right now, studying to be a teacher. I don't know if that counts. Lol. I have a little while left to go. But I'll be there someday. I will not be open with my classes, but I'm sure it will be obvious anyways.

[dreamfinder]

One of my professors is gay (im sure)

1) What do you teach//what level (high school, etc)? College sociology
2) Are you out to your classes//colleagues? Not officialy but has made comments that can confirm it.
3) Any adverse reactions within the field Not to my knowledge
4) Do you reprimand students who use the ever popular 'that's so gay' YES!! it is great when he does.

[Maddy]

One of the teachers at my school is gay. He taught me English last year and he was actually one of the first people I came out to other than close friends. He's one of my favourite teachers ever.
-He teaches English and literature to year 11 and 12 students.
-He hasn't confirmed it to classes as far as I know, but in class last year he was very careful about using the word 'partner' and not using pronouns, and once when we were talking about euphemisms he said something along the lines of "the word 'homosexual' sounds like a science experiment or something, we don't call you 'heterosexuals'", which basically confirmed it to the class. (He's talked to me about it, so I knew, and he's the fairly effeminate type so most people had it picked early on.)
-He told me that one of the other teachers had once made a very derogatory comment to him about it, but that's all I know.
-He hasn't told people off for saying that as far as I know, but maybe he has and I have't heard it.

[CrimsonThunder]

I'm another soon to be teacher. Nearly finished the first certificate I have to do which has taken me longer than expected.

1) What do you teach//what level (high school, etc)? Im not sure what I want to teach yet, as long as it isnt child care I'm happy.
2) Are you out to your classes//colleagues? I will be out to both, I'm very happy with my bisexuality and so everyone will know that.
3) Any adverse reactions within the field. There wont be, if there is I will take it to the boss. >=D
4) Do you reprimand students who use the ever popular 'that's so gay'. Not sure yet, I use the term myself. =P

[Davo]

I'm starting a teaching post graduate course in a few months, hopefully, I'm not completely sure what yet, but I'm gonna try both maths and physics.

Don't know if I want to come out to my colleagues, but I definitely won't come out to my students, I don't think it's appropriate. I'm scared of adverse reactions, I hope that employers won't discriminate because of it, but it's a concern so I might not come out

I won't accept the "that's so gay" expression, I've been thinking that I should refuse to acknowledge the use as an insult and instead try to convince people that it's a compliment. I don't know how successful that will be

[joeyconnick]

I want to be a sociology prof and study queer stuff so I will eventually (after much toil and tribulation) be a "gay teacher" and I'll definitely be out about it. One of the convenient things about being me is that I don't find myself needing to announce, "Oh by the way I'm gay..." Most people just figure it out, which makes life a lot easier ultimately.

I don't think I would EVER teach high school, though, because there is just SUCH an entrenched issue with having gay teachers at that level that you either basically have to be in a battle from Day One or be closeted and I would never be closeted so I would be constantly butting heads with homophobic parents and school administrators (and probably students). Plus the kinds of things I would want to teach about (which would be queer sociological stuff) are not the kinds of things that usually get taught at high schools--about the closest would be history/social studies about civil rights movements. Very few high schools (that I know of) even have courses that progressive, let alone courses on gay rights or sociology.

But I think I would totally reprimand people who used "that's so gay." I find it very annoying how people seem to think that because they say it casually, it has no potential to hurt anyone. People are so deliberately naïve about things!