To Sieve or Not to Sieve?

Upon reading the article The Democratic Sieve in Teacher Education: Confronting Heterosexism for a graduate class on the social foundations of education, I came home rather fired-up. It seems my fellow graduate students and I differ on our interpretation of the article.

The article by John Petrovic discusses the idea that an educational college institution should have the right to sort possible future teachers into two categories: those who should teach and those who should not. Petrovic's main example discussed homosexuality among the student population.

Picture this, you are a undergraduate student in your freshman year of an educational program. You are assigned to write your response to a student who confidentially confides in you that he/she might be gay.Do you:A) Tell the student that he/she must ask God for forgiveness from their sin.B) Tell them you can't help them.C) Let them know that you are there to listen to them whenever he/she may need to talk.

If you chose A or B you may be "red flagged" and possibly asked not to pursue the teaching profession at that college.

Upon listening to side conversations from some of the students in my grad class tonight I quickly realized that my take on the article was in the minority. Most people were angered by the even thought of someone possibly being able to tell them that they cannot study to become a teacher based on what they believe. I argue, that it is not what you believe, but whether or not you are supportive of the beliefs and feelings of your students.

It is fine to say that I believe it is morally wrong to be a homosexual. It is equally fine to believe that homosexuallity is a person's right as an American citizen. But as a teacher, it is not okay to ever push those beliefs or even discuss them openly with your students.

That said, imagine that you are a teacher. We will say for the convenience of argument that a student in your class is struggling with homosexuality (if you think outside of the box it could be any student, at any age, with any problem be it homosexuality, sexual abuse, physical abuse, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, etc..). The student feels he has no where to turn to for advice or help. His friends would abandon him, his parents would shun him, and he certainly doesn't know the school counselors well enough to confide in with information. Would you want that student to look at you thinking "She would just judge me too", or would you want him to think "She may be understanding of what I have to say"?

Teachers do not only present information to students in order for them to pass a test. They are role models, they are parents, they are nurses, they are mediators, and refferees. Teachers should create an environment of support and understanding where students are free to think, to ask questions, and to come to their own conclusions. A classroom should be a non-threatening environment to all students, including blacks, homosexuals, muslims, and any other minority that is not a WASP, and yes, even WASPs should feel welcomed. If a student turns away from your doorway when seeking out help for a serious issue, then you as the teacher did something wrong.

Now, does not being able to be a supportive, non-judgmental adult make you unfit to become a teacher? I think so. No college should ever breed a future educator that would breathe the words "if you are going to be openly gay, you are going to have to expect this kind of treatment" (Petrovic) to a homosexual student who continually gets harassed both verbally and physically because of his sexuality.

Teachers who are narrow-minded and ignorant to diversity yield students who are equally ignorant and close-minded. Teachers who are not up for the task of molding all students into a free-thinkers, or who are ademently against provideing unbiased guidence for troubled youth are in the wrong profession and should be told so before they spend 90,000 and six years of their life on an education, or worse; push a student to suicide because that student felt that he/she had no one to turn to.