Description
Book SynopsisBased on a qualitative research study of gay and lesbian teachers, Unmasking Identities explores how gay and lesbian teachers bring together their identities in a climate where the two have historically been pitted against each other. Janna Marie Jackson demonstrates that participants made direct and indirect connections between their experiences related to being gay or lesbian and their classroom practices of promoting social justice and building on students'' understandings. This process of integrating their sexual identities with their roles as teachers was facilitated and inhibited by several factors including the community atmosphere, school culture, and family status. This unique book explores what happens when identities are oppressed and suppressed and the consequences when they finally break free. Unmasking Identities provides theoretical understandings and practical advice for teachers, administrators, and policy-makers who are concerned about gay and lesbian issues. This engaging text will appeal to those interested in gender studies and issues in education.
Trade ReviewDrawing on the best of modern and post-modern theory, Janna M. Jackson provides a rich context for the engaging stories of nine lesbian and gay teachers who struggle to survive in a culture still rife with homophobia. Reaching beyond and beneath the surface of their inspiring stories, she shows how family, community, and personal experiences affect the coming out process and finds some powerful implications for practitioners and researchers alike. Anyone who cares about education will appreciate this insightful look at the meaning of sexual identity in contemporary classrooms and schools. -- Rita Kissen, editor of Getting Ready for Benjamin: Preparing Teachers for Sexual Diversity in the Classroom
I wish Dr. Jackson had written this book twenty years ago, when I was a young teacher struggling to integrate my identities as a teacher and a gay man. Her highly sensible developmental model, based on the real life experiences of LGBT teachers, would have helped me understand what I was going through and what to expect next. This is essential reading not only for LGBT educators but also for anyone who wants the answer to the question 'How do gay teachers teach?' -- Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), and author of One Teacher in Ten: LGBT Educ
Unmasking Identities does indeed explore the lives of gay and lesbian teachers—and it does so with depth, insight and clarity. This is a well-researched addition to the literature on a very important subject. -- Dan Woog, author of School's Out: The Impact of Gay and Lesbian Issues on America's Schools
Table of ContentsChapter 1 We're Here, We're Queer, and We Teach Your Children Chapter 2 Profiles in Courage Chapter 3 Sh... Out: From Silence to Self Chapter 4 Out in Context: Factors Influencing Outness Chapter 5 "We Teach Who We Are" : From Self to Students Chapter 6 Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
