People often think of high school as the peak of bullying, mean kids and stereotypes. In many situations, yes it is. But it's often forgotten how hard it can be in elementary school too. In fact, for many children, this is when they begin to develop ideas and labels that influence high school cliques and groups.
One of my major issues with elementary schools is their lack of support for LGBT kids. I'm not saying that all schools are this way, but there is a large amount of them. Teachers often shrug off the comments such as "gay." I remember being in second grade and my classmates telling me that the word gay was an insult to boys. My teacher, who ended up being part of the situation, didn't even take that opportunity to educate us students.
Many children come out during these years. As they start to learn about sex in school, they fail to learn that sex isn't just a thing between man and woman. I'm not saying they should go in detail, but they definitely need to discuss that sexuality is very diverse.
This is where so many ideologies come from. By not having the proper education and support, children either grow up feeling neglected, or form negative opinions of the LGBT community. I hear about so much bullying that goes on due to this, and so little is done about it. It's not just kids being kids. It's a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Unfortuantly, we can't just change the school system overnight. But I think it's important that supportive parents and teachers take the time to provide proper education. For myself, I know that I grew up with negative opinions on people within the LGBT community, and it took me branching off from what I was taught to discover the truth for myself (and I now identify as part of the community). If you know anyone who looks up to you, take time to educate them. That's the key to creating healthier school environments and a generation that embraces sexual and gender diversity.
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