By Brian Cheslik
Almost two million LGBTQ+ teenagers consider suicide each year, according to The Trevor Project. A recent survey by the organization indicates that “Nearly 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24, and 1 in 3 transgender and non-binary young people in the same age group, attempted suicide in the past 12 months.” Do these statistics scare you? If they don’t, they should.
Educational pedagogy is constantly changing and growing as technology advances, new laws are passed, and new students enter our doors. One major problem still remains, however: bullying. This has been around longer than there have been schools, but it has become a major epidemic in our field.
Brian Cheslik is a Deaf Education teacher and currently teaches at a state residential school for the Deaf. He has a BA in English Literature from Gallaudet University, an MS in Deaf Studies & Deaf Education from Lamar University, and is now pursuing a PhD in the same field, also at Lamar University.
