1. UNDERSTANDING THE SPECIAL
NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH
SAME-SEX PARENTS

2. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
INTRODUCTION
Children who come from diverse family backgrounds, including
children with same-sex Parents, have the same needs as other
children. However, sometimes their family circumstances and the
community‟s perception about them, make them feel different
than other students. Therefore, they have some needs that must
be met.
As a teacher, it is your responsibility to ensure that
those special needs are understood and met.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

3. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
INTRODUCTION
According to the studies of the 1990 consensus, almost 23.7% of
partnered lesbians and 5.2% of partnered gay men have at least
one child residing in their home. Most of these youngsters are
school-aged children. There is a strong need that these children
feel supported and welcome members in the school community.
This guide has been developed to
Help YOU identify and meet the special needs of students with same-
sex Parents, thus allowing these students to thrive in the classroom.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

4. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
There are many ways that children from different ethnic,
religious and family-structures backgrounds are made to feel
different than their peers.
This guide explores some of the ways that make children of gay
and lesbian families feel different or left out. It also makes
suggestions about what can be done to include them and make
them feel equally important as others in the classroom.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

5. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
Language
The language being used in and around the classroom has to be
sensitive to the diversity of the students present there. When
language is an issue in the classroom or on the playground, then
you will have to make decisions about the extent of the problem
and solutions to rectify the situation.
Read more about the language issue in this guide book.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

6. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
Events and Social activities
When students are excluded from a social event in their school
for reasons that are beyond their control, then the opposite
effect is achieved and they feel left out inside of coming closer
together.
Learn how to manage school events and activities to include all
your students and achieve the maximum social outcome.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

7. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
Curriculum
Many text books are not written in a way that is sensitive to a
diverse family structure. Students who never see themselves or
their families represented in a lesson plan, often feel alienated
from the subject matter.
Learn how to overcome the issue of curriculum by generating
other activities to include these students.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

8. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
Class Parents
Another way that students sometimes feel left out is when other
children have their parents participate in the classroom as
helpers or on school trips.
Learn to find commonality in diverse groups and use that as a
basis to form bonds.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

9. SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS
W I T H S A M E - S E X PA R E N T S
WHAT MAKES THESE STUDENTS FEEL DIFFERENT?
Safety Concerns
Most schools have a „NO BULLYING‟ policy which extends to all
of the students in the community. These policies help but can not
be completely effective because many bullying cases go
unreported.
Read about how the safety concerns can be addressed, what
“cyber bullying” is and how can it be controlled.
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO

10. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DR. PATRICIA FIORIELLO IS AN EDUCATOR FROM SAN FRANCISCO,
CALIFORNIA. AN INTERNATIONAL FIGURE, DR. FIORIELLO, HAS
EXTENSIVE TRAINING IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. HER PROFESSIONAL
BACKGROUND AND POSITIONS IN EDUCATION REFLECTS HER AVID
EXPERIENCE. PROFICIENT IN BLOGGING, PUBLICATIONS, AND
MARKETING TECHNIQUES, SHE PERFECTLY BLENDS THE WORLDS OF
TRADITIONAL AND MODERN APPROACHES TOWARDS EDUCATION.
PLEASE VISIT THE APART FROM COACHING AND MENTORING, SHE AIDS THE SCHOOL
FOLLOWING SITES FOR
SYSTEMS WITH TECHNOLOGY AND MARKETING TECHNIQUES. HER
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DRPF Consults MARKETING SKILLS AND PROFOUND EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION
http://DRPFConsults.com MAKES HER CONTRIBUTIONS AS AN EDUCATOR, INVALUABLE FOR
High School Mediator HER ASSOCIATES. WITH ALL THE PROVEN STRATEGIES AND LATEST
http://HighSchoolMediator.com CONTENTS, FOR BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THESE EBOOKS
Kids Learn To Blog MIRROR HER DEDICATION AND PASSION FOR EDUCATION.
http://:KidsLearnToBlog.com

11. HOW TO ORDER
K-12 EDUCATION PRACTICES & ISSUES - DR PATRICIA FIORIELLO