Keywords:
family, parenting, visibility, volunteering
family, parenting, visibility, volunteering
Video Transcript
Sarah: Yeah, he goes to um, he goes to Palmerston Public School, and that's the, that's the school where I work.
Tara: Interesting.
Sarah: Yeah so, so we have um, we have the queer family right there at school, and with the staff and in the student body. So um, and Ted has had nothing but positive experiences. There’s no um, there have been several forerunners to us, um there are quite a few queer families in the neighbourhood.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So um, there are I think at present we have maybe four children, maybe more who have um, same-sex parents.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: -Both, both uh lesbians and gay, um, parents.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So by the time Teddy and I got to Palmerston...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...It was, the ground had already been set. I have to say, and it was absolutely seamless um, starting school there.
Sarah: We don't live in the neighbourhood, um but Ted was um, I brought Ted in to Palmerston because it was just easier for me as a single mother.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: As a single mother it was easier for me to, for us to be going to the same place in the morning. And also, I mean, Palmerston is um, it's a very, it's a very good school. It has an excellent reputation.
Sarah: Well, I think, I think it was um, what’s so unusual about Palmerston is that the parents are so involved.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: The parents are so heavily involved and um, back maybe um, maybe seven or eight years ago, the parents um, they um, they really took on a lot of… they were very, they really wanted to make sure that they were, that they were understood...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...And um, so they, the parents really made um, an effort to communicate with the, the administration.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So it wasn't just that um same um, same-sex uh parents were just sort of parts of the scenery. Um, the parents wanted to make sure that the school had a language to use, uh, to, to, to talk about it.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So um, so it was slightly before my time,
Tara: Right.
Sarah: But, the uh, there was an influx of um, of um, gay and lesbian um, partners who had children in the neighbourhood...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...And uh, so they, they had um, I think it started quite young, I mean even in um, in the daycares near by, uh where the, the two, you know the, the two mothers or the two fathers would come and talk to the kids.
Tara: Okay.
Sarah: Yeah, and so I think, I think that's important, where the, the teachers and the parents, and the students have some kind of shared language that they can, that everyone can understand.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So its not just part of the scenery, its, its uh, there’s um, there’s an under- there’s a, a direct understanding.
Sarah: Okay um, well it’s, by demographic, um...
Tara: Income, race.
Sarah: Yeah, it’s, it’s middle class, professionals...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...Um, but also, at some, at certain points in you know in the, um, you know the parents have had the chance to um, at least one of them to take time off and spend time at school and volunteer at the school. So that's been really great. Um, so there’s a huge um, parent uh, presence.
Sarah: Yeah, he goes to um, he goes to Palmerston Public School, and that's the, that's the school where I work.
Tara: Interesting.
Sarah: Yeah so, so we have um, we have the queer family right there at school, and with the staff and in the student body. So um, and Ted has had nothing but positive experiences. There’s no um, there have been several forerunners to us, um there are quite a few queer families in the neighbourhood.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So um, there are I think at present we have maybe four children, maybe more who have um, same-sex parents.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: -Both, both uh lesbians and gay, um, parents.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So by the time Teddy and I got to Palmerston...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...It was, the ground had already been set. I have to say, and it was absolutely seamless um, starting school there.
Sarah: We don't live in the neighbourhood, um but Ted was um, I brought Ted in to Palmerston because it was just easier for me as a single mother.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: As a single mother it was easier for me to, for us to be going to the same place in the morning. And also, I mean, Palmerston is um, it's a very, it's a very good school. It has an excellent reputation.
Sarah: Well, I think, I think it was um, what’s so unusual about Palmerston is that the parents are so involved.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: The parents are so heavily involved and um, back maybe um, maybe seven or eight years ago, the parents um, they um, they really took on a lot of… they were very, they really wanted to make sure that they were, that they were understood...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...And um, so they, the parents really made um, an effort to communicate with the, the administration.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So it wasn't just that um same um, same-sex uh parents were just sort of parts of the scenery. Um, the parents wanted to make sure that the school had a language to use, uh, to, to, to talk about it.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So um, so it was slightly before my time,
Tara: Right.
Sarah: But, the uh, there was an influx of um, of um, gay and lesbian um, partners who had children in the neighbourhood...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...And uh, so they, they had um, I think it started quite young, I mean even in um, in the daycares near by, uh where the, the two, you know the, the two mothers or the two fathers would come and talk to the kids.
Tara: Okay.
Sarah: Yeah, and so I think, I think that's important, where the, the teachers and the parents, and the students have some kind of shared language that they can, that everyone can understand.
Tara: Right.
Sarah: So its not just part of the scenery, its, its uh, there’s um, there’s an under- there’s a, a direct understanding.
Sarah: Okay um, well it’s, by demographic, um...
Tara: Income, race.
Sarah: Yeah, it’s, it’s middle class, professionals...
Tara: Right.
Sarah: ...Um, but also, at some, at certain points in you know in the, um, you know the parents have had the chance to um, at least one of them to take time off and spend time at school and volunteer at the school. So that's been really great. Um, so there’s a huge um, parent uh, presence.