Glee Musings from the Trenches

Over the past few days I have read both praises and critiques of Glee's "Never Been Kissed" episode. If you haven't seen it, it is a must watch. I often find myself sitting on the proverbial fence with Glee's controversial topics. On one hand, I applaud the show for highlighting serious issues that teens deal with (sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, homosexuality, religion, etc.) in a continuous, forward thinking fashion. On the other hand, I have been disappointed by the plot, the stereotyping, and sometimes, glaring hypocrisy. If I experience a negative Glee reaction, I can often ground myself by remembering the intended audience.

So, let's get real, I mean, as in realistic. I work in a high school and besides a few randoms rapping in the courtyard, I have never seen a group of impeccably synchronized teenagers bust into song with a teacher in the middle of the school day. I have never fished a student out of a dumpster, and if our PE teacher spoke to my principal in a Sue Sylvester manner, well, let's just say I hope she has tenure. Most of the Gleetiques are from a professional lens, whereas the show is trying to send valid messages to teenagers. If you have a teen, work with a teen, or spend a few hours with a teen, you are fully aware that they are all over the place. They are developing values, morals, and making many lesson learning mistakes along the way. If the show were a point-driven afterschool special, they wouldn't watch it. Nor would I.

I think Glee is a hilarious, thought provoking opportunity to discuss important topics with teens. In fact, just yesterday I had a fabulous bullying discussion with an 11th grader after she saw my "Glee" computer wallpaper. She immediately said "OMG, that is, like, my favorite show – did you see it last night?" And we talked about Glee for 2 minutes, and the issues for 20. There are many shows geared towards teens that are mind polluting, offensive, and simply not worth airtime. I don't believe Glee is one of them. I think I'll wear my "Gleek" shirt today, just because I can.

JVT