The new Ontario sexual education curriculum, being introduced in the classroom this 2015/2016 school year, has raised numerous concerns and applauds from individuals all over the province. Many parents from the Halton Catholic board are having serious issues with this new curriculum, with parents from opposing sides of the argument threatening to physically harm other parents for their disagreements regarding the issues (Fatima, 2015).
The government did not update the Health and Physical Education curriculum without first consulting parents. Freeman (2015), reports that a parent from each publically funded school in Ontario were sent a survey last year asking about what their educational priorities were. However, Freeman (2015) mentions that the surveys themselves did not ask the parents what they felt should be included in the sexual education curriculum, which could be cause for the uproar of opposition from many. With this being said, the government ensures that the updated curriculum was developed with the help of experts in the area. But with this being said, many people have concerns regarding who this expert is. The Campaign Life Coalition, released an article stating that the Deputy Education Minister at the time of this revamp in curriculum was a confessed child sex predator, being charged with seven child pornography related charges.
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| Excerpt taken from the Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised, discussing the Human Development and Sexual Health for Grade 1 students.https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum |
I will not go into the ins and outs of this new curriculum, as it can be accessed and looked over by any member of the public via this link “Health and Physical Education 2015”. Regardless of the arguments that this new sexual education curriculum has caused, Freeman (2015) mentions that parents are able to withdraw their child from these new Health and Physical Education lessons if they are uncomfortable with their child learning this new curriculum. However, it must be done through the process that each school has in place.
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| http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/05/02/ontarians-divided-over-new-sex-education-curriculum-poll-suggests.html |
With this being said, as a future educator, it is concerning to learn about all the controversy surrounding a piece of legislation I will be required to incorporate in my classroom. In their book Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, Drake, Reid, and Kolohan (2014) mention how important it is that we understand and embrace the “emerging new story” of education. Within this new story, we must understand three things, a) that technology is transforming the education we grew up and are familiar with into something entirely new that we need to learn and embrace, b) that the new pedagogy of education surrounds the idea of constructivism and allowing students to be at the center of their learning and c) that we as educators are change agents meaning that we have to be the mediators of all of this new information in the curriculum. Furthermore, we must understand and know our students (Drake, Reid, & Kolohan, 2014). It is not enough to simply reiterate and regurgitate the same curriculum year in and year out, as educators of this new story of education, we must be able to adapt and change the curriculum to incorporate the uniqueness of each and every one of our new students.
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| Excerpt taken from the Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised, discussing the Human Development and Sexual Health for Grade 6 students.https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum |
Understanding the new story of education as well as understanding that we must know our students and embrace their uniqueness; teaching this new Health and Physical Education curriculum might be somewhat challenging, especially going into the education field with nothing but 11 weeks of teaching practicums under our belts. The new wave of teachers entering the workforce may be more equipped in dealing with and implementing this new story of education, but personally, I feel far less ready to take on a new curriculum that I am completely foreign to as it is something that I was never taught (especially so explicitly) in my elementary years. I believe that this curriculum is something that I will need to take step by step, ensuring that I not only know each and every one of my students, but also that I know their families so that I am careful not to “step on anyones toes”, so to speak. The new sexual education curriculum may seem intimidating at this point in my educational career, but it is a challenge I am willing and ready to take on.
References
Benzie, R. (May 2, 2015). Ontarians divided over new sex education curriculum, poll suggests. The Star. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/05/02/ontarians-divided-over-new-sex-education-curriculum-poll-suggests.html
Campaign Life Coalition. (2015). Ontario’s radical sex ed curriculum. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Fatima, S. (June 11, 2015). Ontario sex-education debate turns heated in Halton. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/polarized-debates-over-ontario-sex-education-curriculum-continue/article24915342/
Freeman, J. (May 11, 2015). What you need to know about Ontario’s new sexual education curriculum. CP24. Retrieved from: http://www.cp24.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-ontario-s-new-sexual-education-curriculum-1.2369847
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2015). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: Health and physical education. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf
