Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
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When you're too conservative for Michael Coren, you're too conservative, period. Though see my post about him in R&F. He seems to be mellowing.
Ontario's Radical Sex Ed Curriculum
- Thread starter Jobam
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When you're too conservative for Michael Coren, you're too conservative, period. Though see my post about him in R&F. He seems to be mellowing.
revjohn
Well-Known Member
crazyheart said:
In the Province of Ontario the Ministry of Education sets the curricula objectives for elementary and secondary.
Private schools of either level must, at minimum, meet the curricula objectives. They are free to layer additional perspective and interpretation if they choose.
No crazyheart, we do not have to pay for the private academy.
revjohn
Well-Known Member
It looks like Coren's change of heart was quite accidental. It appears he wrote a piece suggesting that gays in Africa not be abused and hardcore homophobes attacked him for daring to suggest such a thing. Let him walk a mile in somebody else's shoes and he is a better man because of it.
Of course
gays shouldn't be attacked. Who's going to argue otherwise? Nobody should be attacked.
BetteTheRed
Resident Heretic
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Damn, but I love karma.
I seriously hope that they were not writing that gays should be attacked. Speaking out against homosexual behavior is not the same thing as actually attacking homosexuals.
revjohn
Well-Known Member
I only know what Coren has related in the article Mendalla shared in http://www.wondercafe2.ca/index.php?threads/a-surprise-about-face.1277/
Coren might say more in an article he wrote for the Catholic Register http://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/item/18416-my-epiphany most of which is only available to subscribers. I am not a subscriber.
Interesting quote from Coren on Twitter: Any Christian who believes opposition to the curriculum is proof of faith knows neither curriculum nor Christianity. It was linked on Facebook. He links to the Eganville Pastor you quoted.
Carolla
wondering & wandering
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Interesting column by a psychiatrist today - Parents have no harm to fear ...
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/comm...ed-curriculum-actually-protects-children.html
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/comm...ed-curriculum-actually-protects-children.html
revjohn
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Just because he has changed his approach it doesn't follow that he is suddenly going to be less Roman Catholic. Which means that there are a lot of things he will hold dear that I reject.
What is interesting is that he actually is stepping up and challenging other Christians who are still rabid in their homophobia. He also gave "Christian opposition" to the new curriculum a kick to the nether regions.
Agree with him or not, when a once vocal opponent does an about face it shifts more than an individual paradigm.
Delightful Life
M&M, Cascadian Lovers
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and that's very problematic, due to the fact that we're not ultra-rational spock-like creatures (thank g_odness); disgust is very powerful, and once one feels disgust, it is that much harder to get rid of...so, a big problem between free speech and the actuality of what happens separate from what one believes :3
Delightful Life
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what might happen is that some people who used him as an Authority (akin to how the people at the CLC protest were really following someone else's opinion as shewn by the fact that what they were protesting wasn't what was actually in the curriculum) will now change their mind
Delightful Life
M&M, Cascadian Lovers
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GordW
Church-Geek-Oramus
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Frankly I disagree. As would any expert on bullying....at least given the way most people claim to "speak out against homosexual behaviour"
Feeling sorry for you Gord, if you can't distinguish the way in which people choose to act from the way in which people intrinsically are. Bullying is, of course, always wrong.
Delightful Life
M&M, Cascadian Lovers
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i hope you also realize that we aren't ultra-logical beings, able to think & act separating what we believe from actions -- what we believe and how we act affects us and those around us...
if the people who speak out against homosexuality feel any disgust, then that has a natural consequence...the disgust will, over time, grow, and lead to other completely natural behaviours like more likely to lie against homosexuals...even to kill (see uganda)?
expression of beliefs have consequences...they aren't causeless causes...the one part of anti-hate legislation that i can see as being right is to control this aspect of ourselves, how we can change ourselves for the worse via beliefs (and, worse, those who don't believe for themselves but because they have been brought up in a belief without self-examination)
thus is the big paradox of the type of country that we live in; give people freedom to live their own life yet balancing that with the 'greater good of society'
and so it goes
Jobam
Well-Known Member
Why the new sex ed curriculum actually protects children
Parents have nothing to fear from the new sex ed curriculum.
FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Premier Kathleen Wynne, shown here celebrating her election win with partner Jane Rounthwaite, says she has no doubt homophobia motivated some of the hundreds of people who protested Ontario's new sex education curriculum this week. David Wolfe argues parents not only have nothing to fear from the new curriculum, but adds it will protect their children.
By: David A. Wolfe Published on Sat Feb 28 2015
All parents can agree on critical goals for their children as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood: First and foremost, we want them to be safe from harm. We don’t want people to hurt them, we don’t want them to hurt other people, we want them to experience happiness, and we want them to get through high school without addictions, pregnancies, injuries or violence. What frightens many parents is the fact that they can raise their own children as they wish, but they have very little control over what other people do with their children.
The Ontario sex-education curriculum is a brave and necessary step to address the fears of parents that their children could be victimized, harmed, or take part in behaviours that carry significant risk.
Parents have nothing to fear from this curriculum.
Starting with age-appropriate curricula that help children identify their body parts and following through to education about relationships, the new curriculum is well-suited to protect them from the increasing dangers related to sex, drugs, and violence. The curriculum arms educators with the tools they need to address the concerns that parents have about bullying, homophobia, drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, mental illness, and many other facts of life. Importantly, it stresses that sexual development and education should be taught in the context of healthy relationships, rather than in a sterile and mechanical manner.
One of the concerns some parents have raised about the new curriculum is that it talks about different types of families beyond the traditional mom, dad and the kids. In today’s world we have single parent families, blended families, same-sex parents, and many other types. That’s the reality, and our children are not harmed by this knowledge.
As well, some parents are fearful of educators putting ideas into their children’s heads that they would otherwise not want their children exposed to, for fear their children will be influenced to experiment with sexual behaviour they do not approve of. Some faiths clearly do not condone alternative lifestyles that are a reality of modern society. Their fear is that by exposing their children to non-traditional families or accurate sexual information they may be harmed or improperly influenced. Sometimes the fears come from the misinformed belief that knowledge equates with a risk of sexual experimentation. Research has shown this to be an unfounded concern, which should give parents comfort and encourage them to weigh the benefits to all children no matter what form of family they live in.
Children benefit from accurate, age-appropriate information and acceptance of diversity. In Canadian society we don’t ostracize or ignore people who are different — we are an inclusive and tolerant society. Teaching and informing children about all forms of family relationships is consistent with Canadian values and has the very positive effect of helping children who are not from a “traditional” family to feel “normal.”
Ontario schools have already pioneered world-renowned curricula that have demonstrated that youth risk behaviours can be reduced and we can do more to keep our children safe. Recently the Lancet identified a curriculum pioneered in Ontario schools as one of two in the world demonstrated to be effective in reducing dating violence and risky sexual behaviours among high school students (the Fourth R). It is hard to argue that implementation of a curriculum teaching the basic skills of relationships and respect could be a bad thing for children of Ontario. To the contrary, such lessons will have a positive, long-lasting benefit to our children.
Clearly, getting it right from the start leads to better outcomes and is less costly than trying to fix it later. With this vision parents and educators can embrace creative strategies that reduce harm, foster healthy relationships, and maximize a successful transition to adulthood. Far from causing children and youth to develop behaviours that parents do not want, the causes of such unwanted behaviours are demystified and skills are provided to prepare them — not scare them — into making safe and healthier choices. Parents and educators are on the same side here.
David A. Wolfe is a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
More on thestar.com
Parents have nothing to fear from the new sex ed curriculum.
FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Premier Kathleen Wynne, shown here celebrating her election win with partner Jane Rounthwaite, says she has no doubt homophobia motivated some of the hundreds of people who protested Ontario's new sex education curriculum this week. David Wolfe argues parents not only have nothing to fear from the new curriculum, but adds it will protect their children.
By: David A. Wolfe Published on Sat Feb 28 2015
All parents can agree on critical goals for their children as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood: First and foremost, we want them to be safe from harm. We don’t want people to hurt them, we don’t want them to hurt other people, we want them to experience happiness, and we want them to get through high school without addictions, pregnancies, injuries or violence. What frightens many parents is the fact that they can raise their own children as they wish, but they have very little control over what other people do with their children.
The Ontario sex-education curriculum is a brave and necessary step to address the fears of parents that their children could be victimized, harmed, or take part in behaviours that carry significant risk.
Parents have nothing to fear from this curriculum.
Starting with age-appropriate curricula that help children identify their body parts and following through to education about relationships, the new curriculum is well-suited to protect them from the increasing dangers related to sex, drugs, and violence. The curriculum arms educators with the tools they need to address the concerns that parents have about bullying, homophobia, drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, mental illness, and many other facts of life. Importantly, it stresses that sexual development and education should be taught in the context of healthy relationships, rather than in a sterile and mechanical manner.
One of the concerns some parents have raised about the new curriculum is that it talks about different types of families beyond the traditional mom, dad and the kids. In today’s world we have single parent families, blended families, same-sex parents, and many other types. That’s the reality, and our children are not harmed by this knowledge.
As well, some parents are fearful of educators putting ideas into their children’s heads that they would otherwise not want their children exposed to, for fear their children will be influenced to experiment with sexual behaviour they do not approve of. Some faiths clearly do not condone alternative lifestyles that are a reality of modern society. Their fear is that by exposing their children to non-traditional families or accurate sexual information they may be harmed or improperly influenced. Sometimes the fears come from the misinformed belief that knowledge equates with a risk of sexual experimentation. Research has shown this to be an unfounded concern, which should give parents comfort and encourage them to weigh the benefits to all children no matter what form of family they live in.
Children benefit from accurate, age-appropriate information and acceptance of diversity. In Canadian society we don’t ostracize or ignore people who are different — we are an inclusive and tolerant society. Teaching and informing children about all forms of family relationships is consistent with Canadian values and has the very positive effect of helping children who are not from a “traditional” family to feel “normal.”
Ontario schools have already pioneered world-renowned curricula that have demonstrated that youth risk behaviours can be reduced and we can do more to keep our children safe. Recently the Lancet identified a curriculum pioneered in Ontario schools as one of two in the world demonstrated to be effective in reducing dating violence and risky sexual behaviours among high school students (the Fourth R). It is hard to argue that implementation of a curriculum teaching the basic skills of relationships and respect could be a bad thing for children of Ontario. To the contrary, such lessons will have a positive, long-lasting benefit to our children.
Clearly, getting it right from the start leads to better outcomes and is less costly than trying to fix it later. With this vision parents and educators can embrace creative strategies that reduce harm, foster healthy relationships, and maximize a successful transition to adulthood. Far from causing children and youth to develop behaviours that parents do not want, the causes of such unwanted behaviours are demystified and skills are provided to prepare them — not scare them — into making safe and healthier choices. Parents and educators are on the same side here.
David A. Wolfe is a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
More on thestar.com
revjohn
Well-Known Member
I think, by now, it is clear that the new sex-ed/health curriculum is not the indoctrinational tool that the CLC insisted it was. It should also be just as clear, that since this is essentially the same curriculum Charles McVety opposed in 2010 (Where was he this time around?) all of the criticisms then were as factual as this round of lies.
That being said I have to wonder why the dishonesty and how is that better for our children to see demonstrated by parents and approved leadership figures than this new curriculum?
I realize that such a comparison will be hard for folk who have swallowed the CLC lies unquestioningly rather than read the new curriculum itself.
Or maybe, opposition is not based on truth at all so much as it is fear.
That being said I have to wonder why the dishonesty and how is that better for our children to see demonstrated by parents and approved leadership figures than this new curriculum?
I realize that such a comparison will be hard for folk who have swallowed the CLC lies unquestioningly rather than read the new curriculum itself.
Or maybe, opposition is not based on truth at all so much as it is fear.