Ontario's Radical Sex Ed Curriculum

[Waterfall]

Ministry of education has announced security breaches as reason for the shutdown.

No reason for that to be seen as anything sinister. Some won't be able to resist it being anything other than sinister.

Okay maybe next week.

 

[revsdd]

Revsdd, if you prefer to hide your head in the sand by saying that no one is concerned about Ben Levins participation in this issue, then go for it. To me there most certainly are parents out there who have these fears. It has tainted and polarized many, and from what I can see, it will take more than just saying he didn't have any part in writing it. This statement should be backed up with facts. So if people are getting "their shirt in a knot" over this particular issue then I would think the Ontario government should be more "open" with the constituents and put the names of those who did contribute to putting the new curriculum together on the document. Of course this will make them more accountable also which should be a good thing.They should also reference the studies that led them to the conclusion of the age appropriate justifications as to why certain subjects are being introduced at any particular age. Quite frankly, as an example, I find the justification for starting menstruation earlier in life as a reason to have more advanced discussions about things such as anal sex disturbing if they are only considering chronological age while ignoring the developmental /mental age of the child. And love, ethics,....off the table?

And for the record, I will repeat, the premiers sexual orientation is not even a consideration in how I see any of this. I am looking for open dialogue from the government and when I hear concerns being brought up all over the province about Ben Levin, it should be addressed in an honest and forthright manner. And that would include transparency as to who the team was that actually wrote it and their sources. What is so hard about that?

Bury my head in the sand? I didn't say that people weren't concerned. I, however, understand how government proposals of any kind are produced and I know that Levin was not sitting at the table writing this. I also put more stock in the virtually unanimous opinion of experts who support this curriculum. The concerns of the uninformed I couldn't care less about quite frankly, and I don't want ignorance to delay the implementation of a very well put together curriculum. Your opinion is that some of this is age inappropriate. I've addressed those concerns and I stand by what I wrote. If there are people with their heads in the sand it's those who have chosen to be ignorant of how things like this curriculum are developed and it's those who are foolish enough to believe that most of the concepts being introduced are not only age appropriate, they should perhaps be taught earlier rather than later.

 

[Jaebius]

What exactly qualifies someone to be an expert on sex?

 

[Greywolf336]

@Pr. Jae, you said if your son's school put in the new curriculum you would pill him out. I am just curious how that school handles their sex ed., as my experience is that it is taught in connection with gym and gym is only mandatory up until grade 9 and yoir aon is past thay age. Would it not be easier to have him stop taking gym and find ways to get excersie elsewhere? This reasonimg is also one of the problems I have with waiting until grade 8 to start sex ed., it only guarantees childrwn will get two years before they no longer have to take it.

Also, as far as I know, in Ontario there has always been the ability to take your child out of sex ed. classes. I specifically remember bringing a permisson sheet home to my parents each year I took sex ed. and requiring them to sign it to say they were aware of what was happening. If you didn't want your child in it I would assume you wouldn't sign the sheet and they would be given alternate teaching while the rest of the class participated. Perhaps a teacher can tell us if my memory is correct and if this still happens? I am assuming this isn't being stopped with the new curriculum so if you don't like it, just don't sign the form.

 

[Jaebius]

@Pr. Jae, you said if your son's school put in the new curriculum you would pill him out. I am just curious how that school handles their sex ed., as my experience is that it is taught in connection with gym and gym is only mandatory up until grade 9 and yoir aon is past thay age. Would it not be easier to have him stop taking gym and find ways to get excersie elsewhere? This reasonimg is also one of the problems I have with waiting until grade 8 to start sex ed., it only guarantees childrwn will get two years before they no longer have to take it.

Also, as far as I know, in Ontario there has always been the ability to take your child out of sex ed. classes. I specifically remember bringing a permisson sheet home to my parents each year I took sex ed. and requiring them to sign it to say they were aware of what was happening. If you didn't want your child in it I would assume you wouldn't sign the sheet and they would be given alternate teaching while the rest of the class participated. Perhaps a teacher can tell us if my memory is correct and if this still happens? I am assuming this isn't being stopped with the new curriculum so if you don't like it, just don't sign the form.

Thank you for the idea to just take him out of gym. I'll mention that to my Yobo.

 

[chansen]

Isn't that an e-reader?

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

When I was a teen talking to my parents about anything puberty or sex related was a gawd awful prospect - when I went through that phase of anything they said was so uncool - much easier to hear it from teachers. I haven't read Ontario's curriculum but it couldn't be worse than what they hear on TV and from friends, so it's better that they are getting straight forward, honest information at school. From the article Jae posted it does seem that discussion about relationships is also part of it and a lot of assumptions are being made about age appropriateness of the subject matter. I think some kids are too young/ not ready to learn about some things (we discussed sex by grade 8 or 9 and I wasn't nearly mature enough but it was talked about by peers so better to have a teacher's voice of reason) and parents can gauge that and opt out if they really object for their kid (we had permission forms to have parents sign).

One thing I remember is in grade 7 a girl who told the class her mom objects to the use of drug store deodorant because it's bad for you and that natural products are better. Lots of children of the original hippie generation in BC when I was in school - not many religious kids but those parents didn't have mainstream views on lots of things. Her mom was upset they were teaching kids to use stuff with aluminum in it - I honestly don't remember anything else we discussed that year - but I did learn,whether right or wrong, to be cautious about aluminum in deodorant because that kid brought it up. Point is - parents will have personal objections about all kinds of things and kids will bring it up for discussion. I had a teacher in grade 4 or 5 who taught us all kinds of bizarre trivia that I reported home with (nothing to do with sex ed) and my mom didn't really like him, wondered what we were learning of value and I think she complained. But all in all school education turned out okay.

 

[GordW]

What exactly qualifies someone to be an expert on sex?

off the top of my head:
--a background in child development
--a record of having studied human sexuality
--an understanding of educational theory and practice

Those would be what I want in the developers of a sex ed curriculum.

 

[Jaebius]

off the top of my head:
--a background in child development
--a record of having studied human sexuality
--an understanding of educational theory and practice

Those would be what I want in the developers of a sex ed curriculum.

Those sound about right to me Gord. Now, on the flipside, should a given person have those things, what should disqualify them from the position?

 

[Luce NDs]

Dis position on sects? Type of mental space between wanton ... and wonton separations ... what some call as new ural sexs ... all in your mind like neural observation that is unconjugated? The un-gathered mind syndrome ... noodling around!

 

[Jon71]

Those sound about right to me Gord. Now, on the flipside, should a given person have those things, what should disqualify them from the position?

Having a theocratic agenda.

 

[GordW]

Those sound about right to me Gord. Now, on the flipside, should a given person have those things, what should disqualify them from the position?

Insisting on one answer to most questions of morality --the one exception being the principle of mutual, freely given consent.
An inability or unwillingness to acknowledge that there are far more question than answers in the "what is right?" area
Sexual chauvinism (either between genders or between orientation or gender identities). Creators of curriculum for all students need to be adamant in equality of all.