Chelsea Volkart - Blog 5

Our teaching practices will always be guided and influenced by the provincial curriculum however there are also many other factors that influence what we teach our students – personal beliefs, school values, community, culture etc. However, what happens when outside factors negatively influence our ability to teach our students? After reading chapter five, I found myself reflecting about these outside influences – specifically parental influence on curriculum and the discussion of controversial subjects in the classroom.   

The text describes situations where parents advocate for banning particular books in schools (131) however I feel that this is really unfortunate. I appreciate parental concerns with respect to presenting literature to their children that may include profanity, violence, racism and/or literature that may challenge their morals and beliefs (131-132) however, I think advocating for the removal of this material from the curriculum in an injustice to students. As a teacher, I find that literature is a great way to create rich discussions with students. Instead of banning the literature, let’s have constructive, diplomatic conversations about why certain words are derogatory, why what occurred in history is no longer acceptable today or why I may not share the same opinion as the students in my class.  Empathy is a large part of our early years social studies curriculum and in my opinion; discussion of controversial material is a great way to teach students how to understand another’s perspective even though they may not share the same perspective.  

Additionally, the text discusses how the curriculums of different provinces compare controversial subjects. In Manitoba specifically, homosexuality has no mention in the curriculum (134).  I understand there are many reasons for this yet again; I believe this is an injustice to students. In October 2014, there was a situation in the news where a young transgender student was bullied by another child’s parent about her choice of washroom. As a result of this, the young girl, who was friends with many of her peers, is being questioned for her decision and lack understanding about why she wanted to now be a girl? Again, the curriculum does not address these topics and therefore a portion of students who will be misunderstood or judged because their peers do not understand of appreciate their differences. To me, this is just another reason why removal or omission of controversial topics, for whatever reason, can perpetuate intolerance of others and the things that make us unique and different.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/caught-in-the-eye-of-a-storm-278105441.html

Discussion Question: Do you feel there are topics in the current curriculum that you think would be difficult to teach in a sensitive way, especially if you had students who are religiously or culturally different from you?