When should students start learning about human rights? According to some Canadian educators, not until they're in college. Because high schoolers aren't human.
Thus, the Abbotsford School District Board puts the brakes on an elective social studies course because it teaches about homophobia. Those lessons, say some board members, encroach on students' religious beliefs.
While many teachers have expressed their outrage, perhaps British Columbia Federation of Teacher president Irene Lanzinger best describes the idiocy…
I can't say for sure, but I suspect that the content of the course that the Abbotsford board had difficulty with, was the content around the rights of gay and lesbian people. The issues around homophobia. And that is very problematic.
It is ironic in a way, because I think the reason for the creation of Social Justice 12 was precisely because children who are gay, or who have parents are gay, they don't see themselves reflected in the curriculum as much as they should be."
In response to the prohibition, teachers have revamped the course, which is currently awaiting board approval. In the meantime, about ninety seniors are going to have to scramble their schedules. If they can't learn about the gays, they can certainly learn how to adapt, right?
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And when the religious beliefs of some students encroach upon the rights of other people? Well, that's not such a big problem – at least not if those other people are "the gays".
Priorities, people!
Canada's not perfect, but it is FAR more progressive than the US, and WAY LESS wacko fundamentalist.
*Sigh*.
Though we do have to realize we're talking about
the Abbotsford School District Board (if you've lived there, you know what I'm talkin' about -.-')
Yes, high schools should not teach any subject that will encroach on the Neanderthal and hateful, intolerant teaching of religions. For a group that believes so fervently in faerie tales, why to they hate and fear faeries so much?
bobito:
You forgot to mention Jews, Moslems, Wiccans and any other who do not share their religious beliefs. . .
As a U.S. citizen living in B.C. I had the privilege of being a volunteer for a drop in center for LGBT and questioning youth in Abbotsford. Now I don't think the title of this article" Canuck Schools Not About Gay Education" is quite fair. Abbotsford is a hick town that seems to attract a lot of the religious nut cases
that exist in B.C. and is not reflective of the great majority of school systems in Canada. No matter where you are, one is going to find at least a handful of these idiots and they have to live somewhere. To title this article as "Canucks", meaning "Canadian" schools verses titling 1 small town in Canada, is really shitty, ignorant and misleading. This is not reflective of most of Canada which compared to the states, is probably 25 years ahead of the states in most social issues, maybe even 100 years.
Why is it whenever there's bad news coming from Canada, Canadians feel compelled to start a spirited defense with "we're not America." Isn't that obvious?
They're your big neighbor whether you like it or not. Geography and God has deemed it so. Get over it.
John, there is no god, so get over that, you religious nutjob
Canadians do that because the American Ego is so huge, among other things, and assumes that Canadians are some sort of extension of themselves. I have lived here going on 4 years now and it has amazed me how different they are. Their ties are much more to Europe and other nations they or their families immigrated from originally. Canada does not mind the U.S. being below them,
because thats obviously how God wanted it now isn't it John boy?