Review of new Ontario Health Curriculum, Grades 1-3

This is part one of a review of the new Ontario Health Curriculum.

Months ago, I began hearing "horror stories" about the adoption of a new, controversial, health curriculum coming to Ontario schools. Since then, I've seen online petitions and numerous blogs and Facebook posts criticizing the content of the curriculum.

This week, I skimmed through all 244 pages of the new Ontario Health curriculum and read everything that pertained to sex education. It's not exactly what I consider to be fun reading, but as both a parent of one child already in the public school system, and as a family pastor, I thought it might be a good idea to review the content for myself.

In my personal opinion, I think that the controversy may have been over-hyped. Yes, there are some sections of the curriculum that I would like to see omited, but for the most part, there's nothing within it that would cause me to pull my child from school. The simple truth is that kids today learn about sex from far more unreliable and dangerous sources. Some kids learn about sex from TV shows like 'Two and a Half Men', others hear about it in whispers and snickers from other kids in the schoolyard and neighborhood, and yes, tragically, 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet. Wow. That statistic makes this new curriculum seem pretty inconsequential, doesn't it? For more on that, read an article I wrote about protecting ourselves and our kids from pornography.

As Christian parents, we need to realize that we are the greatest moral and spiritual influence of our own children. We need to have candid conversations with them. We need to be their "go to" people for advice. We need to teach our kids how to safely navigate through a culture whose values often don't match our own. Throughout this review, I've taken excerpts from the curriculum which contains content that would be of interest to Christian parents. After each excerpt, I share some of my own thoughts on the content. 

Introduction and Grades 1-3:

It is also critical to student success to create an atmosphere in which students of all body shapes and sizes, abilities, gender identities and sexual orientations, and ethnocultural, racial, and religious backgrounds feel accepted, comfortable, and free from harassment. (Introduction, p. 17)

Gender identities and sexual orientations are included in this note to teachers about creating a safe and harassment-free atmosphere in school. I think this is important teaching for young children, as all through their lives they will be exposed to people who look or live different than they do. Children need to be taught that, no matter who they encounter, they need to treat others with love and respect. It's quite biblical. On page 27 and 67 of the document, it also talks about how children should be treated the same regardless of sex or gender identity.

Some topics within the Healthy Living strand need to be approached with additional sensitivity, care, and awareness because of their personal nature and their connection to family values, religious beliefs, or other social or cultural norms. These topics can include but are not limited to human development and sexual health, mental health, body image, substance abuse, addictions, violence, harassment, child abuse, gender identity, sexual orientation, illness (including HIV/AIDS), and poverty. (Introduction, p. 36)

Here, teacher's are reminded to teach things with sensitivity and awareness "because of their personal nature and their connection to family values and religious beliefs". As a Christian parent, I appreciate that.

Sexual health, understood in its broadest sense, can include a wide range of topics and concepts, from sexual development, reproductive health, choice
and sexual readiness, consent, abstinence, and protection, to interpersonal relationships, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, affection and pleasure, body image, and gender roles and expectations. (Introduction, p. 38)

In the introduction, we're told what topics might be included in the teaching on sexual health. We'll look at all of these in greater detail as they come up in the curriculum.

Identify body parts, including genitalia (e.g., penis, testicles, vagina, vulva), using correct terminology. (Grade 1, p. 93)

In Grade 1, children will be taught to identify all parts of the body and will learn the correct terminology.

Describe how visible differences...and invisible differences (e.g.,
learning abilities, skills and talents, personal or cultural values and beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation, family background, personal preferences, allergies and sensitivities) make each person unique, and identify ways of showing respect for differences in others.

Teacher prompt: “Sometimes we are different in ways you can see. Sometimes we are different in ways you cannot see – such as how we learn, what we think, and what we are able to do. Give me some examples of things that make each person unique.

Student: “We all come from different families. Some students live with two parents. Some live with one parent. Some have two mothers or two fathers. Some live with grandparents or with caregivers. We may come from different cultures. We also have different talents and abilities and different things that we find difficult to do.” (Grade 3, p.124)

In Grade 3, children will be taught to respect and value people, including people of different "sexual orientation" and those who may have "two mothers or two fathers".  I would encourage parents to dialogue with their children about same-sex couples before they hit Grade 3. In Canada, same-sex couples can legally marry. Prior to Grade 3, your child will likely have seen same-sex couples walking hand-in-hand down the street, and may even have friends in their class who have gay parents. Pretending that it doesn't exist certainly isn't a wise approach. I began to talk with my own son about this when he was in JK because he has a friend in school who has gay parents and we went to their home for a birthday party. It's important that we communicate to our children our own values while also reminding our kids that no matter who we encounter in life, even if we might disagree with their choices, all people deserve love and respect.