Bill 44

Today we had a presentation on the hidden curriculum with a focus on the hidden curriculum content. The first part of the presentation discussed Bill 44. This bill was passed this summer in which parents have the right to remove their students from classes when lessons on sex, religion or sexual orientation are taught. I think this could make life for some teachers quite tricky although as Robert mentioned there may be simply a form that the parents sign when they register their children to either allow or not allow their child to sit in these classes. It sounds sort of like the FOIP forms for students that are not allowed to have their pictures taken. I guess teachers will have to be aware of which students are not to be included in these classes and should a question arise, either remove these students for the discussion or field the question for another time. Teachers will have to be on guard all the time and make sure they do not answer questions without considering who is in the class.

I think this will have the biggest impact on the teachers that teach middle and high school students. Although some students in elementary are curious, I feel that they do not tend to ask such controversial questions. Students in middle and high school are trying to figure out who they are and will probably have more questions regarding sex, sexual orientation and religion. I think it is important for the students to be able to get the knowledge they need in order to develop their own understanding and create their own opinions, which may not be the same as their parents. I thought the videos expressed an idea that I really believe….teachers should teach students to think, not what to think. Although teachers have their own opinions on certain subjects and ideas, I don’t think they should be portrayed in class. Teachers should teach students how to develop their own opinions and how to adequately express their opinions to others.