Ontario’s new health and physical education curriculum (And yes, that’s what it’s actually called, not “Sex Ed.”), is the subject of much discussion. Many seem to oppose it out of concern it will somehow usurp a parent’s right to convey information on topics of an intimate nature to their children. I am pretty sure nothing about the new approach stops parents from having whatever version of “the talk” they wish to engage in with their offspring, and good luck with that by the way.
The fact is, some form of sexual education has been part of the curriculum since at least the 1950s. I know this for sure, because that’s when a film on the topic which was still being shown to high school classes in these parts in the late 1970s had clearly been made. I am unsure what impact the watching teens, who took their fashion cues from Wally Cleaver, literally sweat out scenarios’ like asking a girl out on a date, had on your class, but it went over more like comedy than drama where I went to school.
Quite frankly it is imperative to update the curriculum on a regular basis and the last one, in 1998, was before many of the deadly serious internet-related relationship issues teens face today were everyday reality. It’s not easy developing a program that will both engage and educate teens on issues they are extremely reluctant to discuss with adults in the first place. However, if I had to bet, I’d put my money on professional educators coming up with a better plan than somebody’s dad. The idea of lessons that help kids deal with changing attitudes, social media, online safety and treating others with respect regardless of their personal characteristics shouldn’t be perceived as threatening. Perhaps such lessons could even prevent a teenage pregnancy, help a child make a decision not to bully another, maybe even stop kids from killing themselves because they feel “different.”
Unfortunately, in the digital age, misinformation is disseminated even more broadly than genuine journalism. We owe it to our kids to educate ourselves on today’s realities before passing judgement based on outdated information and attitudes.
Patrick Raftis
