Sometimes people who ask me questions want the short-and-sweet version. And sometimes, people want more details and thought. So it creates a problem when trying to put a single answer together on the website. So here's a page dedicated for the long-form answers to some of the questions that are being asked. But please note that even these longer answers are often shorter than what the full answer deserves! But I'll keep trying to do better with them while keeping them under a few minutes read...

Community-Driven Topics

Health and Physical Education (incl. Human Development and Sexual Health)

This part of the curriculum includes a number of topics that need modernizing, the majority of which has been lumped in with the topic of "Sex Ed.":

• Healthy Eating
• Safety including:
  • Identifying and preventing concussions
  • Preventing accidents such as when using materials, tools, technology, and equipment, as well and avoiding hazards
  • Cyber safety and cyber bullying
• Emotional Health and Mental Health, such as learning to be sensitive to diverse points of view and to respect the experiences and perceptions of others. These are skills which support emotional safety.
• Active transportation can be an important part of a healthy, active lifestyle such as
  • Walking
  • Safety while wheeling / biking - to wear appropriate protective gear, such as properly fitting helmets, when doing activities like riding, skateboarding, or snowboarding
  • Make safe decisions, including decisions about travel routes and routines

And of course, the Sexual Health curriculum has been capturing a lot of headlines:

• There may be a gap between the most extreme views, but I believe there is a large middle ground that has been largely ignored. There are many parts of the new curriculum that many parents I've spoken to are overwhelmingly in favour of, including all of the above points that have been removed from the curriculum.
• I believe teachers can and should teach the FACTS to students
  • This include all of the 1998 curriculum (as it is generally overlaps and is a subset of the new health and physical education curriculum)
  • Generally accepted facts in the new curriculum (which apparently have large approval by Toronto parents I'm in contact with) such as cyber safety should be included in curriculum regardless of the sex education content.
  • Where there is still a gap, I believe in kids and parents' choice to participate in the Sexual Health curriculum. Before opting out, I would recommend parents discuss with teachers if they are concerned about the material to find accommodations that may be made.

It is my belief that teachers, as always, should exercise their best judgement as they are the custodians of our children's education. I believe teachers will continue to do their level best to help make curriculum relevant and to help answer the many questions that students have of them during school and while on school grounds. Everywhere else and in early years, parents are kids' first educators and always have the ability to share their lessons.