http://atlantapost.com/2011/04/21/should-gay-history-be-added-to-public-school-curriculums/
Here is an article that discusses California might be the first state to add Gay history to the textbooks. What do you think about this? Should gay history be added to the textbooks?
These battles over what and whom should be included in public school curricula are far from over; e.g., Texas State Board of Education approves revising textbooks to eliminate the civil rights movement, and Mississippi becomes the first state to implement a civil rights curriculum for grades K through 12. But it appears that public school curricula may undergo an entirely new makeover with the recent news that the state of California is close to becoming the first state to require the teaching of gay history.
According to the Associated Press, the California Senate approved the landmark measure a week ago, but it still needs to get a seal of approval from the Democratic-controlled Assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. If the legislation is a success, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be added to the lengthy list of social and ethnic groups that schools must include in social studies lessons. As early as the 2013-2014 school year, the California Board of Education and local school districts would be required to adopt textbooks and other teaching materials that would cover the contributions of LGBTs throughout history.
Those who are opposed to the curriculum change, including some churches and conservative groups, believe that homosexuality is being forced upon students. Some also add that how a child learns about homosexuality should be determined in the home by the parents.
I respect the interest in adding LGBT history to the curriculum. But, I have to agree with the former teacher in the article that LGBT lifestyle and issues are complex to comprehend for adults, let alone children. It is difficult enough for children to adjust to age-appropriate issues, let alone throwing in something that adults can't event figure out. Adolescence is said to go into the mid 20s. I don't think we can expect the K-12 system alone to educate students about such issues. Parents can have teachable moments and take advantage of opportunities to discuss such social justice issues. Again age appropriate! The kindergarten issue I dealt with the other day, for example was that my daughter was talking with her friends and they laughed at her for saying girlfriends. We have had the discussion that girls can have girlfriends and boys can have girlfriends. Boys who have boyfriends usually call each other dude or homey or buddy because it is "cooler." We didn't take it to the level of sexual orientation or identity. It is too complex at this age. I said to her, maybe they didn't understand what you meant or that this idea just hasn't been explained to them by their parents. But, at the same time, I was wondering what had been explained to them. We have a gay couple in our family. My 6 year old knows them as her uncles. When the time is right and she inquires, it will definitely come. At this age, it is about being a positive role model and teaching her to be respectful.
ReplyDelete