Ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, First Nations education was celebrated in a big way in Thunder Bay, Ont. at Matawa Education and Care Centre's grand opening ceremony Friday. Now that building renovations are complete, staff and students say they can fully call the building their home away from home.
While on the surface it may appear reasonable, as some cons are saying, to let public school parents know what their child is being called at school, or what pronouns they are using, the reality is that some parents are abusive and unfathomably transphobic.
So if, by witholding that info, we can at least create a safe space for their kid at school, all that matters if the students are able to exist and learn in a space where they are accepted and appreciated as they are.
2SLGBTQ+ people experience a disproportionate risk of trauma and abuse, so we need to name, recognize, affirm and celebrate identities that have been historically suppressed, erased and marginalized, to ensure all people are included.
Children form key ideas about race, gender, and relationships by age 5, if not earlier, so early exposure to diversity in our communities goes a long way to making life easier for everyone.
I am sick of people saying this somehow sexualizes kids or grooms them for abuse. Nowhere in the curriculum do we ever teach about how to have sex; and shame on those who pretend otherwise for political points.
#Protecttranskids #onpoli #cdnpoli #2SLGBTQIA #etfo #osstf #cupe #ontedu #onedu
Staff and students in Wunnumin Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario have another reason to celebrate: They have a new junior kindergarten (K4) to Grade 10 school, with big plans for language and land-based programming. It's among the exciting projects that have come to fruition in the community.
Though many in Ontario are welcoming the reintroduction of cursive to the province's curriculum as a valuable tool for students, some educators say translating that to the classroom could be easier said than done for a generation of teachers that may have missed out on learning the skill of writing by hand themselves.
A non-profit organization focused on promoting public education is criticizing the Ontario government's plan to allow Grade 11 students to enter skilled trades apprenticeships full-time, saying it prioritizes filling labour shortages in the economy over learning.