Cycle Three: Should the curriculum address controversial issues?

                I think about the saying, “What they don’t know, can’t hurt them” when I think of bringing up controversial issues in a school setting.  Now, by saying that, a reader may automatically make their own conclusions about my educational philosophy and curriculum standpoint.

                The traditionalist and moral conservative might take the statement as truth. The generalization of these groups is often the belief that the classroom is no place to educate students on HIV/AIDS, the deviation of typical gender roles, or sex.

                Now, the educator brought up in the Deweyan tradition would take this quotation and laugh at it, thinking I was being ironic or would give me a reply of, “But they do KNOW!” This educator would hold firm that children come upon knowledge in their own way and that the classroom needs to be a safe place to develop this child’s knowledge or expel any misinformation they might have.   

                Now, what do I really think? Honestly, what I think and what I do are two completely different issues. As an educator I have learned to never give my students my own opinion, to give students the opportunity to make their own decisions by informing them of all the possible sides of a situation.  What I realize though is that this view point comes along, handcuffed if you will, to my fear of making waves with the parents in my classroom. I wish I could think of myself as a really good comedian, that I know my audience! However, I really am just playing it safe. After reading the article, HIV/AIDS Education: Toward a Collaborative Curriculum by Jonathan Silin I couldn’t help but wish I taught in a district that mandated this education in a fourth grade classroom. That I would have state mandates backing up my curriculum to irate parents. For the time, I do play it safe. I am an at-will employee and am not under contract. I would hate to make a false move and be the center of a parent rally. I think about how I could justify my actions to the parents, and I honestly think I would do a very good job. I could state how these controversial issues go along with our school’s Moral Focus Curriculum, to accept everyone. I could state that the book I was reading which brought up these topics have such wonderful plot elements. I could even hit them hard with facts. Telling them that, “one-fifth of people with AIDS are in their 20s … it can be inferred that many of these people contracted the virus as teenagers” so teaching them about this when they are ten might save their lives (Silin p 258). Even after carefully compiling all of the reasons I could justifiably teach these controversial issues I think parents would still have a problem with it. I think the main problem would be that these topics are not part of the objectives that are in the handbook the charter school hands out at the start of the school.

                Could I ever dream of teaching these controversial issues in the classroom, you bet I could! I do think that parent consent or knowledge would have to be key. An open dialogue from school to home could help for many reasons. Firstly, it would give the parents a chance to contact you if they had any concerns about the topics (based on religious or personal reasons). This would give you a chance to reassure them or hear their concerns and develop an alternative assignment for their student. Parents could inform you of any questions they have. Also, if gives families the heads up so they are not blindsided with questions from their students that they cannot answer.

                How do I think controversial issues should be taught? I think that teaching them in a school setting would create a common language between all students. I love the idea of highlighting successful individuals from all walks of life to help students with tolerance and acceptance. Creating presentations that would allow parents to sit in on the lesson with their students would also help reinforce dialogue in the home. If these controversial issues are not state mandated many parents might become upset due to religious or moral reasons.

As an educator, it is so important to be politically correct about issues, I think about subtle ways I could bring up some controversial issues in the classroom. For instance, when a am reading a book and they mention Christmas my heart stops, thinking that the Jehovah Witness Parents in my classroom are going to start screaming at me the next day. So, instead, I look a bit crazy as I interject with side notes. I say things like, “Christmas which is a holiday some people celebrate in December or Valentines (Valentines are cards people hand out on a holiday in February that some people celebrate) ”. I could say things like “Jimmy went home to his parents, his parents are a male and a female.” A Teacher's Guide to Religion in Public Schools is a good read if you have any questions about this. 

The trickiest question we have to ask ourselves is how much of the curriculum is up to the teacher, how much to the government, and how much to the child’s parent? Isn't it the teacher’s job to prepare the student for the ever changing world? However, shouldn't the government be consistent in creating guidelines for students’ education? Then I wonder what if these guidelines go against the separation of church and state? Finally, isn't it a parents’ job to protect their child? What if parents see the knowledge of these controversial issues as harmful, isn't it their right to protect their child from this then?

If I have learned anything it is that curriculum can be influenced by many sources. A teacher is a very influential person in a child’s life. Before acting on any controversial issues a teacher needs to be aware that they might stir up conflict and must be prepared to justify their actions. If you have time, please read the following article, Full Inclusion: Understanding the role of the teacher educator. Although a bit outdated it does a good job focusing on the constraints teacher educators face when talking about controversial issues in the school, such as gay and lesbian books and films. The issue of government book censorship was one that crossed my mind, but I did not write about it in this blog. This article shares viewpoints about this.