Bill 44

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Do you think that parents should be able to pull their kids from classes in an effort to avoid topics such as religion, sexuality and/or sexual orientation?

Bill 44 was passed today in Alberta, which makes this possible.

I am not a parent (unless you count Winston - I kinda do) but I believe that I understand the desire of parents to instill in their children values which they perceive to be important.

However, I have to be honest here. I disagree with this bill.

Part of me disagrees with it because I have never seen anything good come from segregation. Most of my schooling took place in a denominational school system. Students in my school rarely associated with those from the "secular school" and the students from the "secular school" didn't exactly want anything to do with us either.

When the two school systems amalgamated, there was a rift the size of Europe between the two groups of students and it took awhile before that rift got smaller. Let's face it. The denominational school system didn't exist because being separated was biblical. It existed because the powers-that-be thought "Christians" needed to be shielded from things like sex, drugs and rock-and-roll. (Oh, and let's not forget alcohol).

Which brings me to my next, perhaps even more important point. Is it okay to shield kids from the world? Kids who are trying to discover who they are and what they want to be?

As a teacher, I am responsible to get through curriculum. However, here's how I try to make the curriculum come alive. By applying it to the real world. Through discussion. Dialogue. History teachers teach about WWII and Hitler but that does not in any way suggest that they condone what Hitler did. Teachers provide the information and it's up to students what they do with that information and how they choose to see it.

Proponents of the bill argue that this is a human rights issue. I argue the same thing, albeit in a different way. I would argue that each individual has the right to know what is out there, be it about religion or sexuality. It should be a human right. Teachers are not responsible to tell people what to believe, we are responsible for presenting the facts in the best way we possibly can. Children do not get a choice as to what family they are born into but they should have a say in forming their own belief system. For parents to pull students out of a class where facts relevant to the curriculum are being presented in a professional manner is not only wrong, but cowardly. You cannot protect them from the world that they are a part of - it's like trying to separate your head from your body. You can raise them in a loving home, shower them with affection and educate them morally - but to deny them of the privilege of learning about the world they are an integral part of is sad.

"But we don't want them to be of the world. They need to be in the world, but not of it."

We are all in the world, and we are all of the world. Like it or not. And you know what? If this is a Christianity thing (and I know it isn't just a Christianity thing - people of many religions and even atheists are for it) I would argue black and blue that being in the world and of it is biblical. Segregation, blind faith and ignorance are concepts which are the polar opposite of who Jesus is and what he stands for.

Individuals who go through the school system in Alberta and take considerable advantage of this bill may grow up to become ill-informed, sheltered, shallow individuals. Congratulations, Alberta. And then those individuals will go on to indoctrinate their children with more beliefs that will never be legitimate because they haven't come about conclusively. Instead, those people will choose to live in ignorance about what's out there and go along on their merry way.

Let me reiterate: I am not disagreeing with parents teaching their children about morality, or even necessarily steering them in one direction or another. As long as children are not expected to give up their personhood or simply inherit the beliefs of their parents. As long as the ultimate decision lies with the individual who has to live with it.

I am lucky. I will never have to resent my family. They taught me morals and they took me to church - but they also had long dinner-time conversations with me. We'd sit for hours on end asking questions and listening to one another in opinion-forming episodes. My family never forced anything on me, rather, taught me it was okay to question and to seek out answers. They did not place a shield of protection in front of me but showed me how to stick to what I believe without cutting myself off from parts of society. And if my beliefs evolved as I matured - I was taught that was okay too. Maybe even natural. In my situation, maybe even necessary. I will be forever grateful to them for allowing my mind the freedom to think instead of attempting to build a cognitive prison for me.

So yes, Alberta. I am decidedly unimpressed. Education is a right; beliefs are personal. Let's keep it that way.