Late last month, Alberta’s Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange, released a draft of her new curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Very shortly after, the curriculum was opposed by many groups and parents.
In total, about half of the school boards in the province of Alberta have already refused to pilot the program after school boards were pummelled with complaints and concerns from parents. This week, more boards are expected to vote to refuse to use the new curriculum. The province’s two largest boards, the Calgary Board of Education and Edmonton Public Schools already refused. In addition, all four Francophone school boards have refused to use the new curriculum because they believe it will not protect French minority rights. Adding to the opposition, The Metis Nation of Alberta and the Chiefs of Treaty 6 have called for a rejection of the curriculum because it “perpetuates rather than addresses systemic racism”.
You might ask, “why is everyone refusing to even pilot the new curriculum? Is it simply just one mistake that everyone is opposed to?” Nope. Not even close.
There are so many mistakes, offensive and intolerant pieces that this curriculum has no chance to survive in its current form. The draft new curriculum has received widespread criticism for being racist, developmentally inappropriate, inaccurate in numerous subjects, and for being developed without input from education experts, curriculum experts, or teachers.
The new draft curriculum forces students to learn that although Jews believe in Judaism and Muslims believe in Islam, Jesus is Christ (the messiah). It teaches that racism and intolerance is not the fault of racist and intolerant people. Racism and intolerance have occurred because immigrants brought new traditions to Canada? So it’s the fault of the immigrants for bringing new traditions, not of an Albertan being racist or intolerant?
The new curriculum makes it mandatory for children to learn about the KKK. Was it wrong for, students to learn about Dinosaurs and other Canadian cities? Why are they forced to memorize the KKK slogan? Can you simply teach young children the KKK was racist, and leave out any mention of the violence and lynching and murders?
Students must locate gravity on a globe. How is this possible?
Students must calculate the distance from an Alberta town to Regina using only a map of Alberta. Hint for the kids: Regina is not in Alberta, so you cannot calculate its distance to anywhere, it isn’t on your map.
This curriculum is a disaster littered with sloppy mistakes, outdated approaches to learning, and it will do nothing to make students more tolerant about other cultures or our First Nations
By Ken Lister.
Ken Lister is a former TDSB School Trustee and former chair of the TDSB Budget Committee.
