SOGI 123. Can We Stop Fighting Now?

With civic elections approaching quickly there is growing, dare I say, acrimonious finger pointing surrounding the SOGI123 ideology in BC education.

Here’s a link to SOGIC 123 which includes pages of relevant information. If you have concerns that impact your children please take the time to look through this site. Click on the links – there are lots of them including talking points from the BCTF.

According to the BC Ministry of Education, This is SOGI 123:

Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) is not its own curriculum; it is one aspect of diversity that is included across a range of grades and subject areas. SOGI-inclusive education is fundamentally about learning to treat each other with dignity and respect regardless of our differences. It allows teachers to include all students and families in their lessons, language and practices. Like other forms of inclusion in schools, this ensures that everyone can understand the diverse society that we live in and that students and families can see themselves reflected and welcomed.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for the creation of BC curriculum. SOGI 1 2 3 provides ready-to-use, grade-appropriate SOGI-inclusive lesson plans that align with that curriculum. Teachers can adapt or adopt SOGI 1 2 3 lesson plans to meet the needs of their classroom

As you see it’s about diversity and it’s all good!

So then why am I increasingly seeing an escalation of the US vs THEM tone in many of the online and F2F discussions surrounding SOGI123.

Example: on a twitter thread #teamSOGI replied to #teamnotSOGI that if they were unhappy with SOGI there was always the option of private or homeschooling. Do you all hear the irony in this? Accept the changes or you can go somewhere else. How is this inclusion? How is this better?

IMO this conflict is too typical of the oh so many us vs. them conflicts in my almost 40 years of public education. Frankly it is tiresome. When will we learn? Change is hard. Fear often impacts or impedes change. Polarized viewpoints get us nowhere towards the goal we’re seeking, which is what is best for kids.

I’m going to be honest and say that looking through all of the SOGI documentation that I could find, and having heard and discussed SOGI with some of my admin and teaching colleagues, I do have concerns with how this has been ‘rolled’ out. I’m sorry, but it just feels sneaky. And before you come @ me, I said ‘feels’ not ‘is’.

I have worked with some of the people who are on the team that developed SOGI and they are good people…some of the best. I know their intent was never to sneak this into our schools. I know these people were coming from a good place with the best of intentions. Yet here we are in a war of words, insults flying.

At one point in my career I was on the committee that worked on rewriting the anti-harassment policy in SD #35 (2015). We had in depth discussions and the vision was inclusivity. This particular committee work was a highlight in my career and likely one of the precursors to SOGI123.

Sadly what I’m witnessing in the lead up to the 2018 Civic elections is not promoting peace or inclusivity in our schools. There is no one side to blame. We’re all in this together.

Here are some of my ‘What if’s’

What if: we programmed our schools around belonging. BELONGING for all. For the marginalized and the non marginalized. For the at risk (at promise) and the not at risk (full disclosure – I believe each of us is at risk).

What if: instead of forcing our own agenda (silo) on the whole, we really truly invited each group to a peace table.

What if: we laid down our bullying pulpits whether it be around Pipelines, NAFTA, left wing/right wing politics and realized that we all have to co-exist. We have the capacity to do this together; without fighting; wIthout being nasty; without demanding our way or the highway. We have the capacity, do we have the will?

One last thing.

How effective will change be when our emerging adults see and hear the animosity between opposing sides? Wouldn’t it be better if we demonstrated disagreement from a place of wanting to do what is best for all?

Because like it or not we are all in this together.

#gracebatslast #lovewins

Better IS possible. I believe that, don’t you?