Elizabeth Hovde: Meet the gender unicorn, parents
Gender unicorn graphic from www.transstudent.org/gender (Screen shot)
Have you met the "gender unicorn?" Your children might have already. Parents should be introduced to the gender unicorn, too, ya know, because some of us are trying to raise the children we had, help them understand our world and offer help navigating it.
Chances are, you'll need to make your own introductions. When I checked out my school district's health curriculum for elementary and middle school students, as I was invited to do before my children's health education classes began in the spring, I didn't see the mythical creature included. I heard about it when a middle school student I know came home with the gender unicorn handout, made available in a class by one of his teachers.
I've since learned, from a Southwest Washington school district and the Oregon Department of Education, that while there are state learning standards and specific curriculum for the public to review at both the state and district levels, teachers are understandably given some leeway regarding the use of supplemental materials, so long as they line up with learning standards. While that might not be problematic in math, it can be trouble for ideological subject matter, thus spawning this call to parents to be more involved in their child's schooling. And school boards should know that if it is a true goal to have parents participate in their child's learning in health education, as is often said, they should be making sure teachers run supplemental materials for health instruction by them. After all, if parents can't see all the subject matter taught and resources given when reviewing health education curriculum, why offer them the Elizabeth Hovde: Meet the gender unicorn, parents | OregonLive.com:
