The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has unveiled white privilege lesson plans for students. .“@ETFOeducators — the labour union representing Ontario public elementary school teachers — is now distributing White Privilege Lesson Plans to its members,” said Quillette associate editor Jonathan Kay in a Thursday tweet. .“One of the suggested exercises for elementary-school students is called ‘Best Person in the World.’”.The activity called Best Person in the World involves students brainstorming who they think deserves this title. Students have to write who they believe are the best people in the world on the board. .Once students have filled the board with names, the lesson plan said teachers should underline all of the male names, which will likely be the majority. It said teachers should ask the students the similarity between these names, and they can use this opportunity to explain male privilege. .The lesson plan said teachers should proceed to underline all of the white names. It said teachers could use part of the lesson to talk to students about white privilege. .ETFO said these lesson plans have been developed for primary, junior, and intermediate grades. .“The PDF booklet Re-Think, Re-Connect, Re-Imagine is an extension of ETFO’s White Privilege project which includes a White Privilege workshop for educators,” said ETFO. .“The resource offers reflections and concrete suggestions for grappling with the issues of privilege and racism in our practice as educators.” .This incident comes after the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) launched an outline Monday to help chapters negotiate collective agreements to protect two-spirit, transgender, and non-binary workers. .The bargaining guide, called “Bargaining beyond the binary: A negotiating guide for trans inclusion and gender diversity,” featured examples of trans-inclusive language to put in collective agreements. .“Even locals that don’t have any trans members — that they know of — should ensure protections and supports are in place now, before gender diverse workers come out or enter the workplace,” said CUPE.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has unveiled white privilege lesson plans for students. .“@ETFOeducators — the labour union representing Ontario public elementary school teachers — is now distributing White Privilege Lesson Plans to its members,” said Quillette associate editor Jonathan Kay in a Thursday tweet. .“One of the suggested exercises for elementary-school students is called ‘Best Person in the World.’”.The activity called Best Person in the World involves students brainstorming who they think deserves this title. Students have to write who they believe are the best people in the world on the board. .Once students have filled the board with names, the lesson plan said teachers should underline all of the male names, which will likely be the majority. It said teachers should ask the students the similarity between these names, and they can use this opportunity to explain male privilege. .The lesson plan said teachers should proceed to underline all of the white names. It said teachers could use part of the lesson to talk to students about white privilege. .ETFO said these lesson plans have been developed for primary, junior, and intermediate grades. .“The PDF booklet Re-Think, Re-Connect, Re-Imagine is an extension of ETFO’s White Privilege project which includes a White Privilege workshop for educators,” said ETFO. .“The resource offers reflections and concrete suggestions for grappling with the issues of privilege and racism in our practice as educators.” .This incident comes after the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) launched an outline Monday to help chapters negotiate collective agreements to protect two-spirit, transgender, and non-binary workers. .The bargaining guide, called “Bargaining beyond the binary: A negotiating guide for trans inclusion and gender diversity,” featured examples of trans-inclusive language to put in collective agreements. .“Even locals that don’t have any trans members — that they know of — should ensure protections and supports are in place now, before gender diverse workers come out or enter the workplace,” said CUPE.
