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Women Studies class creates firestorm

An Eleanor Hall School Women Studies course received critical national attention last week, prompting Pembina Hills Public Schools to re-evaluate some of the course activities. Since Feb.
In this photo supplied by Pembina Hills Public Schools, Eleanor Hall School students (L-R) Brieanna Nyal, Haley Ford, Madison Shank and Mac-Kenzie Hein analyze the shape of
In this photo supplied by Pembina Hills Public Schools, Eleanor Hall School students (L-R) Brieanna Nyal, Haley Ford, Madison Shank and Mac-Kenzie Hein analyze the shape of their face as part of the school’s Women Studies class.

An Eleanor Hall School Women Studies course received critical national attention last week, prompting Pembina Hills Public Schools to re-evaluate some of the course activities.

Since Feb. 1, 25 Grades 6-9 students at the school have been taking Women Studies, a pilot Career Technology Foundations (CTF) course for junior high.

On March 15, PHPS released an article on the class detailing some of the activities the students had been doing like, “analyzing the shape of their faces to determine which hairstyle is most flattering; assessing their body shape to choose clothing styles that are the most complimentary; and completing an online shopping activity to identify their own personal style.”

“What troubles me a little bit is that people are missing what the aim of this course was and that was we want to help students navigate adolescence and at the same time keep their self-image and self-esteem intact,” said acting Supt. David Garbutt.

Shortly after the article, a media firestorm took over Twitter and Facebook. The story was picked up by national newspapers and television stations, even making its way onto the BBC.

One headline from the Huffington Post dubbed it an “extremely sexist ‘Women Studies’ class for teens.”

“I want to assure our public, particularly our communities that we want to do right by kids,” Garbutt said.

“This is about learning. We’re not going to try and stereotype, or pigeonhole our kids.

“That’s not what we’re about and I hope that the community trusts us that we would never go forward with that intention.”

The controversy

Although appropriate amendments will be made, Garbutt said detractors took some of the activities at face value, leaving out the critical thinking component.

“There’s a deeper level of learning outcomes that come with activities that you do,” he said, noting that the curriculum branch of Alberta Education had reviewed the course prior to it reaching the classroom.

Social media also targeted a class trip to Barrhead Composite High School where the students would perform table settings and review dinner party etiquette and polite conversation for the Foods class, followed by an afternoon learning about nail care and application in the Cosmetology class.

Garbett did admit that PHPS missed the mark on how it shared information about the class field trip.

“It made it sound like the activities they were doing on that one day field trip were that course and that’s not the case,” Garbutt said.

“Just because you’re talking about table etiquette does not necessarily mean you’re advising kids that this is how it has to be.”

Part of the purpose of the course was to introduce students to career planning and the range of options available at the CTF high-school level, so the trip would now include visits to the welding, mechanics and woodwork CTF courses.

As to why other subjects like science, technology and math weren’t part of the course, he said there were other CTF course covering those aspects.

In the midst of all the media attention, professors from the University of Alberta’s Department of Women and Gender Studies reached out to Pembina Hills to offer suggestions and invite students to tour the university and sit in on a class.

Garbutt noted that the professor had done past presentations with junior high students. Although they have spoken, they haven’t sat down to flesh out the details.

However, there will be changes to the upcoming class in the next quarter of the school year, including a new name — the course runs until the mid April.

“Women Studies means something in the academic world that is very different than what she is doing with these kids,” he said.

The teacher of the course took inspiration from Westmount Junior High’s Girl Power program in Edmonton.

An online copy of the syllabus for the Eleanor Hall course featured activities where students would “look at how girls have been represented in history and media and how this influences the way they see themselves today,” as well as the history of women’s beauty in North America, traditional female roles, media and cultural influence, and reproductive health.

“I want to teach the girls to be confident, strong, and independent leaders through the lens of the development of gender roles,” said course teacher Michelle Savoie in the article. Attempts to speak with Savoie where forwarded to Garbutt.

Trustees respond

Behind the scenes, Garbutt said trustees are supportive of the teacher and the program.

At a PHPS board meeting March 22 in Barrhead, trustee Jan Hoffart said there was some good that came out of this situation.

“Even though we’re in the media, we do have the support from the university now, offering to help us fine-tune and make that course even better,” she said. “Not that we want to be on the front page of the (Edmonton) Journal.”

Trustee Kim Webster said the school board should address the controversy.

“I would address it but also point out that teaching is going on, planning is going on. We still have the right people in the right places”

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