Despite unrest, more information lessons were given in Week of the Spring Jitters

RutgersSample Lesson for Grade 3

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:14

This year more lessons were given during the Week of Spring Jitters. This happened despite the unrest that arose around the information week on relational and sexuality education.

According to the Rutgers expertise center, which is organizing the week together with the GGDs, 4,000 extra lessons from the Kriebels in je Belly teaching package have been given. This brings the total to almost 28,000 lessons.

“There has been more teaching than ever,” says Elsbeth Reitzema of Rutgers. “We can see that teachers are logging in and if they are going through the program all the way through and that has happened 4,000 times.”

The Week of Spring Jitters is a project week for primary and special education with a focus on relational and sexual education. The subject of sexuality is included in the core objectives of education, which is why schools are obliged to pay attention to it. They can decide for themselves how to do this and can use teaching packages from knowledge centers such as Rutgers and Care for Sexuality.

This year, right-wing populists protested against the project week on social media and in the House of Representatives. Telegraaf journalist Wierd Duk expressed surprise at the teaching material and presenter Raisa Blommestijn of Ongehoord Nieuws spoke of a “poisonous ideology” because, according to her, toddlers were taught about transgenders and anal sex. FvD leader Baudet asked parliamentary questions.

The unrest was largely based on misinformation. For example, the criticism that focused on Rutgers’ Kriebels in je Belly teaching package was sometimes substantiated with examples that had nothing to do with the teaching package. Material that was not part of the curriculum was posted on social media without context.

At the PABO, future teachers are prepared for the sensitivities surrounding the Spring Fever Week:

Teacher training students learn how to deal with unrest surrounding sex education

The video showing how you can talk to your child about your body and indicate boundaries was used by critics to spread misinformation, which led to threats against Rutgers employees. Rutgers took the educational video offline to protect the children in the video.

Inform parents more

According to Rutgers, the commotion shows that it is important to include parents in the information week. Schools can do this by informing them in good time via a letter and by organizing an information evening.

“It is important that schools do that even better,” says Reitzema. Next year, the expertise center will emphasize even more to schools that this is crucial. “In this way, you give parents the opportunity to define what sexuality education is in their own words.”

In addition, as previously planned, Rutgers will review the curriculum for the information week. The new teaching package should make it easier for schools to inform parents about the lessons. Specific information for parents will be provided at each lesson.

In this way they can prepare for questions from their children and discuss them further at home. Because although this year, according to Rutgers, mainly misinformation caused unrest, every year there are parents who have questions about why attention is already being paid to sexuality at primary school. Rutgers advises them to talk to the school.

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