Uncomfortable Silences:Narratives of four educators teaching about HIV/AIDS in a High School near Montréal

摘要

In 2005, the Québec Ministry of Education cut what was five (5) hours of sex education (STIs, HIV/AIDS, gender, sexual diversity, etc.) per year from the secondary school curriculum. Consequently, in the context of the education reform, teachers holding specializations in English and Language Arts, Science & Technology or Moral and Religious Education were charged to integrate sexual health education into their course. High schools, being highly sexualized sites, act as a channel for sexual initiation and exploration. Thus, teachers can be catalysts to providing valuable and life-altering information around HIV/AIDS to their students. Through word of mouth, four teachersudagreed to participate voluntarily in this study and signed consent forms. Their narratives were collected to identify their classroom strategies, their awareness of HIV/AIDS, andudthe challenges they encountered when discussing the subject in their classroom. The collection of these narratives was an essential factor in uncovering the subtle, yet,uduncomfortable silences related to the process of teaching about HIV/AIDS in classroom situations. A minimal understanding of HIV/AIDS, and a lack of consistent training and access to accurate resources underlined how teachers understood and evaluated HIV/AIDS information. These dynamics, in turn, influenced the way their studentsudcomprehended the virus and viewed the marginalized communities most affected. Theoretical frameworks connected to Paulo Freire’s Engaged Pedagogy and Nel Noddings’s Pedagogy of Care, were considered as tools for empowering teachers when imparting knowledge on HIV/AIDS.