Mount Madonna high school history and government teacher Tiffany Wayne is one of just 10 local teachers selected to participate in a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) history curriculum development project. The program is funded through a grant to get Santa Cruz county teachers up to speed on new California state social studies standards.
“I am thrilled to be chosen to participate in this initiative to collaborate with other high school teachers and develop curriculum in LGBT history,” commented Wayne. “In July 2016, the California State Board of Education approved new social studies standards to include more diversity in curriculum and textbooks across K-12 grade levels.
“I have been aware of this impending decision and debate for some time, and in 2013-14 I worked with an online curriculum publisher to develop new LGBT history and literature lessons, whether a reading on colonial American punishments for homosexuality, or a celebration of LGBT culture and themes in the Harlem Renaissance, or an examination of the “anti-Communist” purging of homosexuals from the military or from government positions in the 1940s and 50s.
“As a social and cultural historian,” she continued, “I think this new state initiative is important to the study of U.S. History for two reasons: it is important for students to hear the voices of diverse individuals who have contributed to our national experience, and it is an opportunity to see how broader themes of politics or the law are impacted by ideas about race, gender, and sexuality at different times in history.”
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Nestled among the redwoods on 355 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.
