Tag Archives: Elizabeth

Leadership (HS) (elizabeth ortega)

Note: This class is open to high school students only.

We’ve got some “already” student leaders, some “up and coming” student leaders and some “I wanna be” students leaders. I want to work with y’all to figure out how to build up a student leadership crew.

My intention is to start by listening, hearing what everyone has to say. Supporting folks in facilitation development and actually trying on leading all community and small group things.

Figuring out what projects folks want to work on and commit to and supporting, guiding and mentoring a group of students into deepening their self trust, integrity and leadership skills that goes to serve the community at large.

  • Most of your work time will be "in class" during the allotted class time, however, should you need or want more time to complete your work you will be expected to use some "outside of class" time.
  • Outside work: Occasional throughout the term

Soccer and Kick it (hannah and elizabeth)

Head up to yeller terrace once a week to play soccer! Non-competitive, all levels welcome.

  • There will be absolutely no "outside of class time" work in this class.

Sex Ed and Health (Year long) (HS) (elizabeth ortega)

Note: This class is open to high school students only.

I LOVE teaching sex and health education AND am certified to do so. I hope to see a big class come together. We will have fun! If you have already taken High School Sex Ed with me and want to deepen your knowledge and understanding of yourself and the many topics we will cover, please join again. (I’ve had students take this class multiple years in a row!) If you’re new, that’s super too! It’s always a new experience with the students in the class and guaranteed you’ll learn with and from one another.

Relationships, with ourselves and others, our sexuality and our gender journeys are life long paths we build and build. Talking about sex, relationships and our bodies openly and honestly can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. It can also be enlightening, informative, and pretty exciting! I will do my best to include a wide variety of genders, sexualities, experiences, and perspectives and focus on the real world and real life experiences throughout this class and always, you as the students help mold that process.

I will be utilizing the curriculum, Beyond the Basics, 3rd edition created byAction Canada for Sexual Health and Rights and supplement with S.E.X., second edition: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties by Heather Corinna as well as various educational media pieces and articles.

“Beyond the Basicstakes an approach that is rooted in comprehensive sexuality education—seeking to move the bar beyond anatomy and risk, to ensure students are better prepared to lead empowered sexual lives where they feel comfortable in their own bodies, can exercise their right to bodily autonomy, and are equipped with the skills to challenge oppressive gender norms. The comprehensive approach fosters cultures of consent, respect for diversity, and critical thinking skills, some of the most valuable things that students can learn in school, which also happen to be some of the hardest things to teach. There is another lens to this work, one that is sharply attuned to social change at the highest levels. One of the strengths of CSE as an approach to sexual education is that the connections between systemic forces and individual health outcomes are made. This is the work that connects the structural drivers of health to individual experiences. Challenging systemic oppression and body shaming; demanding public policy that supports consent, healthy relationships and resiliency; all while keeping one eye firmly focused on the individual in need of education.”

Check out: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/ 

and the book: S.E.X., second edition: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties 

  • Most of your work time will be "in class" during the allotted class time, however, should you need or want more time to complete your work you will be expected to use some "outside of class" time.
  • Outside work: Occasional throughout the term
  • Mature themes:

Taking Care of Me (MS/HS) (elizabeth ortega)

This class feels more important than ever. Our nervous systems and hearts can feel overloaded with stress and anxiety throughout this life. What better time than to slow down and figure out how to be more well onto yourself and your loved ones?

We will come together to take care of our hearts, bodies, and spirits, and get to know each other and ourselves a little better. We will meditate, listen, breathe, make art together, go outside, write, stretch, and create a little sanctuary space in school for an hour.

This class is for you if you want to practice mindfulness and consistent acts of ritual to take care of yourself and to find your centered place in this time.

  • Most of your work time will be "in class" during the allotted class time, however, should you need or want more time to complete your work you will be expected to use some "outside of class" time.

Wonder (MS) (elizabeth ortega)

Note: This class is open to middle school students only.

We will read the book together and engage in rich discussion about how to envision and build the world you want to see. We’ll talk about disability justice and learn some history about disability activism and where things are at today with all different folks with different abilities.

Wonder is a novel written by R. J. Palacio published in 2012. Palacio’s Wonder was inspired by an incident where her son started to cry after noticing a girl with a severe facial deformity. Several spin-offs, including the calendar book 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts, We’re All Wonders, Auggie and Me, and White Bird have been published. A film adaptation was released in 2017, of which a spin-off sequel/prequel film (adapting White Bird) followed in 2022.

New York Times Bestseller five years in a row!

 

“You can’t blend in when you’re, BORN TO STAND OUT”

This will be a read-aloud and discussion class. There will also be short writing assignments along the way to practice diving deeper into content and themes.

We might even finish the class by watching the film! And see if there’s momentum to continue the series and spin offs.

  • Most of your work time will be "in class" during the allotted class time, however, should you need or want more time to complete your work you will be expected to use some "outside of class" time.
  • Outside work: Occasional throughout the term

Sex Ed and Health (Year long) (MS) (elizabeth ortega)

Note: This class is open to middle school students only.

In case you didn’t know, I LOVE teaching sex and health ed, AND am officially certified to do so. It’s one of my all time favorites. If you are in Middle School and are thinking hmm maybe?! Perfect, come on down! This class is for the middle school students who took my class last year (this it the sequel book!) AND for middle school students who have not taken sex and health ed.

We will have a darn good time learning about healthy relationships, sexuality, gender, bodies, emotions and how to take care of yourself. Sex Ed is something you deserve to have and have fun learning in it!

In this class I will do my best to include a wide variety of genders, sexualities, and different bodies, and to focus on the real world experiences of students in middle school.

We will work to create a space where you can learn relevant information about sexual and relational health. Talking about sex and our bodies openly and honestly can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. It can also be enlightening, informative, and exciting!

This class will be a place to build confidence and friendly curiosity, rather than shame and judgment. Cultivating a relationship with one’s sexuality and body is a journey – and it’s better if you feel informed and aware along the way.

We will utilize the book: You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things by Cory Silverberg

“Racially and ethnically diverse, inclusive of cross-disability experience, this is a book for every kind of young person and every kind of family…You Know, Sex is the first thoroughly modern sex ed book for every body navigating puberty and adolescence, essential for kids, everyone who knows a kid, and anyone who has ever been a kid.”

Please reach out if you have any questions about the content of this class!

Required texts/materials: The instructor will procure the texts/materials.

  • Most of your work time will be "in class" during the allotted class time, however, should you need or want more time to complete your work you will be expected to use some "outside of class" time.
  • Outside work: Occasional throughout the term
  • Mature themes: This curriculum could be considered "mature themes" to some and not to others. Some of the content covered, includes: young people’s experiences and possible experiences of pressures from all around them and there are chapters on body autonomy, boundaries, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, consent, and safety in our media-saturated world, puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies.

Diverse Voices & Yummy Things (MS/HS) (elizabeth ortega)

In this class, we’ll gather to consume and discuss media by and about diverse humans. We’ll hear from various voices on topics like identity, queerness, institutional racism and human rights, global issues and we’ll pull from assorted forms of media including podcasts and news sources.

Each class one of you will provide either a yummy treat or a yummy beverage for everyone to share and we will create a sign up!

I’ll provide 2 options each day, y’all will vote and bam! We listen and discuss.

Whiteness/straightness/cis-ness/patriarchal-ness etc. in media is the norm; this is an opportunity to approach important topics from different viewpoints and perspectives. 

No homework, just come ready to contribute to discussions each day and eat yummy things and THINK and PONDER and FEEL and DISCUSS.

  • Outside work: No outside work

Intersectional Sociology of Gender (2 terms) (HS) (elizabeth ortega)

Note: This class is open to high school students only.

In this class we will examine how gender, from an intersectional lens shapes the media, violence, sexuality, intimacy, education, the economy, different family structures, religion, government and society at large. We will explore how gender varies by race, class, ethnicity, global region, sexual orientation, why feminism and women’s liberation across the globe aim to improve the lives of women and men and everyone in-between. Emphasis will be on U.S. history and society, but comparisons to other countries will be made to examine how gender works and plays out.

Through this class students will be able to 1) analyze how social structure and culture shape gendered identities and experiences, apply sociological terms and concepts concerning gendered experiences and phenomena to their papers and presentations 2) Identify how race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality affect gender relations and experiences 3) Explain how gender creates power and control imbalances in people’s personal relationships

I will be pulling material from the Human Sexuality course I teach at Antioch to expand our lenses and knowledge context from the world of academia.

  • There will be a moderate amount of "outside of class time" work in this class.
  • Outside work: See course description above
  • Mature themes: Some of content will likely contain mature themes around violence, gendered/racial etc. injustice, and potentially triggering content.