When I was in Sudbury the director of education of the school board was in my congregation and the chair of our Ministry and Personnel committee. We chatted after a meeting one day because he wondered what I thought about a proposal to have condom dispensers in the washrooms. I could tell he was uneasy about it, and knew there would likely be some unhappy people, including some who were religious. I told him it was probably a good idea, although I hadn't given it much thought. He seemed a bit surprised but I figured this wasn't about a moral judgment, it was a practical step which reflected the reality of our times. I had teens at the time and while I felt that our society had become over-sexualized I was also well aware that denying sexual activity didn't make it go away.
I have thought about this conversation as the new sex-ed program has been announced by the Ontario government. Already there has been plenty of response. This morning as I drove to work I listened to two mothers on the radio, both articulate, one in favour of the timelines for the introduction of topics, the other feeling that it was not age appropriate and usurped the role of parents. I really can't comment on that aspect because I haven't spent time studying the proposals and I am far removed from the daily realities of parenting.
What I do know is that during my growing up years there was virtual silence about sexuality, both in my home and in school. Outside in the schoolyard there was plenty of sex talk, a lot of it bizarre and in the category of "talking dirty." I understand the reservations of some parents for a number of reasons, including the variances in maturity with kids, even within families. But school is about education and it isn't restricted to the Three R's. With the internet as a source for a lot of disturbing stuff and the possibilities of online luring and shaming, we may need this education more than ever.
I also feel that there may be young people who are conflicted about their sexual orientation because they are subject to cultural and religious prohibitions. This may help them to have a fuller understanding of sexual expression.
What do you think? Are you comfortable with what you're hearing? Is school a place to learn about sexuality?
5 comments:
It's interesting. Do the schools really know what it is that kids want to know?
I mean, maybe it's not knowing everything about the "plumbing".
Maybe what kids want to know is: How can I know if I can trust someone else with my feelings? And how am I supposed to feel if that someone else happens to be of the same sex that I am?
Sexuality and sex education are minefields - at home or at school... I taught sex ed for about 15 years prior to my retirement - and the teens in my classes knew a lot about the plumbing and various "positions" - they did NOT know about positive relationships and respect, and what it means to love another person... they also did not have a clue about pregnancy prevention and disease prevention...it was the AIDS explosion that prompted us to teach about protection...and we always stressed the option of abstinence as the only 100% sure way to avoid disease and pregnancy...but humans, being humans ,always think, "Well, it won't happen to me" . I think there is definitely a place in the school curriculum, taught by well trained staff, for the new curriculum, and I especially like the emphasis on knowing how to figure out relationships and whether or not you can trust another persons motives ... not that we can ever be 100% sure of that, even... there are sociopaths who excel in bamboozling naïve people ...
Well said Frank. Actually, I am glad that our denomination was become more open about working with young people in addressing those very questions from the standpoint of faith.
And well said Judy. Your comments arrived just after I posted mine.
When our boys were teens, we had an ative youth group at the church, and one of the meetings was devoted to info bout AIDS and the kids were invited to ask questions abut sexuality in general ... the presenter was a sexuality specialist nurse ( a member of the Congregation) , and it was one of the best programs we ever had - along with one on cults, with a rep from COMA, in Toronto (the Moonies were making their way into the Quinte area at the time...)
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