The old adage is that everything is bigger in Texas. Apparently that holds true when it comes to the sex education in the schools there as well. Yesterday while scanning for odd news stories I came across several stories about a motivational speech gone awry.It seems that a member of the school board in Hitchcock (yes ironically I said Hitchcock) Texas was invited to give a motivational speech to 6th - 8th grade girls at the middle school there. The speaker, Dr. Shirley Price had heard that the girls were being pressured to have sex and decided to ask the school's principal to leave the room so she could discuss the topic with the girl's in private. The discussion seems to have started with a public discussion about the use of the word "bitch" and escalated from there.
Some of what was said and discussed is in debate and has been denied by the speaker but various news reports say that graphic discussions describing how to perform oral and anal sex and role playing situations where boys may try to pressure the girls into performing these acts. Dr. Shirley helped to explain and even role play these situations with the girls and included the phrasing “what is said in here stays in here.”
Understandably parents are upset. Not only were parents not notified ahead of time to allow their children to be excused if they felt that the sex ed talk was inappropriate but now they are having to do damage control about some of the things that were said.
Don't get me wrong, I feel that sex ed is a valuable educational tool and that parents should talk to their kids about sex. However I think that parents should be able to determine how and where this discussion takes place. Sex Ed can take place in a more clinical manner than a speaker discussing oral and anal sex and role playing the same. The speaker is now apologizing publicly but wants to speak to the girls again to apologize again in person. Ummm I don't think so.
What do you think? What is your opinion on how sex ed should take place in the schools? What is and what isn't appropriate? Comment and let me know your take.
-Doc
.jpg)
.JPG)
19 comments:
I agree with you on this one. Sex Education is extremely important. The majority of this education should come from open and honest dialogue at home. I do believe a clinical education at school is important but NOT as what happened in Texas. I would be outraged if my kids were exposed to something like this at school!
Sex education is extremely important in schools! I also believe that parents need to be very involved with this subject, as they would any other material that is being taught in school. Open communication on sex is very important…..especially between you and your child. As for the subject about oral, anal or roll playing sex....that takes it a bit to far. My 16 year old feels very comfortable talking to me about sex....which I am very thankful for. Only it does make me want to throw up with the thought, BUT I have to remember I was 16 once too....which really makes me want to throw up!
I can't believe the principal left the room.
And giving a sex talk (especially to kids that aren't your own) takes CAREFUL planning and CAREFUL word selection in order to stay age appropriate. It probably wasn't all new information to most of them but it still should be presented in a different manner.
Oh and one more detail I left out. Several teachers stayed in the room after the princpal left and none of them did anything to stop the explicit talk.
Um, I'm sorry, but after reading the article, I don't see what was so wrong. The lady even asked the teachers who were present if she was being too raw and raunchy and they didn't say yes. I would much rather my daughter learn from an educated person, who is totally OPEN and honest then from her friends who use the wrong words, the wrong terms, in the wrong, negative way. We need sex education and if some parents don't like it, they better be damn sure to cover it at home. I don't know about anywhere else, but in my county and counties surrounding us, there is a large amount of teen pregnancy. SOMETHING needs to be done.
These kids should be learning these things from magazines, MTV and the internet just like the rest of us. hahaha
I think we should have sex ed in schools, but you can't just up and have an impromptu sex ed class without any warning to the parents. While I believe that parents who refuse to let their kids attend sex ed classes are making a mistake (generally, depending on how the class is taught and all that stuff), it's still their right as a parent to raise their kids as they see fit.
The principal should have not let this go on.
Sex ed is important. I would like my daughter to know what a guy might say or do to her to pressure her into sex. And I think that even today people don't always have those discussions at home.
I don't know the answer, but this is another reason I am glad I am not a parent. I don't have to think about this stuff too seriously.
As a matter of public service, I offer my time and knowledge in order to talk about my sexual experiences to all kids. If I do...they will never have it. Cheers Doc!!
Bina - so you are ok with an impromptu sex ed talk discussing things like situations and oral and anal without giving your permission first?
I think most of the rest thinking along the same lines... Except Matt-Man and you never know what he is thinking.
I know Matt-Man's son has navigated the middle school years - anyone else?
As the very involved, open dialog mom of an 8th grader, let me tell you that your 6th-8th grader has already heard about anal and oral sex ... from their 6th-8th grade friends!
Do I think parents should have the CHOICE as to whether their child participated in such a discussion? Absolutely, but I don't think the discussion (and roll playing) were out of line for this age group.
Don't know about all of you, but if my son isn't comfortable asking me about anal sex, I sure as heck hope he chooses to get his information from an educated adult rather than his buddy Joe who googled anal sex on his computer and is now the expert!
I thought the sex ed at school I got as a kid was fine; it focused on reproduction. Never once, did they talk about when/where/how to do it. That was...and should be...left up to the parents to explain.
As much as I am in dismay about what the presenter said, I am shocked even more that the principal left the room. Bonehead!
Plus, who takes sex advice from a 65 year-old! Did she give her first BJ in the back seat of a car or on horseback?
I don't know...this is a difficult one. I think I'm going to keep my child away from men until she's 25!!! How does that sound?? Because seriously, I just can't even handle thinking about my child grown up and liking boys. Ewwwwwwww!! I've got a few precious years to hold on to for now...
My husband and I were just talking about this the other night and how I should have the talk with our 13 year old before her friends do. Don't get me wrong, I have talked to her mildly about before, but not roll play situations like that. I know at school they do sex ed, but not like that and a permission slip does come home and even an automated message comes to the phone at home so you know what is going on at school.
I have to side with Bina. Intelligent people are saying that this stuff should be well thought out, planned and talked about at home. That is all well and good in the perfect world but the reality is, most girls get their information from their friends. If they were given the opportunity to asked questions and the speaker was well informed and answered them correctly and completely, I think it was a positive thing. Many of these girls are too embarrassed to ask Mom about what they hear in the girls locker room and this gave them an opportunity to feel comfortable.
No, I would not be upset at all. Actually, I would be encouraged that the topic isn't being kept to whispering and misinformation spread amongst peers.
I'm surprised to read two women on this blog think this was okay. I'd be livid if this happened at my daughter's school. For me not to know if this kook is telling her that its okay to go ass-to-mouth doesn't sit well with me.
Parents should have had the option to opt out for their child, but that being said, since I wasn't there - I don't know how the subjects of oral and anal were brought up. Perhaps a girl asked a question like "Well, I can't get pregnant by oral or anal sex, so that's okay, right?" and then being told that was true, but it doesn't mean that STDs can't still be transmitted, such as herpes and AIDS, etc. I'm not sure how I would feel if it were one of my children at the talk - it would really depend on the context of how the topics were approached.
I firmly believe that sex education needs to be done early in the schools, be comprehensive, totally honest, and nothing held back, The kids are doing everything anyway, let's protect them with "full disclosure" no pun intented, of course.
Secretia
So these girls would have been what? 12 - 14 years old? I'm thinking that a discussion about anal sex was too much too soon for such young girls. I'd have been upset as a parent. I think kids need to be informed, but it should be the parents having these discussions and deciding what and how much is appropriate.
I love Dana. She always says exactly what I'm trying to say but I can never get it out right.
She is exactly right about kids having already heard that stuff. And I'm open with my daughter as well, and she tells me stuff, and my God! Again, Dana is right on.
Post a Comment