Concerned Parents Get Informed
Last night Einstein High School's Health teachers had a question-and-answer session for the sex education section of the Health curriculum. This semester they're using the newly approved condom video, otherwise it's the same thing they've taught for more than a decade. Besides me, two other parents showed up.
It was very interesting. Both parents who were there (a mother and a father) were concerned about the curriculum, and had lots of questions and comments. The father, it seemed to me, just wanted to know what his kid would be exposed to. He may be rather conservative, but mainly he just wanted to see for himself, to decide whether his child should attend the class.
The mother who came to the meeting was a very conservative, very concerned. She wants her daughter to remain a virgin until she's married, she wants to be sure that her daughter is not encouraged to consider having an abortion. She had very strong feelings about the emotional nature of sex, and the potential for a girl to be taken advantage of, and mistreated. As she said, "There is no condom for your heart."
I found her questions to be very sincere, and completely sympathized with her. It is terrifying raising children, knowing how painful and wonderful love can be, and how temptation can lead them into situations that will hurt them for life.
We watched the famous video (afterwards, the Health teacher said I was going to have to narrate it next time -- I have seen it quite a few times now). I wondered how this conservative mother was going to take it. She was very quiet through the video, and afterwards talked about the fact that her daughter is going to hear about these things in the hallways, anyway.
To me, this was perfect. This was a perfect opportunity for parents to make an informed decision. Concerned parents should find out the details, and they should get them from the teachers themselves, not from some third party with an agenda.
After the meeting, I saw this mother outside the school building. I asked her if she was going to let her daughter take the class. She said yes.
I was glad that those with an agenda stayed away from this meeting. There was no one there to tell this poor, worried lady that the health teachers were going to "instruct her child in anal sex," or any of those other things they say. She got the facts, she made a decision, cool.
It was very interesting. Both parents who were there (a mother and a father) were concerned about the curriculum, and had lots of questions and comments. The father, it seemed to me, just wanted to know what his kid would be exposed to. He may be rather conservative, but mainly he just wanted to see for himself, to decide whether his child should attend the class.
The mother who came to the meeting was a very conservative, very concerned. She wants her daughter to remain a virgin until she's married, she wants to be sure that her daughter is not encouraged to consider having an abortion. She had very strong feelings about the emotional nature of sex, and the potential for a girl to be taken advantage of, and mistreated. As she said, "There is no condom for your heart."
I found her questions to be very sincere, and completely sympathized with her. It is terrifying raising children, knowing how painful and wonderful love can be, and how temptation can lead them into situations that will hurt them for life.
We watched the famous video (afterwards, the Health teacher said I was going to have to narrate it next time -- I have seen it quite a few times now). I wondered how this conservative mother was going to take it. She was very quiet through the video, and afterwards talked about the fact that her daughter is going to hear about these things in the hallways, anyway.
To me, this was perfect. This was a perfect opportunity for parents to make an informed decision. Concerned parents should find out the details, and they should get them from the teachers themselves, not from some third party with an agenda.
After the meeting, I saw this mother outside the school building. I asked her if she was going to let her daughter take the class. She said yes.
I was glad that those with an agenda stayed away from this meeting. There was no one there to tell this poor, worried lady that the health teachers were going to "instruct her child in anal sex," or any of those other things they say. She got the facts, she made a decision, cool.
posted by JimK at 12:26 PM
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