So, it's now compulsory for primary schools to teach sex education. Oh joy. This job just keeps getting better.
Jim Knight, Schools Minister, says that there is a need to "improve the moral framework and moral understanding around which we then talk about sex later on in a child's education." The government is passing the responsibility over to schools again, as is its wont (at the last count, you are expected to teach the kids manners, ethics, basic nutrition and basic hygiene, you know the stuff you might reasonably expect parents to teach them, in addition to the curriculum.) Because they don't seem entirely clear on what constitutes a moral framework and moral understanding around which we can talk about sex, they fumble the issue and pass it onto schools to work out the details and how these diktats can actually be delivered. Because we have lots of time on our hands to do that.
Hey - these kids are all getting STDs! And pregnant! Let the schools sort it out. Whilst they're also sorting out exercise - and afterschool clubs - and breakfast clubs - and combating youth crime - and child abuse - and poverty - and obesity- and malnutrition - - and inequalities which are entirely down to what class children are born into. * That's what we pay them for, isn't it?
* On Radio 4 an Irish woman was talking about a trial of these sex education classes in Ireland - she admitted that the project had no appreciable impact on the teen pregnancy statistics - what made a difference was their relationships with their parents, their family background and the expectations of the teenagers - the ones who expected to go on to study at university didn't want to get pregnant, the ones who didn't expect anything out of further education saw no reason not to.
Cover from the brilliant Mummy Laid an Egg by the brilliant Babette Cole. I'd recommend it for all those awkward conversations. Me, I'm heading for adult education pronto.
13 comments:
I do have a track record in this area though - apparently I told my best friend the facts of life when we were 7. 'I went home to my mum and demanded that she deny it all. You traumatised me for life.'
My mum and dad chucked a book at my brother and I when we were very young, and that was that. Out of the way very early. We just weren't allowed to show it to the other children.
The fact is that school has always been a poor replacement for religion when it comes to instilling virtue. I'd just force kids to listen to their parents having sex. That'd put them right off it.
Glad you're back. Even just for a moment. Am uninspired myself. And tired. Stupid winter.
Glad you're back, especially as Patroclus appears to have disappeared into a bucket of nappies.
But this is the only sex ed you need.
I had one line of sex education at school, when I was about 13, in a class called Moral Education which had just taken over from RE.
"Condom manufacturers say they're safe. They said the same about the Titanic."
We had people come in for one day in primary school to uh, show us the ropes. We learned such things "Women don't like it when you call their breasts 'tits' - 'boobs' is a much nicer word."
Del, it wasn't 'Where Did I Come From?' by any chance? Peter Mayle has a lot to answer for. Your solution to the problem is innovative and lateral-thinking, well done!
I know ducky, me too. I wish I was on a road trip like Annie Rhiannon.
Tim, I'm concerned about mamasita Patroclus too - I'm hoping she's enjoying the hiatus and not really being buried under the nappies. I really wanted to see your saucy video but tried to create a Youtube account 5 times and gave up in a huff.
Was it a Catholic school Geoff?
Emordino - ha! Quite practical really. That would come under 'relationship guidance' in the new regime.
I was given the Ladybird Book Of The Body. The only pages that looked vaguely interesting were the inner cover which showed a nude boy and a nude girl child changing from child to adult. And we used to have furtive glances at my friend's parent copy of The Joy of Sex - oh and my dad's porn mags! Ping pong anyone?!
But seriously - I don't want my 7 year old son having sex education yet - he still thinks all babies, puppies, kittens - anything really are all born from laid eggs. He recently asked me when my pregnant friends baby was going to hatch. I think 7 is too young and should stay that way for now.
I think this covers it nicely.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/children-to-be-taught-why-women-are-out-of-their-minds-200810231348/
Yes, Babette Cole's book is wonderful.
My mum gave me a really cool book called How a Baby is Made, when I was about eight.
Unfortunately, I misunderstood this page: I took the phrase "the mother and father do not know yet if this has happened" to refer to the act of carnal rudeness itself, and spent several months fully aware of the mechanics, but under the misapprehension that they occurred while the participants were fast asleep.
RoMo - ah, sweet. I always knew when I saw my 6 year olds cracking up in the book corner that they'd found the book with the photo of the baby girl having a nappy change in it. Willies and fannies are funny really.
Anonymous, very good.
hello Mary. Where did you come from?
Tim, I love the laid-back hippy book, they look like the couple from the Joy of Sex too. That reminds me of my bafflement on reading somewhere that 'some women have babies by themselves' not long after learning the facts of life. I think it referred to actual labour, but I spent some time paranoid that you could suddenly and magically get pregnant without a man involved at all.
That was the book! How a baby is made. No idea when my folks thrust it at me. But it just said everything I needed to know, so that was that.
Annie, Annie, Annie... tut, tut, tut... everyone knows that immorality at 5 leads to pregnancy at 10 that leads to robbery at 12 and heroin at 14. I think the government has not gone far enough, SATS for sperm is what I say. And as for you girls and your eggs, well, a dose of the national curriculum should sort out any problems there.
You teachers are to blame for the rising tide of lawlessness amongst infants, isn't it obvious? If it was up to me schools would be run by the army. And none of your mamby pamby detentions for bad behaviour either, 6 months in Helmand Province would do the trick, sort out the wheat from the chaff, the weak from the strong. Didn't I read somewhere that there are 24,000 failing teachers? That's 8 battalions identified already. It's time you educationalists started to think outside of the box. And don't get me started on sponsorship...
Post a Comment