Sex Education in Our Schools
…Or teaching kids how to have sex.
When I was in the 6th grade - just a few years before the “sexual revolution” of the late 1960’s - Sr. Lillian, CSJ took it upon herself to instruct our class about sex. Her first lessons sent us all to the dictionary to look up copulation, after she became concerned when we all laughed that, “Abraham saddled his ass” and when we read that Lot’s daughters slept with their dad. (The “progressive” Sr. Lillian was later ostracized from her community because she refused to give up the old habit and was a huge Fatima and Padre Pio devotee - which tells you something about just how liberal she really was.)
So anyway, when the sex education started, she supplied us with non-illustrated pamphlets on our bodies. Blossoming pervert that I was, I took copious notes, writing out terms and definitions such as “gonads” and “testicles” and “penis”. My friends and I would read the definitions to one another from these notes and booklets and the dictionary, laughing nervously, anxiously discussing when we would get our pubic hair. My parents found my sex notes and accused me of things I didn’t even know the meaning of, which in turn, sent me to Confession, and more confusion about what “complete self-abuse” meant. The thing is, all I learned about from Sister concerned our bodies, and that mine was different from a girl’s body. (See - she really just didn’t want us laughing because “Abraham saddled his ass.”) Yet for me - and my friends - this was too much information too soon - and I never figured out what ’self-abuse’ meant until 9th grade.
Do not awaken sex before its time.
I adapted that verse from the Song of Songs, “Do not awaken love before its time.” In other words, in 6th, 7th, even 8th grade, I really didn’t have a clue about sexuality. Sr. Lillian may have been instrumental in piquing our interest, but that was the extent of it. I know things are different today, kids in 4th grade probably know as much about sex as I do now. Sex is all over media - kids know it is not just kissing.
Rudimentary sex education in ‘health class’ does not seem inappropriate to me - especially if kids can discus these things with parents. Nevertheless, I’m convinced that detailed sex education belongs to the parents first and foremost, and what children are taught in schools must be monitored by parents. Sr. Lillian never checked with the parents if it was okay to teach us about our bodies - and when I took my homework home, my parents freaked, thinking I was this little sex maniac in the making.
The “new” sex education - or indoctrination?
Today, the New York Times has a piece, “Lesson on Homosexuality Move Into the Classroom” - here’s a snippet:
“After five years, one legal defeat and a challenge on the way, Montgomery County, Md., is at the frontier of sex education in the United States. This fall, barring last-minute court action, the county will offer lessons on homosexuality in its 8th- and 10th-grade health education courses.
To school officials, the lessons are a natural outgrowth of sex education and of teachings on tolerance and diversity. They consist of two heavily scripted, 45-minute lessons for each grade and a video demonstrating how to put on a condom. The lessons’ central message is respect and acceptance of the many permutations of sexual identity, both in others and in one’s self.” - New York Times
Needless to say, I can’t think of anything more innapropriate. No matter how much a kid knows about his/her body and sex, or how much they see it on TV or in the movies, they surely do not have to be trained that homosexuality is an option. Especially at the age of sexual awakening, that time when there is a lot of confusion, and in many cases, experimentation.
As sexually sophisticated as we believe contemporary kids are, they are still just kids. If a kid “thinks” he’s gay because he has an innocent “boy/man crush” on someone - that doesn’t mean he is dyed in the wool gay. If he isn’t yet interested in girls, or he happens to be fascinated with the adult male physique; again, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the kid is gay. (My crazy mother thought my athletic brother was gay because he used to buy body-builder magazines - he just wanted to be Mr. Atlas!) Adolescence is a time of great upheaval, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and to be sure - sexually. Answer kid’s questions, but it is wrong to do the “TMI” (too much information) thing before they are ready.
The Agenda
Sr. Lillian, God rest her soul, also told us that Communism would infiltrate our schools and universities, convents and rectories, every institution, sacred or civil. She said that the aim would be to gradually, covertly indoctrinate people with socialist principles. She said the first assault would occur in the breakdown of morality, that moral principles would be altered and confused, permitting the decline of good order. (I thought she was nuts and wasn’t sure what the heck she was talking about.)
I’m not saying this is one big Communist plot, like Hilary Clinton does when she insists there is a massive ‘right wing conspiracy’ against she and her husband - but there are earmarks of an agenda perpetrated by some one or some organization. It seems more than obvious to me that this type of sex education in our schools is not only an attempt to normalize the homosexual lifestyle, but also can become (intentionally or unitentionally) a form of indoctrination into the lifestyle for the undecided. Even when it is veiled under the title of Creating Safe Environments for LGBT students - A Catholic School Perspective, and in the establishment of LGBT clubs in our Catholic high schools, such as Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota has done.
I know - I’m going to get nailed for this one, but it seems to me it is just common sense. To those who object to my views, I hope you can step away from your passions, your personal experiences, and your political agenda, and just look at this objectively.
That’s all.
[Cartoon stolen from: Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex blog.]
August 17th, 2007 at 11:45 am
It’s a tough subject. How does one teach kids to be tolerant and respectful of anothers view and to love the person, but not affirm them in this particular sin? The homosexual orientation is seen and accepted by many as a fundamental identity, which it isn’t. How is it for heterosexuals? Do heterosexual persons “identify” as heterosexual? I don’t think so.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Superb post, Terry
August 17th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
But there is nothing to argue in this post, Terry; by 4th grade, kids DO know as much as we do.. they have no idea why they needed this info now, but they now have some idea that life is quite lascivious and all about self.
Homeschool, homeschool, homeschool.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I was a public school kid (everyone wonders why my parents didn’t send us to Catholic school and I have no idea) and we had co-ed sex education in fourth grade, again in fifth grade, again in seventh grade and then once in 10-12 (it was a rotation of courses you had to take, I just happened to get it again in 12th while other kids had it in 10th or 11th). In 4th grade I was completely scandalized by this…seriously. Tough subject. I really think parents need to educate their kids as an on-going thing as topics come up, not give them both barrels as I got in grade school. This is one of my top ten reasons to homeschool. The cavalier attitudes in school on the basics of this subject all the way to the controverial aspects, really present a very amoral view of things. My kids certainly won’t be ignorant, but I hope their perspectives will be unlike those they would learn in school.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Terry, you heard a lot more at school than I did. My parents gave me age-appropriate information; but all I heard at school was a dark reference made by the Sister who taught 5th and 6th grade, that “…the hottest fires in hell burn for those who break the 6th and 9th commandments.” I told my Mom that, and she said, “I don’t know how Sister can say that, she and I are both old enough to have read the newspaper accounts of what came to light when they liberated Dacchau!”
August 17th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I’m just trying to work out your age
August 17th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
What was it Christ said about those who do harm to children?
Back in the seventies, we needed our parents’ permission to attend health class in the 8th grade - where we were told we didn’t need our parents’ permission to get b/c. Leading innocent children astray, & undermining parental authority, which is (unbelievably!) supported by our tax $$$ is indeed what Sr. Lillian was referring to - & she was most unfortunately correct!
Priests for Life has information for anyone who is willing to go to their school board & point out that they should disassociate themselves from family planning clinics - & stick to basic biology for older students.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Thanks all - looks as if homeschool is the way to go. I also now know why Ave Maria Town is a good thing.
UKOK - Mentally I am 22 - physically I’m 49 - which isn’t too much shy of my real age.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Well, home schooling is fine for now … unless we become like German & Canada (see LifeSite News) … then what?
“Sex Education” has been put on the table as a campaign issue (also see headlines out of CA and the battle w/textbooks) …. and, interesting enough PP has openly launched w/allies their next vision:
http://ippfwhr.org/publications/serial_issue_e.asp?PubID=31& SerialIssuesID=214
Sexual Pleasure as a Key Component of Integral Sexual Health
This article focuses on research and educational projects carried out by IMIFAP (Instituto Mexicano de Investigación en Familia y Población/Mexican Institute for Research on Family and Population). It details how many adolescent girls receive powerful messages stigmatizing their sexual desire and enforcing inequitable gender norms.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3808406.html
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Volume 38, Number 2, June 2006
Greater Expectations: Adolescents’ Positive Motivations for Sex
By Mary A. Ott, Susan G. Millstein, Susan Ofner and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher
CONTEXT: Effective STD and pregnancy prevention efforts should benefit from knowledge of what motivates adolescents to have sex. Positive motivations, and how they differ by gender and sexual experience, are poorly understood.
http://ippfwhr.org/publications/serial_issue_e.asp?PubID=31& SerialIssuesID=214
ARTICLES
Sexual Stereotypes Stop Females from Feeling Pleasure
Written by a 17-year-old staff writer for Sex, etc., this article explores the reasons why young men are ‘allowed’ to enjoy sex, while young women are made to feel ashamed or undeserving of pleasure. The “Girls Health” section of the website has many similar articles that discuss masturbation and other subjects.
Source: http://ippfwhr.org/publications/serial_issue_e.asp?PubID=31& SerialIssuesID=214
The Good Lovers Project
Sensoa, a Flemish Belgian sexual health and HIV/AIDS organization, started an innovative, comprehensive sex education project for young people called Good Lovers in 1999. The project originated over growing concern that sexuality education, while different in all contexts, had one common feature: sex is presented as a source of great suffering. Talking about sex has become acceptable only when discussing HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and sexual abuse. Consequently, the content disregards the positive aspects of sex. The aim of the ‘Good Lovers’ project is to integrate these various dimensions into a single approach, closer to the real world in which young people live, and where parents, peers, school, media and experts can play an important and mutually complementary role.
Source: http://ippfwhr.org/publications/serial_issue_e.asp?PubID=31& SerialIssuesID=214
Promotion of Sexual Health: Recommendations for Action
This document from PAHO, while not focusing exclusively on adolescents, provides good information on eroticism, responsible pursuit of pleasure, the need for knowledge about the body as related to sexual response and pleasure, as well as many other topics.
And the battle continues ….
August 17th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Paula - you have a wealth of knowledge on this subject and many more! You should work in the chancery or something.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Slightly off topic but when I was a kid I got hold of a copy of Dr. Ruben’s “Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask.” I couldn’t have dreamed up some of the stuff in that book and my 10 year old mind was imprinted with things I should never have been exposed to in my life. Terrible. The 70’s suck.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Sorry, Angela, I just have this mental picture of a 10 year old with a flashlight under the covers, reading naughty books! I’m ashamed to say that I bought that book, when I was in my 20’s and married. There is certainly nothing in it that would help a married couple in their relationship. (And likely nothing in the sex ed classes either) I didn’t even have the nerve to give the book away to the “Friends of the Library” sale.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Terry,
Great post.
While homeschooling works for some families it does not work for others. I know that the PUBLIC charter school my children attend does not have any sex ed in it. How do I know? I am on the curriculum committee which wrote the sex ed policy. Information about sex should be taught at home! Some Catholic grade schools use the “Growing in love” series which is bad too. I do not remember any sex ed while growing up in the 1970’s in the classroom. I was pretty naive.
K
August 19th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Homeschooling is a good thing, but it does not shelter children from the world. My neighbor is a great Catholic who does a wonderful job homeschooling 5 children and yet, this summer we both had a problem with a neighborhood girl that came to play with our innocent children in our back yards. I believe this 7 yr old girl may have seen too much at home or on tv. So homeschooling is good, but our kids are not completely “safe” just because they are being homeschooled.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Terry, above in comment #7 rhapsody Says:
“Priests for Life has information for anyone who is willing to go to their school board & point out that they should disassociate themselves from family planning clinics - & stick to basic biology for older students.” I’m wondering how I can get more information on this?
Thanks,
Colleen
August 21st, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Colleen,
You can get in touch with PFL
by visiting their site - here’s one link:
http://www.priestsforlife.org/brochures/youcan.html
God bless you:)
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:08 am
We did quite a bit on my blog re sex ed..i entirely agree with your views…
October 26th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I think the moral “confusion” of our age might be blamed on the communists or some other “ism”, but don’t you think the true source is the devil? The confusion surrounding homosexuality is truely remarkable. I recommend reading Harvey Mansfield’s book, Manliness - not because of it’s great wisdom, but because it brings up a lot of commonsense ideas, especially regarding science, but other ideas too that trip us up. If you point to the devil as the source of problems such as homosexuality, it is not too hard to see why there is so much confusion and deception surrounding it, and from so many directions. The solution is to really understand the Bible and to live a deeply spiritual life.