Not technically homeschooling in the news, but certainly - for some parents - a reason to homeschool, at least for this one topic. Ontario unveils new sex-ed curriculum for public school students... http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2010/04/21/13661456-qmi.html The article linked above is actually quite slanted, designed to elicit outrage. What's not included in the article is this bit (from my local print newspaper)... My husband and I have been involved in teaching our church's sex ed program, and I have to say that if you stripped it right down, our program would sound pretty shocking, too. But as it happens, sixth grade (or fifth grade, for that matter) is exactly when you need to discuss issues such as masturbation, because that's when they're hitting puberty. Gender identity in grade 3? It's the perfect time for kids to find out exactly what those slurs they throw around on the playground really mean! I mean, seriously, I could scream the next time I hear "gay" coming out of a 2nd grader's mouth to describe something - or someone - he doesn't like. You can't hide from these issues. The first time my son heard about oral sex was from a fellow kindergarten student on the school bus. They were four, but the other boy had teenaged brothers and big ears. I talked to my son, and then talked to his teacher the next day. She just kind of closed her eyes and said, "Oh no, I'm going to have to have another talk with the class!" I think many teachers are having to deal with these topics anyway - hopefully this curriculum will give them some guidance. I also appreciate the fact that parents have the right to decline the class, if they would rather handle their child's sexual education themselves. No one's going to force them to put their child in this class - which is remarkably sensitive, considering this is public school.
Thanks for posting that article. This further reinforces the notion that I need to teach my children about sex early. My 6 and 8 year old already know quite a bit, but if the kids in the neighborhood are being taught things in schools I need to keep up. I DON'T want my kids to learn about sex from other kids. Neither would I want a school district to teach my child about sex. That is my job.
Very true! I personally think sex-ed is part of a conversation that starts when your child is born, and continues until they leave home. Besides, keeping the lines of communication open means you'll be able to deal with anything your children hear on the street. Such as... Three little neighbourhood boys outside my window (about 8 & 9 years old). One boy is saying with great authority to the others: "Girls and boys are the same when they're in their mom's belly, but then the p@nis part of the girl gets sucked up inside her, like it turns right inside out, like a balloon, and that's why girls are girls. That's also why the boys' p@nis fits inside her so good, because they're made to go together." Imaginative kid! :lol: Also... My own children charging inside one summer day, about three years ago (they would have been 9 & 11), all shocked because the neighbour's two girls, "Don't know what a condom is!" "What did you tell them?" I asked. My son said, "I told them latex condoms make great balloons for volleyball, but you can't draw on them with permanent marker or they'll pop!" And my daughter added (like it was the boring bit of the story), "Oh, and you can use them to prevent pregnancy." I didn't have the nerve to ask my neighbours if their daughters had mentioned anything to them. And finally... A 19 year old friend of mine, many years ago, telling me seriously that you can't get pregnant if you do it standing up. And also that she didn't want to use t@mpons, because what if they got lost up there? My husband was puzzled to come home that night to find hand-drawn and labelled pictures of a woman's internal organs spread all over the dining room table. I explained to him that I'd had to explain how everything worked to our friend, because otherwise she was very shortly going to end up pregnant. Or worse.
