Should human sexuality be taught in schools?

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If it was devoid of birth control messages and did not advocate premarital sex, would you be opposed to biology-based sexuality curriculum…say, using “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler as a textbook and discussing the basic building blocks of NFP?

I can’t help but think that this is something that needs to be dealt with on a school level…yet so many believe that it can’t be taught without the family’s values incorporated.

Laura
 
I have no problem with it being taught as biology and hygiene.

That’s not what I received in school and it makes me very nervous regarding my own children. I learned how to put a condom on by practicing on fruit. We played the “AIDS game” and other such nonsense. I just find that stuff so inappropriate.
 
I don’t think it should be taught in public schools beyond basic biology, e.g., this is how the reproductive system works, this is how pregnancy occurs. It’s a matter for the family to teach to its children beyond that. Catholic schools are a different case, but public schools should just stick to the facts and leave the ideology out.
 
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Minerva:
I don’t think it should be taught in public schools beyond basic biology, e.g., this is how the reproductive system works, this is how pregnancy occurs. It’s a matter for the family to teach to its children beyond that. Catholic schools are a different case, but public schools should just stick to the facts and leave the ideology out.
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Unfortunately, there is little that we as parents can do about it because “sex education” is so institutionalized. We basically can review the curriculum and opt out of it entirely or in part. But I have never heard of a case where parents have any influence on what is taught or how it is taught, unfortunately. Unless of course they make a huge stink and put pressure on the school district. And mortify their kids in the process.
 
sadly that is very true - parents have little control over the garbage some public schools shove down kids’ throats.
 
I believe it should be the parents responsibility. I think the present situation has only really come about because parents haven’t shouldered this resposibilty and have shied away (understandably so) from the subject.

This is something I would love to have help on from the Church actually!

Sexuality- in my opinion, should be taught in the context of a loving, commited marriage and there is no better way to demonstrate that than through the Catholic family. This then seems the best place to teach our children about their responsibilty and sexuality.
 
The Church actually put out a document about this some years back. Teaching human sexuality to children is not a serious problem if chastity is also included (doable even in public schools - many have abstinance only programs), if it is never done in a co-ed setting and if it respects the latancy of the child. People focus on the “no-fault” aspect of what is taught in schools. Equally concerning is the idea that sexually suggestive material is present to children who are much too young to process it correctly (even if physically they are “ready”) and in groups of boys and girls together. This is blatant disrespect for the sense of modesty of chilren and is the psychogical equivalent of sexual abuse.
 
I also think it should be taught from a biological view. How the male and female reproductive systems work and so on.
I can remember when I was in 6th grade and we learned about the menstrual cycle. I was too shy to ask my mom about “girl stuff.”
 
A good friend (and father of 5) of mine once said to me that kids pick up the mechanics from nature programs and stuff- like it or not. It’s then up to us to offer another dynamic, or a loving context, a moral framework for this kind of behaviour.

The age question is paramount for me. Leave it too late and they know more than you. Ask too early and you risk that innocence we all hold so precious. I suppose it depends on the child!
 
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StratusRose:
I also think it should be taught from a biological view. How the male and female reproductive systems work and so on.
I can remember when I was in 6th grade and we learned about the menstrual cycle. I was too shy to ask my mom about “girl stuff.”
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Agreed. 5th or 6th grade sounds reasonable to begin- some girls are menstruating that early, and their friends are curious. Many kids of both sexes have at least entered puberty by that point.

I also agree that boys and girls should ALWAYS be separated for these classes. The school I attended separated us for 5th and 6th grades, but had co-ed classes for 7th and 8th graders that always ended up with the boys making rude jokes and the girls completely mortified. It didn’t help that after 6th grade they stopped sticking to basic biology and puberty issues. 😦
 
I suppose I wouldn’t mind pure biology, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anywhere, even in many Catholic schools. My kids’ school recognizes that parents are best equipped to deal with this in the time that is right for each child, so they leave that to us. I appreciate that as in my experience, kids are so different that it what might be appropriate for one at 13 will not be for another.

God Bless, Nicole
 
I went to a Catholic Highschool, they taught us about all forms of Birth Control, including NFP. I think it would be a mistake to do otherwise. They were co-ed classes in Highschool, in my grade school, which was a private secular school they taught us the basics in 5th grade, and then in 7th grade they went into detail. They seperated us in grade school.
 
As someone who is still in public schools, I say YES!!! We were recently having this discussion in my US History class. Most people in my school are not Christians. It needs to be taught so that teenagers are not ignorant and experiement for themselves. My class agreed that in high school the most effective curriculum should focus on the effects of sexual activity. They used the example of a drug programs that comes to our school. Once a year, we see footage and photos from crime scenes, funerals, etc…all drug related. Nothing is censored and it is a very frightening program that definitely affects our school. It keeps us from wanting to try drugs because we have seen the very real results and consequences. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting we use a “scare tactic” for sex ed but I do think that consequences need to be discussed. If not, what are to become of those kids whose parents don’t encourage abstinence or safe sex?
 
I think both ways should be taught in school so that the teen can make the best choice for them. Telling them not to have sex is a unrelastic oulook. at least provide them with safety. condoms. but I also think teaching them about waiting until married and god ways in marriage and babbies is also good.dont push them into somthing, beacuse there more then likley to do the oppisite.
 
Absolutely. In the positive God-ordained way. Because it’s NOT in the public schools, rather immorality is taught as acceptable–that’s why we have all our children in private Christian Schools.
 
So let me throw this out there… “What if it were normative to teach NFP in all school curricula?”
 
I think teaching NFP in school would be a good idea. I went to a catholic school and I knew nothing about sex or dating until public school. how could a child make a choice about there sexualitly when everyone keep smaking there hand and saying NO and not even teaching everything, but just chaste?
 
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nolai:
I think teaching NFP in school would be a good idea. I went to a catholic school and I knew nothing about sex or dating until public school. how could a child make a choice about there sexualitly when everyone keep smaking there hand and saying NO and not even teaching everything, but just chaste?
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I knew NOTHING about sexuality when I was growing up too. I never heard anything from my father OR from Catholic High School. The school taught me the human scientific aspects but NOT the spiritual ones. My neighborhood was very conservative with sexual ideals and thus I was too shy to bring up the subject. Because of this, I made some WRONG choices sexually when I had a chance during my college years and thereafter.

May I suggest studying The Theology of the Body. This IS the teaching of John Paul 2 and should be learned and expressed by all Catholic families and schools. The teaching is very revealing and beautiful as it is how God intended sexuality to be expressed between husband and wife.

www.theologyofthebody.com

Christopher West has interpeted the Pope’s teaching into an easy to read format.

I hope this helps

Edwin
 
No, this is the job of parents. Only they can judge when a child is ready and only they have the best interests of the child at heart. Even teaching so-called biology can be dangerous as we are fallen creatures who have grave weaknesses in all matters sexual. The human race managed to reproduce itself before there was any universal school system.
 
Jim ov Cov:
No, this is the job of parents. Only they can judge when a child is ready and only they have the best interests of the child at heart. Even teaching so-called biology can be dangerous as we are fallen creatures who have grave weaknesses in all matters sexual. The human race managed to reproduce itself before there was any universal school system.
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In a perfect world I would agree with you. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world and too many kids find out about sex from misinformed friends or even their dates (and in that case, the information is usually hands-on, unfortunately). My own parents are fairly liberal, but even they didn’t tell me anything beyond the very basics of how babies are made, you’ll have your period every month now, and don’t get pregnant, use two types of birth control if you have to. It just wasn’t something they were comfortable discussing, so I ended up getting information from teen magazines, friends, and unfortunately from boyfriends. I didn’t even hear about NFP until I was 17, and didn’t learn what it actually was until I was 24.

All kids should have access to that kind of knowledge about their bodies and fertility. If I’d known that, it would have answered a LOT of “am I normal” questions, as well as given me enough respect for myself that I likely wouldn’t have done many of the stupid things that I thought were merely rites of passage. It would be great if all parents made the effort to teach their children to respect the bodies God gave them, and how those bodies work to produce new life (hopefully within marriage), and encouraged their children to ask questions. Until that happens, a NFP/biology-based curriculum where kids can get some of their questions answered honestly and factually is better than nothing.
 
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