Sex Ed and Schools

26 Sep Sex Ed and Schools

If you choose to pull your children out of the school program, here are some ideas:

• Be positive in affirming your role. Stress your confidence, competence, and desire to be the primary educator in this critical area of your child’s development. Always be polite, diplomatic and kind in your choice of words.
• Give the school some ideas what to do with your child if they are not attending the program: send them to the library with work to do, have them help out in one of the younger classrooms, be of assistance to someone in need, etc.
• Continually nurture and build your parent-teacher relationship. Regularly affirm, acknowledge and applaud the staff’s hard work, dedication and concern so that they understand you are a team player.
• Briefly explain your decision to your child, ie. “We want to be the ones to teach you about your sexuality. You’ve got a great teacher but he/she doesn’t love you or understand you the way we do. We so much want to share this super special subject with you.”
• Give your child ideas on how to explain to their peers why they do not attend the class program. For example, “I don’t go because my parents are happy to teach me this at home.” (My kids meet with more envy than bullying. Other kids wish they could leave class as well).
• Realize your kids will hear things in the schoolyard. Stay ahead of the game by knowing what and when topics are covered in class so you can broach the subjects in advance with your child. Your aim is not to shield them from topics but transmit information, solidify values and build moral integrity in your children. You may want to give them coping strategies of how to handle inappropriate topics when they come up in the schoolyard, ie . Change the topic, find something else to do, encourage your friends to talk to their parents about their questions, etc.
• Don’t put such an emphasis on always following the crowd, fitting in, being popular, being accepted. Rather help your children realize it is okay to be different and you have no problem being different yourself. Be respectful and non-judgmental of others so that your children can learn to approach the situation in a positive, constructive way.Our family has decided to have our children attend the local school. We choose to teach our children ourselves of the beauty and integrity of sexuality. At the elementary school level we have them taken out of the classes on sexuality; whereas in the high school level, they attend all classes because we have built the foundation already. At parent-teacher interviews, we do ask the high school teachers what topics they cover, how they approach it and even recommend good resources. At both levels of school, we have encountered respect and co-operation from the staff. We always try to work with the school and have very few battles. Again be a team player, know your position and fully actualize your responsibilities on the home front. You have the capacity to be an amazing educator on this topic because they see you live a loving marriage each day and that speaks volumes.