(Untitled)

[duckay]

Since my last post was based on an anecdote that made me go "WTF?" and was specific to boys, I thought I'd follow it up with an anecdote I heard today from a female friend that really made me "WTF??" even harder

Comments

[clafount]

WTF? How is there a "right" answer to that? That seems like the teacher is prying or something?

However, I would probably just talk to my daughter about the question, how she answered, and how she felt about it. I mean, it's kind of a WTF question but I am not sure it is actually harming anyone. I'd be happy that they are teaching sex ed in school.

Of course, if my daughter was like "my sex ed teacher is really creepy and I felt really uncomfortabel answering this question" I might talk to the school about it.

ETA: Er...of course I'd reinforce that 11 is TOO YOUNG to have sex...and we'd have the whole sex talk for like the billionth time.

[duckay]

Apparently they were marked correct if they said no, they wouldn't let him. While I personally really, really don't think eleven year olds should be having sex, it still seems like a really strange question to be in their exam.

It's possible I'm just strange, though.

[clafount]

No, I think it's a strangely phrased question. They could have written, "True or False: Girls should have sex with boys whenever they ask" and the question would have been fine.

[duckay]

I agree, something where the correct answer is "No, girls should be able to decide for themselves and not do something just because a boy wants them to" would be a much better question (and possibly where that question was headed). But, really, that's just about the worst phraseology I can think of for it.

[adamantplatypus]

I would respond by saying, "I'd hope you'd tell him that you weren't ready and save yourself for a time when you're with someone that's worthy of a piece of you. Sex is 100 times more enjoyable when you're doing it with mutual respect, admiration, and maybe even love."

[missingkeys]

"Let him". o.O The wording alone squicks me a great deal. I don't honestly think that I could answer that with a true/false even now, despite knowing full well what it's like to have a baby (or two). Actually, no, I can: I'd hardly let a boy have sex with me, but there's a bit more to the question than that. I imagine if I wanted a mark for it I'd circle 'false' (how do they even grade that?!), but that's a shocker of a question. I think I'd take it up with the teacher if for no other reason than it's shockingly worded

[duckay]

Apparently those who said "false" got a mark for it, and no one she knew of said "true".

And yeah, I think (as clafount said) they were probably going for soemthing like 'girls shouldn't have sex with boys just because they ask, whenever they ask', but it's really shockingly phrased. o.O

[missingkeys]

I'm glad somebody else could make more sense of it than I could! I definitely wouldn't have answered 'true' to the second, but goodness. I just couldn't help but think of the delightful honeymoon period with my ex, where if he'd wanted sex I would have been all like, 'woot!' Not that I imagine an eleven year-old should have that same memory, but the teacher and his or her proofreader at least should have known better.

[sheisred]

I know, the "let him" part really got to me, too. You know, women aren't ever active participants in sex - at least not the ones who can call themselves ladies.

[raving_liberal]

Ah, abstinence only education at work! It's so very effective. *rolls eyes*

[clafount]

I'm not sure that's what is going on here though, since they covered contraceptives.

[duckay]

That was the strange part, since they apparently also covered condoms and the pill (and presumably others, but she didn't say), as well as Plan B and the basics of local legislation on abortion (when you can and can't get a legal abortion).

And then, after what seems like a fairly comprehensive class for eleven year olds, they turn around and put a really weird question (to say the least) in the final exam.

[zeldazonk]

Talk to the teacher. WTF does that have to do with sex ed?

Why can't American schools teach the important stuff----how to prevent pregnancy & disease, the mechanics of the human reproductive system...so we don't have kids who think oral sex can get you pregnant and have no idea what ovulation is.

[duckay]

The class in the story on which this question is based had covered (at least) the pill and the condom in terms of failure rates, accessibility, etc. I edited the post to reflect that this is coming not from abstinence-only classes, but effectively out of the blue.

[sheisred]

ICON LOVE.

[duckay]

Heh, thanks!