April 9 2015:
On the week before Easter break we met with the counsellors (Mr. Lenoue and Ms. Phillips) on our weekly T-GO session for about 30 minutes. The purpose of the session was to exchange ideas, concepts and point of views on a good sex-ed syllabus, as well as learn what the current sex-ed syllabus is made up of. In my opinion, the session was okay, because questions that were put forward by T-GO members weren't adequately answered by the counsellors, therefore making our view of the current syllabus and the reasons behind it quite vague and unjustified. Furthermore, we found out that like many academic institutions our school is pro abstinence, however, as a CAS we find it vital to equip children with knowledge therefore giving them the power to make the correct decisions. The counsellors also briefly addressed the fact that there wasn't sex-ed in high school, by saying that it was important to focus on universities and allow the children to explore that area. While this point of view is valid in its own stance, high school is a time when many experiment and try out new things, and it would be fitting to cover more sex-ed in high school that would be relevant to the students' lives. Multiple limitations need to be addressed before an exceptional sex-ed syllabus can be created; time, individual/cohort needs, cultural acceptance, admins approval and a few other factors. We learnt that the sexuality spectrum and gender identity aren't explicitly addressed in sex-ed classes but if questions do come up then they will be answered. Personally, I find it quite absurd that the sexuality spectrum and gender identity aren't addressed in classes and feel that it is vital for such topics to be covered to create a more accepting community and allow people to learn and accept themselves. Moreover, the whole idea about answering questions only if they come up is quite harmful, because if questions dont come up then areas are left uncovered, leaving the students feeling like there's something wrong with them, when in reality they simply lack the knowledge to figure out who they are. After this meeting I feel like there are many things that need to be adjusted and refined before we can create and implement a sex-ed syllabus that is effective in addressing the student's needs, while taking different cultural perspectives into account.
This is a parent survey created by T-GO: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=DJyIszdxzfztZOwLxmNCEw%3d%3d
The student survey and notes from the meeting with the counsellors will be put up as pictures.
On the week before Easter break we met with the counsellors (Mr. Lenoue and Ms. Phillips) on our weekly T-GO session for about 30 minutes. The purpose of the session was to exchange ideas, concepts and point of views on a good sex-ed syllabus, as well as learn what the current sex-ed syllabus is made up of. In my opinion, the session was okay, because questions that were put forward by T-GO members weren't adequately answered by the counsellors, therefore making our view of the current syllabus and the reasons behind it quite vague and unjustified. Furthermore, we found out that like many academic institutions our school is pro abstinence, however, as a CAS we find it vital to equip children with knowledge therefore giving them the power to make the correct decisions. The counsellors also briefly addressed the fact that there wasn't sex-ed in high school, by saying that it was important to focus on universities and allow the children to explore that area. While this point of view is valid in its own stance, high school is a time when many experiment and try out new things, and it would be fitting to cover more sex-ed in high school that would be relevant to the students' lives. Multiple limitations need to be addressed before an exceptional sex-ed syllabus can be created; time, individual/cohort needs, cultural acceptance, admins approval and a few other factors. We learnt that the sexuality spectrum and gender identity aren't explicitly addressed in sex-ed classes but if questions do come up then they will be answered. Personally, I find it quite absurd that the sexuality spectrum and gender identity aren't addressed in classes and feel that it is vital for such topics to be covered to create a more accepting community and allow people to learn and accept themselves. Moreover, the whole idea about answering questions only if they come up is quite harmful, because if questions dont come up then areas are left uncovered, leaving the students feeling like there's something wrong with them, when in reality they simply lack the knowledge to figure out who they are. After this meeting I feel like there are many things that need to be adjusted and refined before we can create and implement a sex-ed syllabus that is effective in addressing the student's needs, while taking different cultural perspectives into account.
This is a parent survey created by T-GO: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=DJyIszdxzfztZOwLxmNCEw%3d%3d
The student survey and notes from the meeting with the counsellors will be put up as pictures.