I have an axe or two to grind here today. As my faithful reader(s) know, I attempt to teach US History and my audience is a group of non-motivated teenagers. We have ten (10) weeks until the Big Deal P.I.T.A. TAKS test so it is incumbent upon me to utilize every teaching moment possible to get students ready. Never mind that they could give a ‘flying fig’ but I must do my duty.
Last week I was approached by the school counselor about this program called PROJECT W.O.R.T.H. that had to be presented to the eighth grade. I was TOLD, not asked, that it would be done through the Social Studies classes, per authorization of Ms. FL. So much for validating the importance of my content!
Today was presentation day and I got to babysit three of the five groups in the auditorium with the level of maturity ranging from 5 year old to 15! Project W.O.R.T.H. is a teen pregnancy prevention program sponsored by the City of San Antonio. The assembly was to learn about teen pregnancy, abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
Here are some statistics they presented:
· Statistics show that one in three teenage girls will become pregnant by age 20 but here in Bexar County, that number rises to one in two or 50%! Mind boggling to say the least…
· Every day 10,000 teenagers are infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
· Almost all the new cases of HIV are happening to people under the age of 25.
The message put out to students was one of abstinence and to have a plan for the future. If they could not abstain, then they were advised to use protection not only to prevent pregnancy but to avoid STDs as well. Students were advised to talk with their parents to answer any questions that they might have.
My problem with all of this?? When did it become the school district’s task to teach sexual responsibility? Why did I have to lose instructional time for something that should be taught @ home?
Discuss amongst yourselves!
~ba~
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