Sex Education

"Turning Points" suggests that high effective middle schools " promote good health; the eduation and health of young adolescents are inextricably linked." Since the social and emotional health of middle school students must include attention to healthy sexual identity, healthy beliefs and attitudes about issues surrounding sex, and must address prevention of emotional issues regarding all kinds of topics related to sex, can a middle school have a "health promotion" mentality without a comprehensive sex education curriculum?

Furthermore, when we talk about developing curriculum around topics that are relevant in the lives of students to increase achievement, what could be more relevant for middle school students than topics surrounding sex and emerging sexual identity and relationships? As you have all noted in your analysis of trends on MTV, the Internet, CDs, movies, and magazines, kids are being bombarded from all directions and with relentless images of a sexual nature. Is it possible to diffuse some of the appeal and some of the power of all of this with some education and processing of what this is all about? Again, business spends lots of time and resources targeting the early teen market most often with sexual images and messages.

So, sex education could/should go far beyond teaching students the "basic plumbing" of the human body and also go into the psychology, the emotional, the politics, the business, the myths and mythology, the historical, the media and many other potential aspects of sex and sexuality in our lives. Would this be appropriate for middle school students? I definitely think so if done thoughtfully and with clear objectives.

Just don't draw Santa Claus into it or talk about dead turkeys and you'll be fine.

Try to insert a picture into your blog. Save an image from another place on the Internet and insert it into your text.

Next create a link within your text by highlighting the word you would like linked and then by typing in the URL of the link you would like to create. Pam Dambek

MS Learner-Week 2

Dear Class,

We are off and running in week #2 of the Middle School Learner. Understanding the philosophical basis of "This We Believe" and some of the key concepts in "Turning Points" are good foundational pieces for exploring how we can connect philosophy with beliefs with actions followed with assessment to be sure that we are maximizing the learning and achievement for every student in our middle schools.

Please continue to utilize this blog for sharing your ideas and insights related to the middle school learner. Mess around with the settings, respond to other people's blogs, insert pictures, change the font and colors, and generally play around with the possibilities for how you might use this blogging process in your classroom and school this fall. It is also a great way to connect parents with what is going on in your classroom and with your program.

I am enjoying our class and the related conversations. I'm looking forward to what Steve Kwikkel will offer tomorrow relative to the Waverly-Shellrock Jr. High program and especially related to differentiated instruction. Keep up the good work.

Jim

Welcome to Middle School Learner!

Dear Teachers:

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work all of you this summer. We will begin class on June 5 at 1:00 in Koren 217 and go until 3:30 or 4:00 each day. Lunch will be provide beginning at 11:30 in Marty's if you are interested in joining us for some informal conversation about middle school students and programs.

You, too, will have the opportunity to develop a blog for this class. I am planning on making this a way of communicating and for learning from each other. Middle school students would also be quite comfortable with this method for sharing their ideas.

Look forward to seeing you on June 5.

Jim