Deb Levine is an education entrepreneur. She saw a need and filled it. The need she saw was for better information about sex that children could access in middle school. The school was not providing enough information. "The message has basically be distilled down to; wait to have sex and when you do use a condom." And the parents efforts "just weren't successful."
The reporter does not ask her to clarify what she considers successful parenting about sex. The fact that children have questions about something is more a statement about the nature of youth than a condemnation of an educational forum. She, however, seems to think that this thirst for knowledge demonstrates a void in public education. So Ms. Levine developed the ISIS website, so that kids could address the "icky" matters of sex with total strangers.
ISIS also has a mobile app that can give kids daily sex advice. The tidbit for the day this story aired was, "Talk it out. If you have sex, talk with your partner about safe sex, getting tested and what you like before you get in bed." Such a statement, without supporting context and values, would probably throw a typical 6th grader into a panic. The implication that they are supposed to know what they like "in bed" as an immature prepubescent could ratchet down their already shaky self confidence. But there is probably some totally disinterested stranger on a hotline who could answer their questions.
The good news is that this "tool" is already in the public school curriculum in Chicago and DC. And ISIS is working on getting into other schools as well. Gee, maybe she could get it into the CCS. Wouldn't that be just what every middle school parent wants?
Why do we leave a topic like sex,up to school teachers, youth leaders,the internet, etc. to talk to our children, are parents that out of touch with their children?
ReplyDeleteI had a conversation with a school district superintendent about the schools increasingly putting their noses into BMI measurements and obesity issues for students.
ReplyDeleteHe finally looked at me and said, "Don't you think obesity is a problem today?" I answered, "Certainly it is, along with anorexia. However, this is an issue between the student, the parents and the physician, NOT the school. The school does not have the resources or training necessary to handle problems that have possible emotional and/or genetic tendencies".
I asked him if he thought parents were ill equipped to handle such problems.
He said "yes". He believes most parents do not know what their children are eating and watching on tv.
Welcome to the new nanny state of education. I told him the schools were educating the wrong group. They should concentrate on the parents. Schools are not parents.