It’s been another blue sky Yorkshire day. If only it was warm. Really cold but definitely hot under the collar day.

An email from school definitely livened up the day and focused the parenting mind. In a nut shell the email said

Today and the next lesson in Citizenship will be about sexual awareness and consent. It’s a legal requirement. Hawklad is not in school. We can’t do online education for this one, its deemed inappropriate for the subject. So tough. Over to you parent. STAND UP AND DELIVER. We can send you one video on consent. BEST OF LUCK

Grand……

I tried to rack my brain back to my school days. From what I can remember the sex education lesson involved a nervous make teacher mumbling for 10 minutes then he showed a video. As it was a small TV the class had to huddle round for a sight of the action. After just a few moments a clip of a baby behind delivered was too much for one lad called Donnie who was stood on a bench . He throw up over those in front of him and then fainted, spectacularly crashing backwards to the floor. The lesson was abandoned and that was it. Not much help.

I can’t revert to the classic ‘better speak to your mum about this’. So had to man up…..

How did it go. Badly. After flailing around for 5 minutes under the most forensic questioning I did the decent thing and reverted to YouTube videos, of varying educational quality…..

I can’t remember this being in the patenting terms and conditions I signed up to…

82 thoughts on “Blue Sky”

  5. That is a tough lesson for sure. I was always happy that the school kind of broke the surface of that whole conversation so when Bob or I went in it wasn’t so difficult. Maybe with all Hawklad’s religion schooling about sexuality things might go easier? My fingers are crossed for you!

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  6. I remember having to sign some form of permission or acknowledgement slips when my son’s class was going to be educated. I think my husband was actually glad he wasn’t going to have to explain and so was I. I could only imagine that conversation knowing my husband. I’m sure you managed fine.

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  9. I’m sure you did awesome! You have a fantastic relationship with Hawklad and the communication is excellent.

    I started talking to the girls when they were young. Very basic stuff, and just kept answering questions.
    Just keep answering questions. And Googling😉
    💌💌💌

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  12. I was 9 when I first got the basics. Mum knew she would tell me about sex and periods before school did, as she believed it wasn’t the school responsibility and should be parents responsibility.

    I was 9 first knowing because it all started after hearing the word rape on news at 10. As soon as rape was said for a third time in that report, I asked mum.
    It was also around this time I started reading a story mum had written for me, which I felt may have been from mum’s experience of warning me to never go off with a stranger, even if they are looking for a missing dog.
    So after rape was discussed I then asked mum if the story I read, happened to her and it did. So mum told me more after asking questions.
    What happened to her as a child, still affects her to this day.

    I don’t ever remember taking home any permission slips for particular chats on periods at junior school, or sex educate at comprehensive school.
    I don’t remember much about sex education at school, than watching a video and then a demonstration by a teacher on how to put a condom on a banana, which he was having a little issue doing that one.

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  13. Bollocks. This CAN be taught online. It’s not the best way, but then online teaching as a whole isn’t the best way and it’s just a compromise option until school can resume. If you need any help, please let me know.

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      1. Oh yes, sorry, my comments were aimed at them, not at you! Sorry if I sounded as if I were saying “Bollocks” to you! 🤣 I’m sure it’s easier to teach this face to face. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done online if the alternative is not doing it at all.

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  15. The tone of that email from school left a lot to be desired. I would send them a video on how to speak politely, how to be a partner rather than an Authority Figure, and how to be civil.
    I truly cannot believe the slavish way your schools work in England. There is no sensitivity to differences in individuals. Some children are more ready than others for such lessons, this is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
    I am so old sex was not even menrioned in school except when there were no teachers in the room. Mostly we learned an out sex in the streets, or banned books. That was not a good situation. Sex education can belong in the schools, but I think it would be proper to have an expert in child psychology bring it in.
    As an addiction counsellor I had to go into schools and tell kids about alcohol, tobacco, street drugs, and prescription drugs. I always let my students direct the conversations by letting them tell me what they knew before I told them what I was supposed to teach them. It invested the kids in the conversation, and prepared students for what was to come. The cirriculum as it was written was too dry. Teachers refused to teach it on their own. I cannot imagine why your teachers don’t refuse to teach sex education on their own.
    I learned things from my students every class, and adjusted the way I presented what I was supposed to teach accordingly. I was doing ten classes a week. A teacher does a class, what, once a year? They don’t have the experience to adapt.
    Sorry, Gary, this is one of my pet peeves. I got in trouble with my superiors for what I did, but my ratings were double that of other people teaching the same classes the cirriculum way.
    Kids are not machines. They should not be treated that way.

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    1. But they are seen as assets not individuals. Pink Floyd were right. Here it’s going backwards. The curriculum is strictly controlled by government. They have even decided to tell teachers which are acceptable learning resources and which aren’t. They have now threatened any school if they don’t stick to the government’s religious education policy then they will be investigated.

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  16. Oh, my.This is an awkward business at best. I don’t think any of us are ever fully prepared. But, I find the best approach is done prayerfully and honestly. I was actually very pleased our school pulled us as parents in partnership on this matter. The kids had both sessions at school and questions to bring home and have us answer. This subject, tough as it is, is one I think it is too important to leave to trust a school alone to teach properly, in my opinion.

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  17. Having no children, I really can’t comment on what is right. I only know that I “guessed” the facts of life and persuaded my mother to confirm when I was 10. Maybe having an opposite sex sibling helps. By now someone ought to have worked out a good way to explain!

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