LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, it’s super that future generations will leave our Scottish schools comfortable with knowing the right labels for body parts and sex acts. The Relationships, Sexual Health and Pregnancy training guide now used across Scotland, shows just how cool and hip we are in Scotland, under the SNP’s watchful care. We are relaxed about sex and not-hung-up old fuddy duddies. It’s an exciting time to be alive.
To help get the best out of the guide, here’s some advice notes for teachers are below:
The nicely phonetic ‘vulva’ is easy for most Primary 2 (six-year-olds). English is a doozy of course and they might need some help with penis which to the young speller may seem to be pen-is and teachers should be on their guard. Most children will be able to cope with ‘clitoris’ by Primary 4 (8-year-olds) but you might want to break it down and have them say it out loud and give regular prompts to remind them.
Masturbate is another one. Watch out for the upper primary’s tendency to opt for ‘mast-er-bate’. And it’s an excellent example of the’ a’ before’ e’ rule.
Any questions about age appropriacy are sorted by a quick visit to the RSHP website where it tells us “learning is entirely age-appropriate” with quality assurance and peer review “by a partnership of educators, health professionals, and third sector organisations. Our curriculum in Scotland is also informed by the World Health Organisation”. That surely must reassure any concerns of worried parents.
Some adults may be uncomfortable with terminology. They may even feel embarrassed or a little grossed-out due to their own poor sex education. Worry not. In the future we will talk freely and comfortably about vulvas. But for now, it’s a good idea to remember that parents still have a ‘role’ to play in the lives of their children, so do send out information leaflets. Should anyone complain, then gently challenge their wrong beliefs, and explain that Scotland thinks the state is better at making decisions than them.
Teachers have been encouraged of late to roam around emotional inner-life of their pupils so it’s not likely there will be any difficulty talking about sex. There are only so many hours in the day so don’t be hung up on prioritising boring ‘traditional’ learning.
Feelings, sex, friendships – those are the areas where people want government workers involved. There will be some youngsters who might value their privacy and if so, it is vital we understand the source of their repression and some talking therapy will likely help to change their mind. Get them to rake through some trauma if the blockage persists.
And remember that embracing this approach and using the guide will help strengthen our proud nation and strong economy. It will certainly reduce unwanted pregnancies as having your teacher, in a Scottish accent talking vulvas and clitoris, masturbation and fisting, burned into your memory is likely to be a powerful and cheap contraceptive for any teenager.
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