This week it’s going to be all Positive Images, all the time. I think the title of this manual is sometimes hard to decipher, so we’re going to kick the week off with the introduction to this manual so you can get a feel for exactly what it’s about. These pieces of front matter are… Read more »
I love, love, love the critical thinking and connections that happen during this game. It’s basically the same game as the classic version, but it asks that the game players make connections between ties based on contraceptive information rather than matching numbers. These kinds of real-world putting-together-of-pieces is fantastic. It’s all about the connections, both in… Read more »
I was flipping through Game On!, deciding which lesson to write about today, and came across Name that Contraceptive! I’m a sucker for exciting titles, and this one roped me in with that exciting exclamation mark! And so here we are, learning about this particular lesson together. Name that Contraceptive! by Martha S. Rosenthal, PhD… Read more »
(Okay, so you don’t actually do either of the things suggested in the title. But it is a game show!) I’ve posted about game shows before – or maybe it was reality television? The point is that I have a private love of these things. Oh don’t get me wrong, they’re a complete waste of… Read more »
I’ve been attending basketball games regularly for the first time this academic year. My older daughter is playing basketball – and really loving it! In fact, I just got back from a game tonight. (My daughter wasn’t playing – but we knew many of the girls who were.) It was one of those games where… Read more »
Yesterday I talked about a lesson that taught about how a young person might perceive themselves – this lesson is about how other people perceive them. Understanding this flip in perception – that someone might see us as other than we are – is not a trivial one. To further it one more step to… Read more »
Teenagers, including younger teenagers, are on a process of self-discovery. Who they feel themselves to be may vary from day to day – and certainly varies from year to year. Acknowledging these shifts in an explicit way lets young people integrate that shift into their sense of self rather than being disconcerted by the changes. This… Read more »
Continuing yesterday’s post from Chapter 8 (Problem Solving and Perception) from Changes, Changes, Changes, today I want to discuss a really fantastic lesson plan. It’s tailored perfectly for the young adolescent – it uses absurd silliness as an entry point for accessing a deeper conversation. ADJUSTING TO CHANGES Objectives: By the end of this lesson,… Read more »
I’ve been thinking about puberty more recently, and how to go about addressing a topic that can range from the very, deeply emotional to something that is barely noticed. My own experience with puberty was relatively easy. I certainly wasn’t traumatized by the experience, but I know people who were. And so this week I am… Read more »
You know those days when you’re feeling down at work, feeling unappreciated, not entirely sure that you’re on the right path anyway? You look around your little work space, dejected, wanting some recognition for everything you put into your company? If nothing else, even a raise would do it for you. It’s not emotional validation,… Read more »
Merry Christmas-Eve-Eve, if that’s your holiday of choice. It is for me and my family. We usually note Solstice in one way or another. We talk about Hanukah and and Kwanzaa as they relate to families we know. But for us, it’s all about a secular Christmas morning after Santa has visited. We model new… Read more »
Today, the Monday before Christmas, I find myself sitting at my father’s kitchen table. My family is bustling around, working, cleaning, cooking. There are laundry and dishes being washed. A lot is happening. A lot of good. It’s making me grateful for family, communication, and other good things. So today and tomorrow I’m writing about lessons… Read more »
Today I’m wrapping up the conversations around the first section of Volume 2 of Teaching Safer Sex. This awareness of contraception education as needing to include a wider range of both topics (like pleasure!) and audiences (like people with special needs!) is fantastic, critical, life-changing! And this last topic of the section falls right into the trend of addressing a… Read more »
Learning your ABCs…it happened so long ago, in such wonderful, family-oriented, sing-songy ways, right? I mean, surely everyone’s early childhood was filled with Sesame-Street-style-goodness? No? Hm. Well, okay then, maybe at this point at least, as adults, literacy comes easily to everyone? Wait, what? That’s not so? Okay, okay, okay, then at least we all… Read more »
Yesterday I wrote about LGBTQAI individuals being left out of safer sex conversations. They do, however, get included in many conversations about healthy relationships and more. People with special needs, however, are endemically left out of sexuality education in all ways. Today’s lesson goes a little way towards addressing that vast gap as it applies… Read more »
On to Lesson 2 from Section 1 of Volume 2 of Teaching Safer Sex! (And if all of those designations being needed to differentiate the variety of options that Teaching Safer Sex offers educators doesn’t make you want to run out and buy a copy I don’t know what will!) This lesson lands near and dear to… Read more »
Continuing my ongoing conversation about Teaching Safer Sex, I want to dive into the first section of volume 2. This section, called “Getting Into a (New) Groove,” and is described this way: “These are not your everyday safer sex lessons! Lessons in this section examine STI prevention through the lens of sensuality, decision-making and inclusivity… Read more »
As we continue to dive into Teaching Safer Sex, I want to draw attention to Volume 2, Section 2, which is titled “Socio-Cultural Aspects of Safer Sex.” Because really, what doesn’t have socio-cultural overlays on it? Condoms? Hormonal birth control? Consensual decision making? The implications about the group and cultural statements around these topics are huge…. Read more »
One of the fun things at the National Sex Ed Conference last week was the pre-conference workshop that I led on the Sex Ed Network. For those of you unfamiliar (…and the only possible reason for this would be you’re not yet on Bill’s email list…let me know and I’ll rectify that right away!), the… Read more »
Welcome back, everyone! I ended up taking a few weeks off during the hectic run-up to and during the National Sex Ed Conference, but it was well worth it! If you weren’t there, we missed you terribly! And you missed a fantastic experience! I have a half-written post about my experiences regarding the conference that… Read more »
