I so thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s discussion of story writing as a component of sexuality education that I wanted to continue the theme of creativity and imagination today. Positive Imagesseems to be the manual for me this week, because in addition to yesterday’s lesson, it also includes this! _____________________________________________________________________ MAGICAL METHODS OF BIRTH CONTROL By Melissa… Read more »
The mood was perfect: The dark sky dotted with points of light, the milky-way gathering extra stardust just above the horizon. Empty fields putting miles between the young couple and everyone else. The pick-up truck bed, covered with a blanket, plus another one on top to stave off the chilly night air… So could begin… Read more »
Happy National Midwifery Week! Before we move on to the lesson plan I’ve chosen to start this week off with, I need to let you know that I’m particularly biased towards midwives. I had both of my children with the help of midwives – one in a birthing center and one in my home. My… Read more »
When talking about abstinence with my classes, it’s important to me that they hear people choose to abstain from sexual activity for lots of reasons and for varying amounts of time – not just because they aren’t, and until they are, married. Some people choose to abstain for a week because they have flu, for… Read more »
That slippery, slippery slope that leads from the lesser to the greater evils. It’s the good intentions, I am sure, that make it so slippery in the first place. Here to dispel that myth! _____________________________________________________________________ IS THE SLOPE THAT SLIPPERY? Objectives: Participants will: 1. Identify behaviors that may be congruent (or incongruent) with their personal… Read more »
There are emerging conversations about consent – and even budding conversations about enthusiastic, or affirmative, consent! – brewing in the public discourse in the US. California now requires that colleges that receive state funds define consent in these terms – such an exciting move! Why is it that the state doesn’t just make that the… Read more »
Basically I love the name of this lesson, which is why I’m writing about it today. They say that you shouldn’t choose a book by its cover…and I suppose that the sentiment should be continued to include not choosing a lesson plan by its title, but I already threw that out the window a few… Read more »
I live in Texas – one of the United States’ deep, smelly armpits of sexuality education. While we do seem to be improving, our curriculum is nothing like that of our fellow countrymen in Oregon or New York. All of which is to say: sexuality education around here can be something of a farce. A… Read more »
As I mentioned earlier this week, there’s a lot of notable days in the sexology world right now. And what better way to celebrate THIS day of celebration than with a lesson from Positive Images: Teaching About Contraception and Sexual Health? And as I always do when I start a new manual, we’re going to… Read more »
Fourteen years ago on Saturday, the FDA approved Mifepristone. It was one of those all-too-rare moments in recent years where access to safe abortions were increased rather than decreased. But even though it’s been available for fourteen years now, there are still vast misunderstandings about it – the most common one is confusing it with… Read more »
This Saturday is the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion. This is a very personal and very emotional issue for me. In the summer of 2013 there was a major shift in the abortion dynamics here in Texas. Wendy Davisapproached heroic measures in order to allow Texas women to keep their… Read more »
It is not yet the National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – that will be this Saturday, on September 27th – but there’s so much going on this week I’m jumping ahead of myself, calendar-wise. The Center for Sex Education doesn’t have a manual about STIs – although I hear rumors of an old one about… Read more »
One of the most neglected areas of sexuality education is with older adults. Stereotypes about sexuality and aging are pervasive in our culture – from assumptions to asexuality being an inherent part of the aging process to not needing to discuss safer sex choices, the dominant United States culture sweeps older adults’ sexuality entirely under… Read more »
In stark contrast to yesterday’s lesson that was designed for adult learners, this one is designed for students just entering puberty. I love that Game On! has something to offer everyone! After attending Bill Taverner and Tanya Bass’s training on the Center for Sex Education’s new puberty manual, Changes, Changes, Changes last week, I’ve been thinking… Read more »
I just looked over the Game On! table of contents to decide which game to write about next and found myself entirely unable to pass up this title. It’s a lesson that’s specifically designed for college students and other adult learners, which I love. It’s rare to find activities specifically for this older age group…. Read more »
Weekends around my house are often filled with board games. Saturday found us playing Ticket to Ride (the Germany edition, because we go to Germany every summer!). Other household favorites include Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan. In honor of my family’s love of game playing, this week I am devoting entirely to the Center for… Read more »
This Sunday is Margaret Sanger’s birthday! Sanger was born in 1879, almost 100 years before me. She was a remarkable woman – a trailblazer who made it possible for me to do the work that I do today. One of my favorite quotes from Margaret Sanger is: “No woman can call herself free who does… Read more »
Art by Milliped As I mentioned yesterday, today I’m going to dive into Streetwise to Sexwise. It was last updated in 2001, and is ready for a make-over. I’m beginning to work with the author, Steve Brown, as his editor for the Third Edition and I’m really excited about it. There is so much good material already… Read more »
My trainings with Bill are over for awhile, and so I have been pondering which manual and which lesson plan to turn to next. Tomorrow I am going to talk about Streetwise to Sexwise. It is one of those manuals that’s something of a classic around sex educator circles. The author, Steve Brown, tells me that… Read more »
I’m diving back into Sex Ed In The Digital Age today because Bill Taverner and I are doing another training together today focusing on this manual. I’m going to introduce a lesson by Kirsten deFur, because Kirsten is one of my favorite sex educators. In addition to being an amazing presenter and lesson writer, she is… Read more »
