Are you kidding me?? Really?!?!? (health class related)

[BernardandMissBianca]

8th grade health assignment.

Question 1.
If you are at a party and a pregnant girl is drinking alcohol, what would you say to her???

First off, my 13 year old best not be at a party where there is drinking. He'd be dead as soon as I got my hands on him.
Second, it's none of his business if a girl is preggers and drinking unless he's the baby daddy. And if his is, we'll he'd be dead as soon as I got my hands on him.

Who in their right mind thinks a 13 year old boy has the maturity to approach a complete stranger or even a friend and give her unsolicited advice about anything???

DS is taking a 0 on the homework because he didn't do it after the principal said no homework was to be assigned on the Wednesday before science fair. I told him not to do it, and the principal ok'ed it but the gym teacher/health teacher is giving him a 0 anyway. whatever.
So since he's taking the 0 I'm thinking of writing what I think really should be said. Think I should? Yes? No?

 

[ZeroToHero]

What 13 year old is going to get pregnant? Seriously? Has society degraded that much since I was 13 that it's actually an issue?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of 13 year olds now that drink - but pregnant 13 year olds, not so much.

I have a feeling that if he told her that, you wouldn't be the one to lay him out cold, she would. Or her baby's daddy. haha.


I say you write in.

What annoys me is that what these kids are learning at home (not your son, but the previously-mentioned drinking 13 year olds) and from their peers completely negates the effects of any of this health class "educational information." They all know how to lie, and know what the answer they should be giving. It doesn't stop them from making stupid choices. That ability lies in the parent, and they aren't parenting.

Ugh. Sorry. The degradation of society makes me mad.

 

[Lisa]

Why is the teacher going against what the principal okayed?

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

What 13 year old is going to get pregnant? Seriously? Has society degraded that much since I was 13 that it's actually an issue?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of 13 year olds now that drink - but pregnant 13 year olds, not so much.

I have a feeling that if he told her that, you wouldn't be the one to lay him out cold, she would. Or her baby's daddy. haha.


I say you write in.

What annoys me is that what these kids are learning at home (not your son, but the previously-mentioned drinking 13 year olds) and from their peers completely negates the effects of any of this health class "educational information." They all know how to lie, and know what the answer they should be giving. It doesn't stop them from making stupid choices. That ability lies in the parent, and they aren't parenting.

Ugh. Sorry. The degradation of society makes me mad.

13 year olds are getting pregnant, or at least doing things that could get them there. Scary but true. Now I think that the topics they are learning in this particular health class are helping to plant ideas in kids heads. We had an issue a few weeks ago with a few kids that were doing inappropriate things. Thankfully DS13 was not involved.
But why is this question even ok to ask?? I really think the school just skimmed the topics to be discussed and didn't really read what was to be taught. Some of the topics are things that little kids don't need to know. DS13 isn't so little but some of the things they are teaching in 3rd grade are not acceptable.

Why is the teacher going against what the principal okayed?

Cause he's been there for a thousand years and rules the roost. And the principal didn't know he assigned homework until Thursday night. We were there til 9:30 looking for keys to the 3rd grade room to get DS8's homework. She was not happy but if she questioned him he would pitch a royal fit.

 

[ddavis860]

Yeah, working where I do, we see the blood work of the 13yr olds who are preggo...sad but true...

I think that's a crazy question to be asking in an 8th grade class... The question of drinking is valid, but more like if you were at a party and offered a drink kind of question. Not one about going up to strangers, and giving them advice...

That guy...well, his teaching is questionable at best...

 

[MazdaUK]

Personally I am an evil wicked person who had an occasional glass of wine...and had two huge healthy baby boys. Its a personal choice matter as far as I'm concerned (I know its a bit more militant over there) but I would NOT expect it to come up as a school lesson General health connected with alcohol (not too early, not too much, effects etc). Imposing your views on strangers - no way!

 

[donalduck]

I would pull your child out of that school.

 

[rlovew]

Wow! I would be in the office and pulling my child from that class if that came home as homework- they would have to find another place to put my child during that time period- I wouldn't care how late in the year it was (although from some things you have said I might have pulled him earlier or refused to allow the class).

I know kids that age are getting pregnant- we just had a report on the fact that we have 36 middle school girls who are pregnant and the county is trying to figure out how to keep them in school and what to do with their babies during school.

Rebecca

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

That guy...well, his teaching is questionable at best...

he's a schmuck. He was worse when he was my gym teacher!!! Thankfully we didn't have health til HS back then.

I would pull your child out of that school.

I have in the past, in 3rd grade but that was due to something else. But unfortunately we don't have another school to send them to besides the parochial school and their middle school doesn't challenge them enough. And I'm not equipped to homeschool an 8th grader.
(read below)

Wow! I would be in the office and pulling my child from that class if that came home as homework- they would have to find another place to put my child during that time period- I wouldn't care how late in the year it was (although from some things you have said I might have pulled him earlier or refused to allow the class).

I know kids that age are getting pregnant- we just had a report on the fact that we have 36 middle school girls who are pregnant and the county is trying to figure out how to keep them in school and what to do with their babies during school.

Rebecca

I do pull him out for the sex ed (which starts in 4th/5th grade). It's not the school place to teach my kid anything of that nature. 1/2 the kids are pulled from the class. That half was not involved in the incident a few weeks ago. The ones that do take the class had some grown up issues in the past few months. I don't have an issue with skimming alcoholism and drug abuse as an overall health generalization but they are getting in way to deep for some of these kids.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Well, Buffy, I'd be at school and discussing this with the principal and the teacher..
This question is just as bad as when an adult or child puts their foot into it when they ask a women who looks pregnant if she is pregnant and is not....


My 16yo would be in a world of hurt if she was at a party w/ alcohol.. Is it at parties..yup... around here it is..but lucky for me.. she's got some sense... We have had 4 underage parties busted this year w/ kids having to go to court and on probation..a few lost the chance to get their license for an extra 6 months... Lucky for us...DD was not there.... a lot of it she says depends on who is hosting the party and who is going to the party... 99% of the time she would rather stay home...
My 13yo would be in hot water attending a party like that....

It's amazing what the kids do today... my older kids 16 & 13 were counting down the days till DD would drive when school started because they rode the middle/high school bus... no problem.. they are middle/high schoolers.. This year, we moved 5th and 6th grade into the middle/high school route... OMG..the kids said the 5th and 6th graders mouths and brags were worst than most of the high schoolers combined... DD said she was flabergasted about what some of the 5th & 6th graders were doing outside of the home... I kept hoping it was all talk until the parents started talking at games about what they were hearing...

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I have a PTO meeting with the principal on May 7th for an end of the year wrap up. The president (mom of another 8th grader) and I are going to talk to her. Several parents have come to us with concerns. I feel that that's part of the PTO's job, is to work as a liaison between the parents and Admin.

I don't 100% blame the teacher, even though he's a horse's patookie. The Board of Ed approved this curriculum without really looking into the content. It was one of those "well other schools are using it, we should too".

 

[bigbabyblues]

What 13 year old is going to get pregnant? Seriously? Has society degraded that much since I was 13 that it's actually an issue?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of 13 year olds now that drink - but pregnant 13 year olds, not so much.

Unfortunately, yes, there are 13 yo girls getting pregnant, and it seems to be getting worse. I do insurance billing for a hospital, and the claims come across my desk, at least 2-3 a week, for 14 yo's delivering babies. It's really, really sad. Not that it really matters, but I live in a small, rural area in SE Ohio.

My DH is a sub bus driver for the public schools here, and the things the younger kids talk about and know about makes him absolutely sick. I know kids talk, and talking about it and doing it are two different things, but......he had a FIRST GRADE girl tell a second grade boy that he was hot and she wanted to have sex with him on the floor of the bus. FIRST GRADE.
That's not the only time he's said something, but that is the first time it was a kid that young. I have been accused of sheltering my boys by sending them to a private Christian school. If my third grader doesn't know about these things yet and that makes him "sheltered", so be it.

I don't think that teacher is all there. I definitely agree that the drinking issue is something that needs to be brought up, but not in the way it was done.
Good for you for bringing it up, someone has to stand up about it.

Steph

 

[ZeroToHero]

I had no idea it was that much of an issue... that's so sad.

 

[lovingthemouse]

On the local news at 6, they mentioned that the teen pregnancy rate in Springfield has gone down, we are now 6th in the state, not 2nd. At one of the local high schools, there are 64 girls either pregnant or who have recently given birth. It is still a large problem in urban areas.

 

[WDWMom]

As a person with a Health Ed degree I think the question he had to answer doesn't really relate to anything except nosiness. It is no one's business as to what one does to oneself, unless you are the baby daddy. Even if he were at a party where teens were drinking, stay out of it. You never know what kind of drunk you may encounter. Best to just leave. That should have been the question ... What adult would you go to if you saw a pg girl drinking alcohol at a party and why? With the WHY being the most important part of the lesson because it asks the student to think why someone shouldn't be drinking either as a teen or pg.

And Zero - there are lots of 13 year old getting pg these days. I have a friends whose DH is a neonatologist (preemie/peds dr) and he has delivered many babies from these girls.

 

[jedihunny]

The idea of the question is totally valid for 8th graders, but the way the question is asked isn't very tactful.
better example: "You see a pregnant girl at a party who is drinking, why is this harmful?"

not teach kids "hey you should totally go up to the random chick and tell her why she's wrong in this situation"

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Exactly!!