From: cfthb@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Howard Black)
Subject: Re: Sexuality
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 17:20:30 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Eastern Illinois University

In article <1hv4t9INN5m5@hp-col.col.hp.com> smithw@col.hp.com (Walter Smith) writes:
>cfthb@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Howard Black) writes:
>>     Sounds like this is the big question for you.  Why does it have to be
>> judged?...
>> ...Homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality can easily be
>> taught in the exact same way.
>
>And when the kids start saying "but my parents say that homosexuality 
>is bad" or that "but my parents say that sex is only for people 
>who are married to each other" and press the teacher for some 
>agreement/disagreement on these issues, then what?  You think 
>the teacher is going to get away with just letting it pass?  The 

    Teachers are trained to deal with exactly this type of thing.  It is
possible to present facts without judgement.  In fact, it would be
interesting to respond to one of the above "but"s with "Well, that's
interesting, Bobby; why do you think that is?".

>whole point of teaching this stuff to 1st graders is to teach them 
>that it is OK; otherwise there would be no point in bringing it up 
>at all.  When the subject is gay-teen-suicide, people seem free 

    Wrong, wrong, wrong.  You teach stuff to any kid so that they are
familiar with the world around them and so that they have the skills to
function well in that world.  If the only point is to say that it's OK, I'd
love to see you teach history.

>to admit this curriculum is designed to show that these things are
>'normal' and 'ok'; but when the subject is 'teaching morality and 
>sexuality', then all of a sudden it's "Why does it have 
>to be judged?"....*moldy* red herring...

    Because sexuality is not a judgement call, while morality is.  There is
no reason to intermingle the two.

>Then leave the "education" to the families.  You expect teachers will 
>be able to leave *their* judgement calls out of the subject?  That kids 

    Yes.

>won't be kids and inquire, when what the school teaches them is contrary 
>to what they may have been taught at home, and what social values 
>generally teach?  What if a teacher is gay, and is asked by a kid if 
>"heather has 2 mommies" is good or bad.  What's he supposed to say? 

    Something like "Why do you ask if it's good or bad, Jane?  Some children
have two mommies, some have two daddies, and most have one of each."


>Should he be free to say anything?  How about if he is a dyed-in-the-wool
>born-again Christian?  

    Then he can leave his views outside the classroom and behave like a
professional.
    I teach a class in medicinal chemistry, and we discuss drug abuse,
enforcement, etc.  Those people in my class have no idea, ever, of what my
views on drug prohibition are or my opinion of the disease concept of
addiction.  I tell them what's out there, and that's that.
   
-- 
   ******************************************************************
     Howard Black                             cfthb@ux1.cts.eiu.edu
     Department of Chemistry                  Eastern Illinois Univ. 
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