As a teacher who has a sexual education agenda dictated to him by the UK government (yes thats right folks politicians directly dictating what information we can and cant teach to kids, its a great example of 'do as I say not as I do!') I find it unusual and saddening that there is a lot taught about sexual education but nothing much taught about love? Since when did love cease to be a predominant force in our choice of partner? The problem is established and older teachers (especially men unfortunately) find it much easier to stick to teaching the bare (excuse the pun) minimum on the subject and feelings just arent discussed. Current media also portrays sex as the prdominant force in a relationship and that the predominant feeling associated with sex is lust. Love seems to be ignored and there is little mention that relationships often suffer difficulties and challenges with no mention of the importance of communication and trust. Maybe I'm being old fashioned in thinking that good communication and honesty in a relationship allow for the development of a bond of confidence and trust within a relationship which is crucial for removing any anxieties and trust issues surrounding sex with your chosen partner. The students I teach and my younger friends seem to have little knowledge of the emotional responsibilities of relationships and they are frequently dissapointed by the disparity between what their expectations (built around the candied image presented by the media) and what they experience in their own lives.
I think you're absolutly right. The problem that I see is developing such a cirruculum, which would be a moral and political pissing match of epic proportions. Likewise, teachers that are already uncomfortable with teaching sex are going to have a hell of a time discussing somthing as amphorous as love and relationships. All that siad, I wish such a program did exist. Here the only relationship training open to the public, at least that I've seen, is religious and based on the teachings of the bible, which severly limits it's appeal.
Exactly! Children should have some way of learning about love and sex which is not biased by religious or secular agendas. In theory there should be no problem as the experiences or relationships are fairly standard and religious or secular preference merely dictate what is permissable (within the view of wider society) and what happens when (to reduce it to a simplistic level). Such a curriculum may end up as a problematic compramise contest between the government, minorities and parents but at the end of the day it is perfectly possible to discuss relationships and feelings outside of a religious or secular context and most people have some experience. What I believe to be important is that children receive this information from as many sources as possible, parents, teachers, religious leaders, etc so that these issues can be discussed. Blank denial is never a firm ground for tolerance and understanding.
