Title IX Sexual Assault Groups Rise Up
From U.S. News and World Report on the uptick of reported assaults:
Posts
When to Talk to Kids about (Gulp!) Porn
Seattle's Child has a worthwhile article on this topic. You can say, "Well, I haven't even talked about sex, no less porn." My reaction is that we are growing up in a very different time than when we grew up vis a vis the access to these kinds of media. There is a good chance that if your child has access to a computer, they may accidentally (or on purpose) view porn. (Did you know that whitehouse.com is a porn site? Yeah, your child is doing research, puts in the wrong letters and there you are.)
Tuesday Open Thread
From Think Smart, an article about Elizabeth Smart who,when she was 14, was taken from her home and held for nine months. This incredibly brave woman has created her own foundation to educate children about sex abuse. She speaks out against the danger of having only abstinence education in schools. She talks about how she felt after her rape(s) and why emphasizing purity can leave girls feeling less valued. Social psychologists and sexual abuse counselors agree that comprehensive sex education can help prevent sexual crimes . Teaching children about their bodies gives them the tools to describe acts of abuse without feeling as embarrassed or uncomfortable, and it also helps elevate their self-confidence and sense of bodily autonomy. A shame-based approach to genitalia and sexuality , on the other hand, sends kids the message that they can’t discuss or ask questions about any of those issues. On a completely different subject, a heads up. It is on my r...
The Good, the Bad, and the Dumb
Update: Roosevelt's Jazz Band comes in second place in the Essentially Ellington competition in NYC, ahead of New World School of the Arts and behind Dillard Center for the Arts. Note: both the other two high schools are in Florida are magnet arts schools, RHS is a regular comprehensive. Congrats to all those great musicians at RHS! Great article in the Times this morning about almost- Superintendent Banda. Makes me think the Board picked the right person at the right time for this district. I note that the Times is also trying to push this A+Washington initiative . LEV has a full-court press at their website. There is nothing wrong with various groups joining together to push for better education but what they are saying is nothing new: great teachers flexibility more data and tools to collect it early education Their "reports" are sketchy. One is a survey result paper. One is about costs (...