The senior teachers at the Residential School were worried. The Director of School Education has passed orders directing the school to take steps to impart sex education to the boys and girls. The Principal could not decide where to begin.
The senior teachers at the Residential School were worried. The Director of School Education has passed orders directing the school to take steps to impart sex education to the boys and girls. The Principal could not decide where to begin.
“We should beware of the feelings of the students” one senior teacher said. “We could actually do them harm by talking openly about the facts of life.”
“We have no choice; it is an order from the Director.”
“How do we explain where babies come from?” Miss Hema, a spinster of fifty, wondered.
“We can’t tell them a blue bird deposits them on the maternity bed.”
“Do you think the boys and girls would be disgusted to learn that parents sleep together to produce babies?”
“I am sure they would not look at the faces of their parents” another teacher said.”It would be such a shock.”
“The Director’s orders have to be implemented. Let us discuss how best we could go about the job?”
“Could we explain to the girls about puberty, menses,etc., in a separate class? Or shall we do it in the mixed classes?”
“The Director has made no mention about separate classes. Moreover we have no extra rooms to hold separate classes.”
“Once we explain the facts, there is the danger that they would try to verify them.”
“Do you think the girls are ashamed of the growth of their busts? Could we explain that they should be proud, instead?”
“We could tell the boys their sex urge is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I feel the whole program is going to misfire” Miss Hema insisted. “It would only lead to sexual promiscuity.”
“They are going to learn all these things, Miss Hema, from various undesirable sources. Why don’t we put them across dispassionately?”
“I am afraid some of us are not equipped to answer some of their embarrassing questions if they dare to ask them.”
“Well” the Principal said. “Let us tackle a practical point: how do we explain how babies are made?”
“Say, we begin it like this: Father and mother love each other. They go to bed and….”
“And sleep together”
“Should we explain how they do it?”
“I don’t know” Miss Hema said.
“Then we tell them about the seed of the father being deposited in the womb of the mother, and how it grows.”
“The real problem will be to explain how babies are delivered.”
“We should not be squeamish about talking of the sexual organs of men and women.”
“The point is, we should not overwhelm them with too many facts in one session.”
“That’s right. And we should encourage questions.”
“The girls should be taught the anatomy of the female body, the mystery of the process of coming of age, the menstrual cycle, the role of hymen, etc.
IN THE CLASS ROOM
“Now boys and girls, I am going to teach you about sex.” Miss Hema began the next day in her class.”I know that all of you are curious.”
“No, Madam.”
“Don’t you want to know how babies are made?”
“We know it, Madam.”
“All the sex facts?”
“All about copulation, promiscuity, delivery, sex hygiene, venereal diseases, homosexuality, you name it, Madam.”
“Oh!”
“You have read the Philosophy of Sex by Havelock Ellis, Madam?”
“I have not heard of that book.”
“Books of Van de Velde?”
“No”
“Marie Stopes?”
“No.”
The Kinsey Report?”
“No”
“The Masters Investigation of Sex carried out in the US?”
“No.”
“They are excellent books, Madam. For a beginner, however, “Sex Questions You Have Always Wanted to Ask But Have not” is recommended, Madam.”
“Oh”
“It is a paperback, Madam and it is available in all the good book shops, Madam.”
“My God!”
“Or you can google it and get all the information. Be careful you don’t stray into the porn sites, Madam.”
“We should beware of the feelings of the students” one senior teacher said. “We could actually do them harm by talking openly about the facts of life.”
“We have no choice; it is an order from the Director.”
“How do we explain where babies come from?” Miss Hema, a spinster of fifty, wondered.
“We can’t tell them a blue bird deposits them on the maternity bed.”
“Do you think the boys and girls would be disgusted to learn that parents sleep together to produce babies?”
“I am sure they would not look at the faces of their parents” another teacher said.”It would be such a shock.”
“The Director’s orders have to be implemented. Let us discuss how best we could go about the job?”
“Could we explain to the girls about puberty, menses,etc., in a separate class? Or shall we do it in the mixed classes?”
“The Director has made no mention about separate classes. Moreover we have no extra rooms to hold separate classes.”
“Once we explain the facts, there is the danger that they would try to verify them.”
“Do you think the girls are ashamed of the growth of their busts? Could we explain that they should be proud, instead?”
“We could tell the boys their sex urge is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I feel the whole program is going to misfire” Miss Hema insisted. “It would only lead to sexual promiscuity.”
“They are going to learn all these things, Miss Hema, from various undesirable sources. Why don’t we put them across dispassionately?”
“I am afraid some of us are not equipped to answer some of their embarrassing questions if they dare to ask them.”
“Well” the Principal said. “Let us tackle a practical point: how do we explain how babies are made?”
“Say, we begin it like this: Father and mother love each other. They go to bed and….”
“And sleep together”
“Should we explain how they do it?”
“I don’t know” Miss Hema said.
“Then we tell them about the seed of the father being deposited in the womb of the mother, and how it grows.”
“The real problem will be to explain how babies are delivered.”
“We should not be squeamish about talking of the sexual organs of men and women.”
“The point is, we should not overwhelm them with too many facts in one session.”
“That’s right. And we should encourage questions.”
“The girls should be taught the anatomy of the female body, the mystery of the process of coming of age, the menstrual cycle, the role of hymen, etc.
IN THE CLASS ROOM
“Now boys and girls, I am going to teach you about sex.” Miss Hema began the next day in her class.”I know that all of you are curious.”
“No, Madam.”
“Don’t you want to know how babies are made?”
“We know it, Madam.”
“All the sex facts?”
“All about copulation, promiscuity, delivery, sex hygiene, venereal diseases, homosexuality, you name it, Madam.”
“Oh!”
“You have read the Philosophy of Sex by Havelock Ellis, Madam?”
“I have not heard of that book.”
“Books of Van de Velde?”
“No”
“Marie Stopes?”
“No.”
The Kinsey Report?”
“No”
“The Masters Investigation of Sex carried out in the US?”
“No.”
“They are excellent books, Madam. For a beginner, however, “Sex Questions You Have Always Wanted to Ask But Have not” is recommended, Madam.”
“Oh”
“It is a paperback, Madam and it is available in all the good book shops, Madam.”
“My God!”
“Or you can google it and get all the information. Be careful you don’t stray into the porn sites, Madam.”