Update on New NATIONAL Sexuality Education Standards

I had an opportunity to talk to a couple of people here in Utah that know more about this sort of thing than I do.  Here is what I learned.

1. I would have to say that Utah's school's are fairly safe. The reason is, the federal government, at this point in time, is not going to require schools to use this program. Also, I know that some people in the Utah state's legislature have been working on laws in Utah to counter a program exactly like this. If there comes a time, when lobbying needs to done in Utah. I will let you know how to contact your representatives to help laws get passed. People contacting representatives really and truly is a good way to make "your voice" heard. (If you don't feel like your vote counts, then send emails and make phone calls to the people who are elected.)
2. In other states, I would advise you to contact your state representatives and ask them to  write laws that would make this sort of program illegal in your state. In some states, laws to prevent this may already be in place.
3. This is most likely international policy coming from the United Nations. It is very similar to things found in Convention on the Rights of the Child. (the United States is the only country which has not signed this internationally recognized agreement.
4. One of the biggest problems with education today is federal funding to help states pay for the rising of costs of education. Why would this be a problem? This is a problem because then the federal government can, and does say, "We will give you XXmillion dollars for education, only if you put X program in your schools." That is how a program like the newly written sexuality education program is forced into states that would not wish to have such a program.
5. It is good to know there are many good people and many good groups that are working together to prevent programs like these being taught in our schools.

New NATIONAL Sexuality Education Standards

For the past four years the American Association of Health Education, the American School Health Association, the National Education Association – Health Information Network, the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, Advocates for Youth, Answer, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States have been working on and authoring a national sexuality program to create a national sexuality education standard to advance the implementation of sexuality education in US public schools.

http://www.futureofsexed.org/documents/josh-fose-standards-web.pdf
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/brand-new-guidelines-pushing-radical-explicit-sex-ed-agenda-on-schools-nati#comment_listing

These new recommendations include:

For kindergarten to second grade: They suggest that, by the end of second grade, children should be using “proper names for body parts, including male and female anatomy,” be familiar with “different kinds of family structures,” and be able to “describe differences and similarities in how boys and girls may be expected to act, and provide examples of how friends, family, media, society and culture influence ways in which boys and girls think they should act.”

3rd to 5th grade: Introduction to sexual orientation would begin in the 3rd – 5th grade, and by 5th grade, students are expected to be able to define sexual orientation as “the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender.”

6th to 8th grade: curriculum calls for an explanation of the correct way to use a condom and an analysis of “external influences that have an impact on one’s attitudes about gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”


9th to 12th grade: the curriculum prescribes that students should be able to “differentiate between biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.” and for students to be able to “compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of abstinence and other contraceptive methods, including condoms,” and “explain how to access local STD and HIV testing and treatment services.”

I think if enough parents and teachers know about it and act, we can stop this program from being implemented. Do you really want you kindergartener to be familiar with “different kinds of family structures,”? or your 6th grader to know how to use a condom? How many teachers want to teach that to their students? This is America. This can be stopped!

Today, I am going to work hard to find ways this can be countered. I will post more about what YOU can do. But first, please let as many people as you can know about it. The more the word gets out, the more likely it will be stopped.

Another reason as many parents as possible should know about this is because if it is implemented, parents need to know that they will have to address these issues with their own children. You will have to talk to you kindergartener about different families and truth. You will have to teach your elementary kids that "gender is an essential characteristic of premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose," and you will have to speak even more openly about sex with your middle and high school students.  So please, pass this on.

Glad to Realize

I have been so tired this pregnancy. More tired than I have ever been any of my previous eight pregnancies-- including the one that I was very anemic. I know I am not anemic because I take an iron pill. So I have been worried. What is wrong with me? I have never felt this exhausted even when I am pregnant.

Last night I realized something important. Every other pregnancy, I took a 1 1/2 to 2  hour nap everyday, and most nights I got between 7 1/2 and 8 hours of sleep. I was being pregnant on 9 to 10 hours of sleep per 24 hour period. This pregnancy, I have not been napping and I have been getting up a little earlier to clean the house. So I have been being pregnant on 6 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period and that is only if I am not up at night for any reason. I think I know why I am so exhausted, and relieved that it isn't some unknown medical problem.

I am going to have to find some way to remedy this. I am not sure how I am going to change things. But I am sure having a napping mom that feels well most of the time will be nicer for my family than having a mom that is always feeling exhausted and ill.

Anya Turns 4

My little Anya is now a big 4 year old! Her birthday was Monday. She laughed and ran away nearly every time we sang to her. In the last year Anya has changed from a very shy and quiet child to much more assertive child. We know when Anya is not happy now. Instead of annoying me by saying, "mom, mom, mom, mom...," she says, "Mom, you have to talk to me!" Of course, my guilty conscience responds to that better. Happy birthday, my little bunny. I love you.

Math and Home School and Saxon and Blah, Blah, Blah

So, in some ways I am learning math all over again. In some ways, I am just having my memory refreshed. But this time around  instead of just memorizing math principles. I am learning why. I am learning why because I actually really want to know, but also because Johnny demands that I tell him why no matter what. So here is an example of the why in math that I never bothered to think about in high school.

Negative Numbers: Did you ever wonder why when you subtract a negative number from a number the two negatives make a positive? I never did before. But I knew Johnny would need to know, so I had to think this one through and ask my mathematician husband. It is actually so the rules are consistant. Think of it this way:

 For all real numbers, a - a = 0

So (-a) - (-a) = 0, 

when you subtract  a number from itself then you get zero whether it is positive or negative. This rule has to remain constant so

a - (-b) = a + b, 

because

(-a) - (-a) = (-a) + (a), 

which equals 0.

Tada. It feels nice to be able to prove why a math concept is true instead of just know the rule.

On another math topic: there is a way of teaching math called Saxon Math that has taken over how math is being taught-- and that is BAD. Here is why.

A man named Saxon did not understand math very well. But he did not know that he did not understand math. He made this theory that a student should not have to know how to do a math problem unless it is taught to them. So what has happened? Children are taught every way to add, every way to subtract, every way to multiply and divide.  If you do not believe me check out your child's math book (it doesn't have to be called Saxon anymore. Saxon has taken over). We bought a fifth grade math book for Johnny. All it had was a year's worth of different ways to multiply-- boring, yes. Now, you may think your kids are learning things earlier than you did because it includes scientific notation and exponents. I don't think I hit that until 7th or 8th grade. But that is it-- just every way to multiply. You may be thinking, "this woman is nuts. Why is this bad?" I am going to tell you why I am not nuts and why this is bad. Before Saxon, kids were not told every way there is to do a single problem. Mostly, we were given just one way. Then on tests, we would have problems pop up here and there that we would have to think out and find a different way to solve them. On standardized tests, we would be given a lot of those , "You have never seen this problem before" problems. That was a-okay for most kids, because we had already had to use the "think this problem out" skill. We knew what to do. American test scores were pretty good. In fact, American's were generally considered around the world to be "very inventive" We thought up the machines, the Japanese made them better. Not bad, I think. That is all gone with Saxon. Saxon does not believe a student should have to think a problem out. Saxon believed a student should not have to do a problem unless the student was shown how to do that particular problem. Math changed from a subject that greatly improved one's critical thinking skills to just a bunch of memorizing. In fact, an absurd amount of memorizing. So we tossed aside the saxon theory based math book, and swapped to the traditional way. Here is what I am finding with my own kids:

1. Johnny had an algebra problem where in order to find the answer, he had to divide 81 by 3 (81/3). 2.Johnny said, "the answer is 81/3". 

3. I said write it down and divide it out.

4. Johnny hates any division that he doesn't already have memorized, and Johnny HATES writing it out.

5. So Johnny said to himself. 3 X 10 = 30. There are 2 (30's) in 80. So that is 20. Then there is 21 left, and 3/21 = 7.

6. Johnny yelled out, "The answer is 27. Do you want to know how I did it?"

If Johnny had already been shown this way of diving (removing the tens and then dividing the left over) he would have missed the opportunity to think it out. Johnny has learned important critical thinking skills. Johnny is being trained to solve problems, not just to compute a memorized problem.

Guess what? Japan used to do math more like Saxon. Japan now does math more like the old fashioned American-way (before 1995-ish). And guess what? Americans are continually falling behind the international level. So Saxon math is BAD!

My favorite Helper

I know, I know, I know. I should not have a "favorite helper, " but I just love that as soon as I open the dish washer to load or unload, little Josh is there "helping". And I LOVE his company so much that I don't even mind clean dishes being dropped on the floor, and dirty dishes unloaded.

The First Snow

Joseph was the first to make it out. He had on fuzzy pj's, a hat, mismatched mittens, and boots!

Anya got the scarf, hat, mittens, and shoes, but she missed the coat note too.

Then Rachel missed the "You need a coat" note as well.

Okay, so it is family tradition. We don't wear coats or clothes in the snow.

Joshua so wanted to get to the snow. I finally let him touch it. He jumped up shocked and cried whenever I moved him close to the snow after that!