What IS Sex Education?

It's the start of another school year.  Kids are going back to the classrooms, probably with some vacation hangover but generally with a lot of excitement to see if they are still in the same section as their old gang or who has grown as tall as they have over the summer break.

For the authorities, there has been a controversy over offering sex education in the public schools.  The Department of Education is pushing it.  Religious leaders are against it.  Exactly what is the argument about anyway?

If by sex education, the policy makers are referring to the methods of having sex then maybe I agree with the churches.  I don't see the point of showing kids graphic images of different sexual positions.  Emphasizing the act itself, I believe, will heighten curiosity which might lead to promiscuity or early pregnancy.

However, a recent news report showed a DepEd official saying that they are changing the term to gender education.  That then is a different story.  If they mean to discuss things like the physical differences between males and females, what happens during puberty, the reproductive cycles, and stuff like that then I'm all for it.

I spent my elementary years in a convent school where we were all girls in our classes.  I moved to a government school for high school.  In these institutions, I learned about menstruation and what can happen because of it.  We were given seminars about the different methods of contraception, both natural and artificial, as well as their differing effects.  We were also told that abortion was illegal and premarital sex can have moral and legal consequences.

In Biology classes, we studied the baby's growth from conception to birth, complete with pictures of the fetus.  With that, we also learned the role of the males in pregnancy and how a baby can look like either parent.  We also discussed sexually transmitted diseases, especially how one can acquire them.

Are these things part of the controversy?  Do you mean these things are not part of public school education?

Exactly what are they talking about anyway?

It's a Small World

Love the power of the world wide web!

We used to sing that song when I was in grade school.  If I remember right, it was from the movie Shang-ri=la.

My niece and I share the internet connection.  Both of us also stay up late at night to connect.  Last night, we were discussing about what time to shut down the connection.  I had planned to download some game and I expected it to take a while because I would be playing another game while that was going on.

My niece said she would also be staying up late.  She was chatting with a Brit she said.  She met this person on Tumblr.  She also has a French friend.  She regularly talks to some Japanese who are practicing English skills with her.

It's so easy to connect and learn about other peoples through responsible social networking.  These could be life long friends.  Maybe they can help in her school or work later on.  Even if they do not directly help her, knowledge about places she has never been too could prove useful as she deals with the global economy when she finishes college.

Wonderful isn't it?  It's been there for years.  We just need to use it to our advantage to give eahc other a win-win proposition.

Flowers of May

I had a chance to watch the Flores de Mayo parade in Cubao yesterday.  The Araneta Center had one every Sunday of May, I heard.  Each one had a different set of sagalas and yesterday it was all about beauty queens.  Naturally, they had to be included.  The head of Binibining Pilipinas Charities was after all married to an Araneta.  Anyway, that's a whole other story.

I had to note the dresses or gowns if you may.  These girls were support to represent something about the character of the virgin Mary.  Instead, they wore something that showed off their assets.  Nothing wrong with that really but then again, the essence of the festival is lost on them and on the audience.  Too bad for us because keeping these traditions alive would augur well for our country.  I'm sure the tourism heads would agree.

That girl Venus Raj was there.  She was assigned the role of Queen of All Nations, fitting for our Miss Universe representative really.  I wish she really could fit the role but from what she showed so far, I don't believe I'm willing to support her.  maybe somebody will tell me I don't know what really happened.  From media, I hear more from her than from the other side and what she said told me that she chose to ignore warnings before the pageant.

Carlyn Aguilar was Reyna Elena.  She is very pretty I think but her face is strong, perfect for mataray roles on tv.

The Reyna Emperatriz role went to Gloria Diaz, the country's first Miss Universe winner.  She still has the body for the part of beauty queen although her face shows signs of age.  She deserves the role.  And she looked lovely in her violet gown (or was that royal blue)