The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-04-28, Page 21,a4
Grade 12 to be tested
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Basoc ex knowledge to be assessed
Grade 12 students in the
Huron County education
system will have their basic
knowledge in Sex tested soon
after the Huron County
Education Committee agreed
recently to allow the health
unit to give the students a21
question knowledge test.
The Huron County Health
Unit approached the board of
education with the test
suggesting that the students
be examined to see once and
for all if cries of not enough or
too much sex education were
true. The test was prepared
by the family planning sec-
tion of the health unit and was
to be given to Grade 10 and
Grade 12 students,
The eduction committee
pondered the merits of the.
test wondering what purpose
it would serve. Separate
school trustee Eugene
•
that the question contained in
the test not be made public
for obvious reasons. Students
taking the test would not have
their knowledge accurately
gauged if they could ilead the
questions prior to writing the
test.
Ebe
cinating fun
to,DI N "NAM "irk.0
+CNA
chael asks the questions and Mark McConnell answers them with a buzz. The
operating the gadget at the Brookside Public School hobby and science fair last
e question box was built by George Dierolf and required students to match the
nswer with each question to be rewarded with abutz. (staff -photo)
he elementary schools
4,0
130 YEAR -17 •
Frayne asked what the result assess the knowledge of the
of the test would prove and students.
what the health unit hoped to Dr. Mills pointed out that a.
do with the results. great number of complaints
Superintendent of have been registered recently
Education Jim Coulter said that instruction is either too
he agreed in part with specific in sex education or is
Frayne, pointing out that the. too lax. He said the only way
test would serve to determine to determine what education
student's familiarity with is doing is to determine what
terminology and awareness the students know.
of the -human reproduction He said that by testing both
System. He added, however, Grade 10 and Grade 12
that while the students students, the board and the
"might pass the test they also health unit could determine in
might fail life". what grade the material was
Huron CountyMedical being learned.
Officer of Health Dr. Frank He said that by testing only
Mills said the test was Grade 12 students the board
designed to find out what the would find out only that the
students knew and where material is being taught. By
they were getting their testing both Grade 10 and 12
knowledge. He said it was not they could find out where it is
meant to raise criticism or being taught.
point out shortcomings in the The board questioned the
education system but to need to test both levels of
obertri)
IGNAL
students as requested by the
health unit. Most trustees felt
there was no real purpose for
the testing, and they couldn't
see testing two grades.
Exeter Trustee Clarence
McDonald set a precedent by
requesting that the- education
committee .kie given ..the
results of the testing. The
committee has never asked
for such a report in the past.
Dr. Mills said the health unit
had intended all along to
share the results of the test
with the board of education,
pointing out that to do
otherwise would make the
testing an exercise in futility.
He added that the health Unit
had edited the test to make it
straightforward and to at-
tempt to limit the amount of
criticism raised concerning
it.
The committee requested
THURSDAY, APR11.28,1977
Questions range from
pregnancy to abortion,
touching on male and female
reproductive systems,
passage of eggs and sperm
through the bodies of men and
women and contraceptive
methods.
Only students taking health
will be tested. About 85
percent of the Grade 12
students are taking the
subject, the remainder
having dropped it in favor of
another course.
SECOND SECTION
Family living promoted through education
ation committee of education should aim for it realize that the subject is not
County Board of offers very few guidelines on dirty and unmentionable the
was told recently how to reach those goals. 14e classes progress smoothly.
lk of the material said that the teachers in the She said she liked to handle
teachers in sex county develop the all the material in the class
• classes is put curriculum to be used at the herself and leaves nothing for
y teachers in the elemeatary level and are the public health nurse. She
stem. The com- charged with the task of said she couldn't expktin why
met •with two imparting the information to she felt that way but -was of
school health and the children. the opinion that the students
ducation teachers "The abilities of the wouldn't be as frank with a
o try to determine teachers in this course can health nurse as they were
so called sex determine the course ef- with her.
lasses concern. fectiveness,'• said Cou,Iter. • The program taught in the
artin, a teacher -If the teacher' is un- elementary classes is
leaublic School, comfortable discussing the stretched over three years
re Harman of subject I suppose he can beginning in Grade 6. The
Central Public always turn" to the health first year the class is in -
id out what they nurse for assistante." troduced to their bodies and
amily living course Martin said she felt the best are told why they are un-
mittee pointing out way to teach the course was dergoing physical and
little guidance for to set up an informal type emotional changes as they
m is given by the class where no notes are kept, develop physically. The
Education. no testing is done and all the teachers identify and name
tendent of subject matter is given the endocrine glands and
Jim Coulter ex- orally. She said she merely establish their effect on
the committee that talks to the students in a behaviour and growth.
Ministry does matter of fact manner and Puberty is defined as the
n what goals sex finds that once the children state in development between
child and, adult and the body
changes that take place
during puberty are explained.
The 'reproductive process is
explained end students made
aware of how human life
begins. Self control is touched
on as children are made
aware of the fact that they
are responsible for their own
behaviour,
In Grade 7 the class starts
Off reviewing material
learned the previous year and
then moves into social
development through
adolescence. Dating is
discussed and compared to
friendships between mem-
bers of the opposite sex and
dating skills are discussed.
The criteria and value for
dating behaviour is tauglit
through necking and petting
and their meaning, reasons
and results. The advantages
and disadvantages' of 'going
steady are discussed and
History
in action
Ray Scotchmer, the Huron
4 County Pioneer museum
curator, explained to Victoria
School classes recently how
e flour was produced in bygone
years using many of the
ti museum's working models to
./ illustrate the process,
/ Following his presentation
most pupils got the chance to
make their own flour by these
early methods.
This opportunity tq view
and operate the flour -making
equipment was especially
enjoyed by Mr. Yeo's Grade 5
class. These students have
over the last three weeks,
examined the influence of a
grist mill in a community.
They found that in the
previous century a grist Mill
was almost essential to a
community if it was to keep
growing.
The miller was painted as a
hard-working and generally
prosperous gentleman.
Stories written by the
students about a conversation
at a mill indicated gossip did
exist with pioneers also. -
Miss Taylor's class of
Grades 1 and 2 has also been
examining the past. They
have been involved in the
study of various methods of
making an early forM sugar -
dents
of Queen Elizabeth School and Victoria' School got a lesson in flour making maple syrup. They compared
_.tv.hen Huron County Pioneer Museum curator Ray Scotchmer brought a flour equipment to the manure c -
r vintage syrup making
Ilivtiy
sePi from th
the museum to e school. Here Queen
look on as Scotchmer makes a sample of flour for,them. (staff- Elizabeth students andff.
tured equipment used today.
it to the past
normal problems associated
with maturing.
• In Grade '8 the students
concentrate • ••on family
relationships and their values
and kick off the year by
reviewing Grade 7 material.
From -there they learn more
of faith, security, emotional
needs, defense mechanisms,
personal involvement with
family activities, respon-
sibilities to families and what
each can do to fiel0 produce a
happy home life.
CLASS MATURITY
CONSIYERED
Martin explained that the
speed at which the class
progresses ia due largely to
the Maturity of the class. She
said some classes take a
considerable amount of time
learning the course basics
while others grasp it quickly
and want to discuss other
aspects of life and family
living.
McKillop Trustee John
Henderson wondered why
--children were so much
rougher today than they were
• years ago, claiming that the
types of words they use in the
playground indicates they are
learning , the words
somewhere, He wondered if
the sex education classes had
anything to do with it.
Henderson added that he
was curious as to •why
children were coming home
with questions for their
parents claiming they were
afraid to ask the questions at
school.
Martin said she felt the fact
that kids Were as'king
questions at home is healthy,
pointing out that the interest
is being cultured at school.
She said the -backwoods"
attitude surrounding sex
suggesting that it is dirty and
that usc of.the names of the
body organs was dirty, is
disappearing now.
Martin conceded -that the
slang names for body organs
was still taboo but added that
when she -was young. things of
this nature were kept "under
a bushel- and that now
they're treated as a fact of
life.
Clare llarman said he
didn't feel that kids today
were any rougher than they
were years ago and em-
phasized that any slang word „
used to denote a body organ
was certainly not as a result
of health tlasses.
Harman said the teachers
ttterely attach proper names
to body organs "milling a
testicle a testicle lie said
that perhaps the use (if
profanity was, more candid
years rtgo but the knowledge
of the worchkwas as prevalent
then as it is now.
-Using the proper term in
the classroom is important,"
he said. "That freedom in the
class promotes some
amazing questions from the
students."
Henderson said that today
there seems to be a la of
marriage breakdown, unwed
mothers, divorces •and
common law arrangements,
and wondered why the in-
crease -in these areas. He
asked if it wasn't due to the
education the children are
receiving, then what, was it
due to.
Harman suggested that the
per , capita ration has
probably not changed much
at all pointing out that larger
Concentration
'The students of tiolmesville Public School get an in-
troduction to music through playing recorders in the
classroom. Here Valerie 1.obb of R.R. 3 Clinton con-
centrates on her music as sheglays along with her
classmates. (staff -photo)
classroom enrolments
automatically means more
problems.
Coulter suggested ,that
change in attitudes may also
make it appear as though
there is more promiscuity. He
said in his day if a girl was
pregnant in school she was
taken out of class and hidden
awa? until She had the baby
at least.
"Now we w.elcome eunwed
mothers in the schools and
encourage them to finish
their year," he said.
SEGREGATED CLASSES
Clinton trustee Dorothy
Williams suggested that split
classes may produce more
effective results pointing out
that sometimes boys will ask
questions if there are no girls
in the class and vice versa.
Clare' Harman said ,he
would prefer to teach the
material co-ed. - adding
quickly that he felt it was the
only way to teach it. He said
the questions asked early in
the course are usually asked
by the more outgoing children
but as a comfort level is
established and a rapport
between students is reached,
the questions, become more
specific. He added that quite
often what sante boys ask will
be of benefit to girls and vice
versa,
Martin agreed that co-ed
was the only way to teach the
course. claiming that the
origin of the question is im-
portant since boys want to
know about girls and girls
- about boys.
She said some of the
questionwasked would simply
not be asked at all if the class
was not co-ed.
Some of the questions
would be embarrassing for a
parent and are probably
better answered by a teacher
or someone other than a
parent," said Martin. She
added that she herself finds it
is easier for her to deal with
the subject as a teacher than
as a parent.
"I'm better at school than 1
am at home,- she said,
IT ACHING MORALS TOO?
Shirley Haiiii, trustee
from Colborne township, said
i,he had heard comments all
evening that suggested that
the education was due more
to the physical aspects of sex
rather than the moral and
emotional. SI" said she
realized it was ,a touchy
4ubject but felt compelled to
point out that there may be a
need to discuss sex from a
moral standpoint stressing it
from a husband and wife
angle rather than from a
physical aspect.
Dorothy Wallace, Goderich
(continued on page 3A)
4.14