Teachers at convention learn how to talk to students about sexuality

Be honest, use the right body part names and find out what kids reckon they know when talking about sexuality, a sexologist advises Alberta health and wellness teachers.

Montreal sex educator Noemie Audet presented five talks to teachers gathered in Edmonton this week for the North Central Teachers Convention. About 6,400 teachers from central and northern Alberta gathered at the Edmonton Convention Centre for two days of professional development on Thursday and Friday.

Many adults hope someone else will teach kids about sexuality, Audet said in a Friday session.

“Nobody really wants to talk about sex education because we’re shy, or we don’t know,” she said.

In an interview, Audet said teachers tell her they fear sex education because they don’t want to upset parents, they’re afraid of unintentionally crossing a line or giving misinformation.

But silence is sex education, she said. It’s a poor approach, and it won’t avoid problems.

OPTING OUT

In Quebec, where she instructs sex ed from preschool to high school, families can no longer opt children out of school health lessons. In Alberta, schools require written permission from parents or guardians to teach about human sexuality or religion in school.

Audet said kids talk to each other about what they learn in sex ed. She asks hesitant parents if they’d prefer their children hear lessons directly from professionals, or filtered through another child’s retelling of the lesson.

Alberta educators are in the midst of rewriting all subjects in the K-12 curriculum in English and French, including health and wellness. The new K-4 curriculum is complete, and classroom testing will begin in select locations later this year.

The new K-4 curriculum includes lessons about consent in Grades 2, 3 and 4, and conversations about personal space will begin in kindergarten. Puberty is introduced in Grade 4.

frankness is key

Good sex education lessons should be relevant to students’ stage of development, Audet said. Teachers should use the correct names for body parts for clarity.

Typically, when a child gathers the nerve to ask an adult a question about sex or sexuality, they’re ready to hear the answer, she said. If adults don’t provide a satisfactory answer, many kids will turn to the internet, where they’re likely to search for “sex,” rather than “sexuality,” which could lead them to pornography instead of reliable health information.

What should sex ed look like in kindergarten? By age five, many children will be asking where babies come from, Audet said. Lessons should include information to prevent sexual abuse, she said, by teaching kids that secrets about touching other people are not OK. They should talk about gender stereotypes and boy and girl body parts, she said.

By junior high, curriculum should address puberty, self-image, double standards, sexual orientation, desire, the differences between love and friendship, and sexual behaviour.

Teachers in all grades should use the plainest language possible, be honest with kids about their own discomfort talking about sexuality and be frank if they don’t know answers to students’ questions.

They should also reassure kids going through puberty that their awkwardness and the effects of surging hormones are typical.

“It’s so important at this age to feel normal,” she said.