4 weeks ago
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Those who are trying to sneak into our society immoral practices regarding sex by referring to “international standards” set by such woke-obsessed organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation spread the false news that so-called “conservative” groups, especially those associated with practicing Catholics, condemn sexuality education in any form. That is farthest from the truth. Some of the most comprehensive documents on sexuality education have been written by the Popes, such as St. John Paul II (e.g. Theology of the Body and Familiaris Consortio). St. Paul VI (e.g. Humanae Vitae), Pope Pius XI (e.g. Casti Conubii); and the present Pope Francis (e.g. Amoris Laetitia). Myriad of organizations consisting of Catholic lay people (e.g. Couples for Christ, Marriage Encounter, EDUCHILD, Parents for Education Foundation, Focolare, Regnum Christi, etc.) always include sexuality education as part of their apostolate of doctrine among married couples and the youth. I am privileged to know one of the leading lights in sexuality education, Dr. Antonio Torralba, a Professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
Dr. Torralba is one of the founders of an NGO called Alalay sa Pamilya. For more than a decade now has been carrying on an expanding program nationwide called Campaign for Character Education (CACHET). In this article, I present his own words describing the sexuality education that he, with various organizations, has been undertaking over a period of some 60 years. The rest of this article is quoted verbatim from an essay written by Dr. Torralba.
“In my more than 60 years of rather extensive and intensive personal experience with tens of thousands of young people from private and public elementary and high school students from 1962 (through Student Catholic Action) to the present, six major sources of deeply felt youth challenges have surfaced every now and then: family life, friendships, human sexuality, studies and career, faith and religion, and lifestyle. Of these, the most currently talked about is sex education, or better put sexuality education, comprehensive sexuality education. In this article, we shall answer the question: “How is it best to teach sex and sexuality to the youth?”
“Let’s start with the premises.
- DEFINITION OF TERMS
- Sex is all about human anatomy and physiology, all about being male and female (Editorial comment: We celebrate one of the first policy declarations of President Donald Trump: that there are only two sexes, male and female. He also has protected emerging markets from “ideological colonization” by removing the U.S. from the WHO.)
- Sexuality is all about manhood and womanhood, all about what makes men real men and women real women.
- Gender, including gender preference, an old term (with reference to grammar) but now carries a radically refurbished term (LGBTQ+) is about the choices that one makes about his or her sex (culminating in sex change) or sexuality (acting the persona of man or the persona of woman distinct from one’s natural persona);
d. Sex education is teaching a child biology; including how a child comes about, usually done in Biology or Health and PE;
e. Sexuality education is teaching a child about moral criteria for choice and qualities or virtues to make good and responsible decision (regarding the use of sex).
2. PREMISES
a. All education is about education in human sexuality, developing the qualities of manhood in a male person and the qualities of womanhood in a female person. To be a well-rounded person, capable of making decision, one needs to know the basis for right and wrong, and to acquire the human qualities needed to make appropriate decisions and pursue them.
b. In turn, knowing right from wrong (through critical thinking in several development stages), making good decisions and pursuing them (through education in character), requires the teaching and learning of humanities, or even the broader field of liberal education: philosophy (particularly ethics), history, art, literature, science and the human virtues, according to what is appropriate to the age level of the students. Sexuality education is implicitly or explicitly contained in these fields of study.
This is what “comprehensive” means to me, not “comprehensive” as implied in “international standards” of UN-related organizations and in the DepEd Order 31.s. 2018, “Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education” i.e. understanding the sex act; how to avoid unwanted pregnancy; how to protect oneself from harm from an active sex life.
- SOME PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING SEXUALITY
- The main thrust of education in sexuality is to help the student make good and responsible decisions in family life; friendships and social responsibility; studies and career; attraction and courtships; personal lifestyle.
- The method of teaching I have found most effective is “extract-navigate”, that is deriving through Q and A what the students think or know, discussing these with them, and summing up with a few principles statement as “pabaon”.
- Approaches to teaching is best interactive, e.g. rapid survey of what the students think; a debate on issues between those who agree and disagree with issues; use of meta-card to enable the thoughts of everyone in class to surface…but always imparting, still in interactive ways, what is right and wrong at the end of a class in a cheerful and friendly manner, without “lecturing” to the students
- Classes in basic education is best based on friendship and confidence won with the students, even in a slow pace.
- Especially in matters of sexuality, it seems best to use reason (albeit enlightened by faith in God, stated with naturalness) rather than the Bible or statements from the Magisterium of the Church, given the variations in religious or cultural standards.
- It is best as well to get to know the class individually, through sex-specific mentoring, using well-formed older students (college to high school or even senior high school to elementary) if the faculty is wanting.
- No matter what a person (a student) does or says, no judgment should be made on that person. To change views and perspectives, one could engage the person in conversation by first striving to reach a certain level of sincere personal friendship.
- “Wasting” time with the young is sterling practice…conversations should never be hurried, and all doubts should be resolved to the extent possible. If the teacher has to attend to something else, subsequent opportunities to talk should be suggested.
- Teaching sexuality could be focused on how to live manhood or womanhood through the practice of human virtues in concrete illustrations of being truly human; being a big brother; persevering in one’s commitments; hard work with patience and perseverance; planning career; manner of dressing (at the right time and at the right place), etc.
- At the proper time and age, the class should tackle the following sex and sexuality-related issues: same-sex marriage; live-in arrangements; pre-marital sex; casual sex; pornography; homosexuality and gay lifestyle; manner of acting; manner of dressing; marriage in church or civilly. The teacher should be aware of the students’ sources of information and where the students stand as regards their awareness, rightly or wrongly on related issues and challenges.
- Teachers of human sexuality, in fact, all teachers should be exemplars of what they say in the classroom. This is crucial. Students even in late elementary can determine if the teachers teach simply from the textbook or from life, or teaching is done with love or purely out of employment obligation.
Dr. Torralba ends by stating that there are many more principles that can be stated. He says, however, that the teachers “teach students” more than just “subjects”. It is necessary that teachers be competent in their respective subjects. But it is even more important that they know their students. ”What to teach” is heavily premised on “Whom to teach”.. These two are in turn essentially founded on “Who teaches.”
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