Here's today's Washington Watch Daily commentary from FRC Radio:
A parent in one Maryland school district say an abstinence program has bitten off more than it can chew. Because of something called the “gum game,” schools in Montgomery County banned the curriculum. As part of the lesson, instructors handed kids a stick of gum and asked them to take turns chewing it. The idea sounds disgusting, but that’s exactly the point. Teachers were trying to get students to understand that if they wouldn’t share gum because of the germs, why would they share their beds and risk catching an STD? One official said, “This exercise showed a terrible lack of judgment.” But the same can be said of pulling the program. Instead of asking instructors to stop playing the game, the Country used it as an excuse to shut them down. It’s ironic. These schools have no problem showing kids how to engage in so-called safe sex, but a gum game crosses the line? Montgomery County should restore the abstinence message instead of bursting this program’s bubble.
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Comments (3)
The sex-ed class I had - technically, stuffed into a catch-all course known as 'enrichment' along with assorted anti-drugs lectures and similar things - used the 'cup game.'
Each student was given a cup of diluted milk (and told not to drink it!). The students were then instructed to circulate and chat to each other for a time, meeting other students. If they would not have sex with the other student, no action was to be taken. If the students would agree to protected sex, they were instructed to touch the rims of the cups in a 'cheers' gesture. If the students would agree to unprotected sex, their instruction was to pour a small amount from one cup to the other, then reverse the procedure.
The symbology of the cup full of white liquid was never explicitly stated... but everyone knew exactly what it represented.
Before the demonstration, the teacher had laced a small number of cups with starch - a simulated STI, which would be spread during the mixing of fluids during the 'unprotected sex.' When the students' mixing was complete, a few drops of iodine revealed how far the 'infection' had spread.
At the time I was a little annoyed at my own lack of success... I didn't expect anyone to touch cups with me, but it would have been nice for someone to at least offer out of politeness!
If FRC wants to put it to use in any way, I advise that there are some practical problems: Diluted milk makes a great mess on carpets, and there was one accusation of 'rape' when a student tried to empty part of his cup into someone else's while they were not looking.
February 24, 2007 8:38 PM | Comment Permalink
When I was in school there was no sex education at all. The closest I got was "attitudes toward sex" in CCD.
My feeling about that class was that the students (7th grade USA) were just too young for such a class to have an impact.
I like the "cup game". It seems a lot more useful than the "gum game".
February 26, 2007 9:43 AM | Comment Permalink
Might be. But its an important lesson, so perhaps its a good idea to repeat it several times at different ages. To make sure it sticks.
I like the cup game too - it is a bit time-consuming, but it gets the point across (Teachers, please make sure the STI cups go to popular students, otherwise it doesn't get the point across :>). And it doesn't depend on overcoming rationality with reflexive disgust like the gum-game does.
February 26, 2007 4:19 PM | Comment Permalink