Catholic School Sex Education...In The 4th Grade?!!!

Personal experience ^ | 9-13-06 | A concerned parent

[freekitty]

You are absolutely not off base. It seems like something stinks right now.

[dsc]

There's nothing wrong with your moral compass.

Any chance of a grassroots movement to force a change in the curriculum?

[NukeMan]

FWIW, I learned the same in 4th grade, circa 1968 in a public school in St. Louis. This isn't new, if that helps.

[metmom]

ping-a-ling

[MattinNJ]

I have a 4 year old boy. We live in a nice part of New Jersey with good schools but I still wouldn't send him there. I wanted to send him to Catholic School like I had been to protect him just a little longer. Is there no decency left anymore? (And I am far from a prude)

[tiki]

From what I've seen most Catholic schools nowadays are "in name only.' They are taught by non-Catholic teachers, the curriculum is chosen by non_Catholic administrators and boards.

[Nihil Obstat]

find out what program they are using

[metmom]

Even if you opt out of the class, kids talk. She'll hear it anyway and probably not very accurately. Then, no doubt, some inquisitive kids will find out more about the sperm and egg thing and educate the rest of the school.

[SuziQ]

One of the reasons we pulled our kids out of our Parish school was the condescension of the Principal when we fought against a 'Family Life' program in the school. We and several other parents simply held our kids out of the program. They sat in a different classroom reading or doing other work until the 'Family Life' class was done. The other kids told ours how stupid the class was, and what a waste of time. We protested the fact that they were spending time on this when the rest of the classes were mediocre, at best, and that time could have been spent beefing up the math and science programs.

Our kids finished out that year, but when a new Catholic School opened up in the next town over the following year, we moved them there. Two years later, we got sick of the whole idea of school and began homeschooling them. ;o)

[SuziQ]

Even if the teachers are Catholic, they are still trained in the same education schools, and with the same programs as public school teachers.

[buwaya]

I had sex-ed in the fourth grade in Catholic school in the 1960's.

This is not new at all.

[supercat]

I remember learning from my parents that babies came from sperm and eggs probably around age 6. I didn't know where sperm came from, nor where eggs came from, but I knew that sperm+egg=baby.

[moog]

We learned in fifth grade (not the sex part). Here, we actually have the PARENTS/a different group teach it as an optional after school meeting (note 2 sessions, not continuously) where those who do attend are strongly urged to attend with a parent. At least half the kids have a parent present (and yes, all parents are notified of it). Let me tell you, as a teacher, I'm perfectly fine with not having to teach sex ed. In an elementary school, I don't feel it should be a teacher's job. There's other, more important things like reading, writing, and math to teach. And 4th grade at a Catholic school is actually earlier than I've ever seen it for any public school in the areas I've been in.

[lsucat]

You are not off base. This is one of the reasons we homeschool instead of sending our children to Catholic schools. Unfortunately, the diocese in which we live now requires that homeschoolers send their children to CCD classes. If we don't, our children cannot receive the sacraments. We are blessed to have a wonderful priest as the spiritual director of our homeschool group and he waives the CCD requirement in our parish.

[Dr. Pritchett]

Two Words: HOME SCHOOL

You can't afford not to do it these days.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

My sex ed class was in the fourth grade, 1977, public school. You know your child best and should decide if she is ready to attend this class.

[proudpapa]

Exactly.

[brytlea]

I don't think you're off base, however remember that age of first menstration is going down in our girls, it is not uncommon for them to start that in 5th or 6th grade (I have a good friend whose daughter started in the 4th grade, I think it was the end of the year tho).
I think the terms sperm and egg are not such a big issue, I would want to know what they are teaching them about those words in very specific terms. Ideally, I think parents should be the ones to teach their kids, and it should follow what the child is interested in knowing. That is the difficulty of teaching it in a school, as it has to be a one size fits all approach, and kids are not all one size.
For a little background, I taught health in a public school, which of course included sex ed. It was an abstinence only approach, and most of the information was rather clinical, ie, how the fetus developes, the reproductive organs of the male and female, diseases, and birth control methods were only talked about in discussing failure rates. But, this was 9th graders, and was not appropriate for 4th graders!
I am currently working in a Christian school as a 4th grade assistant. I cannot imagine broaching sex ed with that group.
Ask the school to give you a copy of the curriculum. You might feel less concerned if you actually see what they're going to cover. BUT if you are concerned about it, don't hesitate to opt out. No one has to know why your child missed the class, and 4th graders are unlikely to persue asking. Go with your instincts. It's YOUR right to educate your child about these things.
susie

[goldfinch]

I grew up on a ranch. All ranch kids knew the basic facts of life way before they entered 4th grade. Egg and sperm were not foreign words to me way back when I was that age in the 50s.

You might want to meet with the teacher or principal and ask to review the materials to see if you think they are appropriate. But, in general, kids are curious about reproduction and well able to understand the concepts by the time they are in 4th grade.

As a parent, you should have the final say. But from what you have said so far, it does not sound out of line to me.