Sex education And Montessori schools

                                 We recently a request from UNFPA a United Nations subsidiary organization dedicated to delivering a “world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.”

    Thailand, along with many countries around the world, including developed countries, has many problems to overcome before these aims can be achieved.

     

      One of the ways of improving the situation, of course, lies in how sex education is undertaken in schools. UNFPA therefore created a questionnaire on how schools dealt with this topic. We were pleased to complete the questionnaire.

       It became very obvious that the questions were very narrowly focused on teaching methodologies and curriculum issues. While these are important, if other more important fundamental issues are not addressed, then addressing these issues could be too late.

For a Montessori school we look at developing the whole child. No matter what the subject, whether it is mathematics, reading or sex education, we have to address the whole child. Before a child can address a simple addition exercise the child has to learn how to prepare themselves in correct attitude and respect for the teacher and the materials. They learn how to sit properly, and so on.  In Montessori terminology this comes under the heading of Grace and Courtesy and throughout the child’s schooling and assessment is a major part of a teachers focus.  From kindergarten onwards and throughout the school, a child will therefore, at all times develop a respect for other people and they learn how to interact with other children.

 Throughout their school life a Montessori school will develop a sense of respect for other students and a sense of independence in their work. An adage in Montessori  education is “ Respect The Child”: If a child is treated with respect at all times it will only be natural that in turn a child will respect others.  It is for this reason that many Montessori schools will not accept students that do not have a foundation in a Montessori Kindergarten.  The point is that by the time a child is ready to learn about adult matters they are already prepared fundamentally to accept adult information.

  We are not, however, suggesting that children are always perfect in a Montessori  school, but that a Montessori school  provides an environment  that encourages the qualities that allows them to be caring children, teenagers and adults. Obviously sex education need to be introduced at a suitable age and with appropriate methodology.  It can be seen that our school believes that it must be part of a philosophy that respects individuals at a fundamental level and not simply paying lip service to the idea.