To think my DD's teacher is a complete cow for not letting the class laugh when watching the sex education video at school

[thisisdavina]

I have two DD's both in different classes in year 6.

Last week, they had to watch the sex education video (periods, puberty etc etc)

One of my daughters teachers let the whole class have a laugh and giggle, generally heckle etc and there was much ribbing between the boys and the girls.

My other daughters teacher told them they were not allowed to laugh and she stood facing the whole class whilst the video was being played. My daughter described the bit where you get to see an infrared image of a male errection (I remember that when I was younger too -bloody hilarious) and she said it was AGONY not being able to laugh.

What worries me slightly is that she tends to find these things a bit embarrassing anyway and I don't think her teachers attitude helped.

Cow.

Its hard not to laugh though isn't it. When describing sex I always think the whole thing sounds a bit ridiculous. I think it was ok to let them laugh, its a natural tendancy. Boys and Girls can also be a bit nervous having sex discussed with them so laughter might have broken some of the tension. I think its pretty harmless.

It does seem a bit mean. Maybe she was embarassed too? I usually play them through tewice. The first time we get the laughing out of the way then we watch it properly...

Sounds like the teacher really didn't want to be taking that lesson. I do wish schools would have a policy where suitable teachers were selected to do the sex education, rather than forcing every teacher to do it.

I am assuming the first scenario wasn't quite as noisy and unruly as it sounds in your descrition though, as that seems OTT the other way!

Maybe she was thinking along the lines of making sure they watched it properly and paid full attention?

All the parents were invited in to watch the video first (so that we knew what our children were being exposed to) but I just couldn't. I knew I would start laughing and show myself up

Not a cow, just incompetent.

I don't understand how it is acceptable to repress children's normal responses to being taught about sex.

If schools can't handle it, they shouldn't teach it imo.

It sounds excrutiating. Glad I never got subjected to sex education.

OMG if there is one subject you need a sense of humour for.... Maybe it was just the wrong teacher for the task; was it a one off class?

At school I can vaguely remember watching a film that showed putting condoms on bananas...thankfully we were allowed to snigger

How ironic you are called Davina! She's presenting a prog called Let's Talk About Sex on 23rd March on C4 - it's very interesting.

Hunkermunker - have been looking out for you ever since I read your 'head, shoulders, knees and cervix knees and cervix' comment on the tocuhing your cervix thread.

Made me laugh more than anything ever on mumsnet - kept thinking about it today and smiling.

You are funny.

LOL Dimpled Thighs - I'd forgotten that! Am laughing at my own joke now

I don't think it will scar them for life though, it was quite common in ye olden days when I was at school for sex ed lessons to be taken by stern-faced old beaks who scowled at anyone who may have even been thinking about the possiblity of a giggle. (We moved house a lot, I must have seen the same bloody film four times. And a fat lot of good it was given that my mother was helping me draw anatomically correct diagrams when I was in infant school.)

I can't remember seeing any films.

I must have blanked it out my memory. Will have to get regression therapy to retrieve it.

At least you lot got sex education. In my deepest darkest Irish convent sex education consisted - and I am NOT joking - of being told that we should always take a telephone directory on train journeys in case by any chance we had to sit on a strange man's lap. It was years later that I worked out WHY!

I went to Catholic school - we watched the film in the hall - much giggling and shrieking - then we were split up into groups to go sit with a teacher and ask any questions we wanted. We were lucky in that we got a married woman. The other set of girls got Sister Veronica... not sure exactly what useful information she imparted (possibly the telephone directory tip)!

Although, our teacher, when asked what an orgasm was, said well girls, you know when you eat a bag of chips? When you first put the chip into your mouth you don't get the full flavour of it, it's only after you've chewed it a bit that you get the full chip sensation... well, it's like that.

No wonder we all ended up with weight problems...

my dt's saw the infra red penis film only this week and they are in year 9 ( catholic schoolmight explain it)

the class was told this

" if you don't be quiet i will be phoning all your parents to tell them to talk about sex with you!"

dd said to me " am not bothered you do it all the time anyway!"

Ummm, must just be me then that thinks it's not unreasonable of the teacher. Why should they be allowed to giggle over somethng important like sex education? I wouldn't want the whole class giggling and being silly if I was in charge of trying to teach them about anything that I felt was important for them to know about. Why should they be allowed to be silly and giggle becasue there is a picture of a male erection on the screen??

becuase the are children! they are embarrassed. they probably dont have the wonderful parenting skills you and i have, they have probably never heard a grown up say " sex" never mind watch a dvd in front of one - involving one!

hte parents - witht he skills - not the kids obviously

I'm 30 and I think I would struggle to hide a snigger if sat looking at an infra red penis in a room full of my peers (immature I know) but they ARE funny looking things

I think your being a bit unreasonable in your reaction to the teacher. It's a serious subject and deserves the same reaction as any lesson.
The laughing, giggling heckling lesson sounds awful - the children would have got very little out of it.
The thing is that this is the first time some kids have this information given to them and need to be able to listen and not be made to feel foolish if they don't follow the rest of the class in their reaction.
We talk to the children beforehand and reassure them it's normal to feel slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable watching it but let them know how important it is they listen and learn. It usually works, we get a few little sniggers but on the whole it's the one lesson when everyone listens!

Thanks, I relise they are children! But still don't think the teacher is out of order for letting them roll around in the ailes giggling over a penis. It's sex education, she's trying to teach them something and I don't blame her for not wanting them to all be laughing.

agree it would irritate me if kids were heckling and ribbing and pissing themselves

hopefully she said 'shut up and listen you feckless lot'

Obviously they shouldn't giggle - but how did she stop them?

My dp teaches this subject regularly. He has a video that he shows them, he has some pictures. He gives them a talk. He lets them laugh as much as they like. He encourages it.

In one class, a girl asked how he could say the word (vagina) in front of them and he jumped on the desk and started singing "vagina vagina" which had them all in stitches. He then went on to explain what the purpose of the vagina was.

I'm willing to bet that not one child will forget that class - or what was taught.

Teacher probably wasnt getting any