| SIECUS CURRICULUM REVIEWCHOOSING THE BEST PATHA Fear-Based Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Program For Middle School Students | |
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The Choosing the Best series includes Choosing the Best LIFE, Choosing the Best PATH, and Choosing the Best WAY for high school, upper middle-school, and lower middle-school students respectively. For each curriculum, there is a leader’s guide, a student’s guide, and an accompanying video. The video includes segments from Focus on the Family, HRM, and Sunburst Technology Corp. as additional reference material. These curricula are produced and distributed by Choosing the Best, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1993. Choosing the Best, Inc. also offers Help Your Teen Choose the Best, a parent guide; WAIT Training, an abstinence-only program that “can be used in middle and high school classroom presentations, all-school assemblies and youth group functions” (Choosing the Best PATH Leader Guide, pg. 2); Abstinence Works!, a two-day teacher training program; and Soul Mates, its newest abstinence-only-until-marriage curriculum for high school juniors and seniors. This review focuses on Choosing the Best PATH, the upper middle-school program, written by Bruce Cook. SIECUS reviewed the 2001 edition. SIECUS’ reviews of curricula are based on our Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, K-12 which were developed by a task force of professionals from the fields of education, medicine, youth services, and sexuality education. The Guidelines are a framework for comprehensive sexuality education programs and represent a consensus about the necessary components of such programs. Abstinence is one of the 36 topics included in the Guidelines. As is typical of abstinence-only-until marriage curricula, Choosing the Best PATH provides limited information on human sexuality and does not cover such basic topics as puberty, sexual response, or reproduction. Other important issues such as contraception, abortion, sexual orientation, STDs, and HIV/AIDS are presented in an unbalanced manner that seems designed to promote one point of view rather than simply inform students. In addition to omitting important information, this curriculum relies on messages of fear and shame, inaccurate and misleading information, and biased views of marriage and sexual orientation. Relying on Negative Messages While the immediate goal of many sexuality education programs is to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse (possibly until marriage) or increase the use of pregnancy- and disease-prevention methods, many programs also have the long-term goal of promoting sexual health. Because an abstinence-only-until-marriage program is often the only formal setting in which young people learn about sexuality, the information and messages in the curriculum can have a life-long impact on their view of sexuality. Abstinence is an integral part of any comprehensive sexuality education program. SIECUS’ Guidelines suggest that students be told that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the most effective method of preventing pregnancy and STDs, including HIV. The Guidelines include a number of age-appropriate messages about abstinence for students such as: “Young teenagers are not mature enough for a sexual relationship that includes intercourse”; “Abstinence from intercourse has benefits for teenagers”; and “Teenagers in romantic relationships can express their feelings without engaging in sexual intercourse.” Rather than presenting a balanced, complete picture of both abstinence and sexual activity, Choosing the Best PATH puts forth exaggerated messages about both the benefits of abstinence and the dangers of sexual activity. The result is that students are instilled with fear and misunderstandings about sexual activity as well as unrealistic expectations of abstinence. Messages of Fear—Trying To Scare Students In an effort to scare students into abstaining from sexual activity, Choosing the Best PATH names numerous physical and psychological consequences of premarital sexual activity, suggests that sexually active teens will never have a happy future, and implies that only teens with low self-esteem and poor judgment become sexually active. For example, the curriculum asks students “what are the risks of being sexually active?” The suggested answers include: “Teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, low self-esteem, loss of reputation, feelings of being used.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 6) The curriculum goes on to ask, “what are some of the emotional consequences of being sexually active?” The answers they give include “guilt, scared, ruined relationships, broken emotional bond.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 6) The curriculum also asks, “How does being sexually active as a teen affect how a person feels about himself or herself?” The answers they give include: “Can feel sad about losing virginity, loss of self-respect, blames self for getting pregnant or contracting an STD.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 6) In addition, the curriculum claims that “sexual activity also can lead to the trashing of a person’s reputation, resulting in the loss of friends.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 7) In fact, the curriculum tells teachers to inform their students that “one study found that sexually active teen girls were six times more likely to attempt suicide than those who were virgins.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 6) This focus on the potential negative consequences of premarital sex is clearly designed to scare students rather than educate them. There is no scientific evidence to support the assertion that premarital sexual intercourse leads to everything from ruined relationships to broken emotional bonds. Messages of Shame—Instilling Feelings of Guilt In addition to providing endless information on the negative consequences of premarital sexual activity, Choosing the Best PATH also utilizes a variety of tactics to suggest that teens should feel guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed of sexual behavior. For example, in an exercise entitled “A Rose with No Petals,” the teacher is told to “hold up a beautiful rose. Talk about the petals and how they add color and fragrance to the rose. Hand the rose to a student, telling that student to pull off a petal and pass it on to another student who also pulls off a petal. Continue passing the rose around until there are no more petals. At the end, hold up the rose. Ask: Of what value is the rose now? Share that the rose represents someone who participates in casual sex. Each time a sexually active person gives that most personal part of himself or herself away, that person can lose a sense of personal value and worth. It all comes down to self-respect.” (Choosing the Best PATH Leader Guide, pg. 7) In another exercise, “A Mint for Marriage,” a peppermint patty is unwrapped and passed around the class. Once returned, the teacher asks if a student would like to eat it. The teacher is instructed to ask, “Why is this patty no longer appealing?” The answer: “No one wants food that has been passed around. Neither would you want your future husband or wife to have been passed around.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 25) These exercises suggest that once a person has had sexual intercourse he/she has no value and is “no longer appealing” to others. Recent studies show that forty-seven percent of all high school students have had sexual intercourse.1 It is inappropriate and potentially harmful for education programs to imply that these teens lack value and dignity or suggest that they are less worthy of love, trust, and respect. This can only be damaging to these students and serve to alienate them from their peers and the program. In addition, it is worth noting that the curriculum spends very little time discussing sexual assault or abuse. In discussions on guilt and shame, the curriculum does not distinguish between wanted and unwanted sexual behaviors. Nine percent of high school students reported having been forced to have sexual intercourse.2 Telling these young people that all sexual activity outside of marriage is something to be ashamed of can only re-traumatize these already mistreated young people. Virginity Pledges—Asking Students to Publicly Promise Purity Choosing the Best PATH, like many fear-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula, includes a virginity pledge, in which students vow to remain abstinent until they marry. The student’s workbook states that “a person’s choices tell a lot about someone’s character. Choosing a certain course of action broadcasts a person’s true character. Now it’s time to choose your course of action!” It goes on to say that, “even if you are not a virgin, today is the first day of the rest of your life....” The teacher is instructed to have the class read the Abstinence Pledge from their student workbook out loud in unison. The pledge reads “today I commit to Abstinence as a way to make the Best preparation for my future by Choosing to wait until marriage to have sex, because I want to be free: from worry, guilt, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, personal consequences of a pregnancy and feelings of being used by another, and to control my life, to like myself, to work towards personal goals, to experience healthy relationships, and to enjoy being a teenager….” (Choosing the Best PATH, Student Manual, pg. 30) The teacher is told to “encourage those who are ready to make the pledge to sign and date it,” and, if they have time, to ask students to volunteer why they are ready to pledge. (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 30) Recent research found that virginity pledges could help a select group of young people delay intercourse under certain circumstances. Pledges taken by an entire class as part of a lesson or presentation, however, were not effective. Even when they work, pledges help this select group of adolescents delay the onset of intercourse for an average of 18 months—far short of marriage.3 Further research has confirmed that although some students who take pledges delay intercourse, ultimately they are equally as likely to contract an STD as their non-pledging peers.4 The pledges may, however, be detrimental to some teens. The study also found that those young people who took the pledge were one-third less likely to use contraception when they did become sexually active than their peers who had not pledged.5 Far from providing a solution to the complex problem of unintended pregnancy and disease transmission, these simplistic pledges are undermining the use of contraception among teens, potentially exposing them to greater harm. In addition, these pledges are not appropriate for all students as they show blatant disregard for young people who are gay and lesbian.* These students cannot legally marry in this country. Signing this pledge is tantamount to agreeing to a lifetime without sexual behavior. It is unfair and unrealistic to ask a middle school student to make such an agreement. Finally, it is important to note that it is not the place of any educational program to mandate choices for students. Instead, students must make their own decisions based on their personal values, the values of their families, and the values of their communities. By endorsing the pledge and then publicly acknowledging those students who have signed it, the teacher is putting undue pressure on all students to make the same decision. Education programs should foster critical thinking and decision-making skills rather than pressuring students to make one choice. * Note: Recent court decisions in Massachusetts have granted same-sex couples the right to marry in that state. Numerous court challenges and legislative hurdles remain and it is therefore unclear whether this right will be permanently guaranteed in that state or other states in the country. Today Massachusetts is the only state that recognizes legal marriage between individuals of the same sex. Sexual Arousal—Portraying Sex As An Uncontrollable Force Throughout the discussion of premarital sexual activity, Choosing the Best PATH consistently portrays the decision to be sexually active outside marriage as one born of low self-esteem or poor decision-making skills. In doing so, Choosing the Best PATH seems to suggest that sexual arousal and desire are signs of character flaws as opposed to healthy sexual development. Moreover, after telling students that they should not give in to pressure because premarital sexual behavior is shameful and leads to a plethora of negative consequences, Choosing the Best PATH suggests that sexual arousal is a power that young people cannot control. In an exercise called “Setting Boundaries,” the following story is told:
The text goes on to list the following chart of “Sexual Progression:” Holding Hands -> Hugging -> Kissing -> French Kissing -> “Other Stuff” -> Intercourse The teacher then asks students to “draw a line on your chart to indicate where you set your personal boundaries. Call for volunteers to share where they drew their line.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 35) This exercise and the curriculum’s overall portrayal of sexual arousal are problematic for a number of reasons. First, it is dramatically oversimplified and ultimately leaves students uninformed and unprepared. By labeling a range of activities from massage to oral sex as “other stuff,” the curriculum misses the opportunity to explain that some activities are relatively low risk while others can expose students to STDs. In addition, the curriculum misses the opportunity to tell students how to protect themselves if they do engage in potentially risky behavior such as oral sex. This portrayal of sexual progression also reinforces the messages of shame that run throughout Choosing the Best PATH. Labeling a range of activities as “other stuff” suggests that some sexual activities are too shameful to even mention by name. Asking students to publicly declare their “line” opens them up to the scrutiny and scorn of their classmates and teachers. When faced with such pressure, many students may say only what they think the teacher wants to hear. Finally, leaving students with the impression that sexual arousal is uncontrollable is counterproductive to the mission of helping them make responsible choices. Instead, young people should know that they have the right and the ability to set their own sexual boundaries at any point. Distorting Information Early editions of curricula produced by Choosing the Best, Inc. included many inaccurate and exaggerated statements mostly centered on the subjects of STDs and condoms. The current edition of Choosing the Best PATH has corrected many of the inaccurate statements and does provide students with some important information on these topics. Nonetheless, the curriculum continues to rely on distorted information about STDs and the effectiveness of condoms. Sexually Transmitted Diseases—Misleading Students Although Choosing the Best PATH contains an impressive amount of detail about STDs, the curriculum and accompanying videotape still include inaccurate and misleading information. In addition, the information provided about STDs builds on the messages of shame that run throughout the curriculum and may ultimately discourage young people from seeking much-needed STD screening and treatment. Inaccurate Information One example of inaccuracies occurs in the guided-discussion about Chlamydia. Teachers tell students that “Chlamydia can be diagnosed through a simple blood test.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, p. 11) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) STD Information Hotline there is currently no blood test that can diagnose Chlamydia. While a blood test may be able to determine if an individual has ever had Chlamydia, it can not diagnose an active infection. This bacterial infection is diagnosed through cultures of the cervix or urethra or through urine tests. Other inaccurate and misleading information is scattered throughout the video in interviews with “average people.” These individuals tell heartfelt stories about their experiences with STDs. Unfortunately, at times they provide less-than-accurate information. One man, for example, tells of infecting numerous female partners with human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts. He explains that there is a “good chance” that these women “will get cancer” and that he regrets “wrecking their lives.” According to a new report by the CDC, “while infection with high-risk types [of HPV] appears to be ‘necessary’ for the development of cervical cancer, it is not ‘sufficient’ because cancer does not develop in the vast majority of women with HPV infection.” 6 Comments like the one in the video may incorrectly lead students to believe that all HPV infections become cancer. Elements of Shame Choosing the Best PATH includes a variety of activities and materials designed to teach young people about specific STDs and how they are spread. Like the rest of the curriculum, much of this material relies on messages of fear and shame.For example, one activity, called the “Water Pitcher Exercise,” is designed to show how STDs are spread. The teacher chooses five girls and five boys and places them in a row facing each other. Each student is given a cup of water and asked to rinse his or her mouth and then spit the water back into the cup. Students are told that the water now represents “body fluids.” The boys are asked to pour some of their “body fluids” into the cup of the girl across from them. The leader then reveals that some of the boys’ cups were labeled with the name of an STD and that the girls now have this virus or bacteria. The boys and girls then complete the exercise in reverse. Next, the students empty their cups into a pitcher labeled “multiple partners.” This pitcher is placed next to a pitcher of fresh water labeled “pure fluids.” Two cups are placed on the table labeled “future husband” and “future wife.” A female student is asked to choose either pitcher and pour water into her “future husband” cup. A male student then repeats the process. The exercise gives clear messages: People who have had sexual intercourse are dirty (they are the equivalent of spit), all students in the class will marry a member of the opposite sex, and the person each marries must be “pure.” This is another example of using shame as an educational tool. Ignoring Testing and Treatment Needs What is most disturbing about using shame to teach young people about STDs is the possibility that these feelings of embarrassment and humiliation will ultimately prevent them from seeking testing and treatment. While Choosing the Best PATH does a good job of explaining that many of the more serious complications of STDs are a result of untreated infections and that many STDs do not always have noticeable symptoms, the curriculum consistently misses the opportunity to encourage young people to seek testing and treatment. Choosing the Best PATH never tells students where they can go to get help if they suspect they have an STD. This information is critical to ensuring the reproductive health of young people, especially in light of research that has shown that early screening can prevent the complications of untreated STDs. For example, the CDC reports that screening for Chlamydia can reduce the incidence of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) by as much as 60%.7 In addition, the CDC estimates that approximately half the cases of cervical cancer that occur each year will occur in women who have never had a Pap test and an additional 10% will occur in women who were not screened in the last five years.8 Choosing the Best PATH would better serve students by relying less on fear and shame and instead providing information on how students can access reproductive healthcare throughout their lives. Condoms—Exaggerating Failure To convince students that premarital sexual relationships have unavoidable negative consequences, Choosing the Best PATH spends a great deal of time explaining that condoms do not prevent pregnancy or disease. The curriculum and accompanying video frequently skew statistics and mischaracterize condom failure in an effort to prove that condoms will not work. Condoms as Contraception Choosing the Best PATH begins its discussion on condoms by providing students with a list of “safe-sex” messages. Students then work with teachers to revise these statements. The curriculum states that “possible revised statements might be similar to these: ‘Condoms are not even 98 percent effective.’ ‘Girls can get pregnant even when their partners use a condom.’” (Choosing the Best PATH Leader Guide, pg. 18) By asking students to rework facts about condoms, Choosing the Best PATH clearly intends to underscore the notion that condoms can never work. In a fill-in-the-blank worksheet on condoms, students are told that “because latex condoms are made of rubber, they can break and slip off.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 18) This point is repeated by individuals in the video. According to a study in Consumer Reports, however, “with correct use, a condom will break as little as two percent of the time, authorities believe, and will slip off as little as 1 percent of the time.”9 To further emphasize condom failure, the worksheet goes on to explain that “couples who use condoms for birth control experience a first-year failure rate of about 15% in preventing pregnancies. This means that over a period of five years, there could be a 50% chance or higher of getting pregnant with condoms used as the birth control method.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 18) This statement inaccurately suggests that failure rates are cumulative. Following this logic it could be said that if you have a 10% chance of getting hit by lightning in one year, your chances of getting hit by lightning are 50% over five years, and practically inevitable (100%) over 10 years. Obviously, this is not true. To fully understand research on condom effectiveness, students must understand the difference between method failure and user failure. Method failure refers to failure that results from a defect in the product. Method failure of the male condom is very rare and is estimated to occur in only three percent of couples using condoms consistently and correctly during the first year of use.10 In truth, condom failures are most often caused by errors in use, such as the failure of couples to use condoms during every act of sexual intercourse. It is, therefore, important to look at the data on typical use or user failure. User failure is calculated by looking at 100 couples who use condoms as their primary method of birth control over the course of a year. About 14 of these couples will experience an unintended pregnancy during the first year of condom use. It is important to remember that these couples may not have been using condoms or may have been using condoms incorrectly during the act of intercourse that resulted in an unintended pregnancy. To further put this in perspective, it helps to look at other contraceptive methods. For example, 26 percent of women using periodic abstinence as a method of birth control will experience an unintended pregnancy within the first year as will 85 percent of those using no method.11 Choosing the Best PATH uses its lessons on condoms to present misleading statistics designed to convince young people that condoms will never work to prevent pregnancy. The curriculum could better serve students by explaining that although condoms are not 100% effective in preventing pregnancy, there are steps that sexually active couples can take— like using condoms consistently and correctly every time— that improve the chances of being protected from unintended pregnancy. Condoms as Disease Prevention Unfortunately, Choosing the Best PATH also uses misleading statistics and information to suggest that condoms are useless in providing protection against STDs and HIV. For example the curriculum states that: “Condoms provide no proven reduction in protecting against Chlamydia, the most common bacterial STD.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 18) According to a CDC fact sheet, “latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and trichomoniasis.”12 Choosing the Best PATH goes on: “Condoms provide no protection against certain STDs that are transmitted through skin-to-skin genital contact, which include HPV and genital herpes.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 18) According to the CDC, “several recent studies reported that, for men ad women, use of male condoms can reduce the risk of genital herpes….” 13 In addition, the use of latex condoms has been associated with a reduction of HPV-associated diseases such as cervical cancer.14 While it is important for students to understand that condoms cannot eliminate the risk of STDs, it is never acceptable for an education program to misstate information in order to underscore a point. Discouraging Condom Use It is clear that Choosing the Best PATH wants to discourage students from using condoms for both pregnancy and disease prevention. One exercise, for example, asks students to “circle the item(s) that can be totally eliminated through the use of a condom?” The list is as follows: Infertility, isolation, jealousy, poverty, heartbreak, substance abuse, AIDS, pregnancy, cervical cancer, genital herpes, unstable long-term commitments, depression, embarrassment, meaningless wedding, sexual violence, personal disappointment, suicide, feelings of being used, loss of honesty, loneliness, loss of personal goals, distrust of others, pelvic inflammatory disease, loss of reputation, fear of pregnancy, disappointed parents, loss of self-esteem, leaving high school before graduation. The correct answer, according to the curriculum, is that none of the things listed can be totally eliminated through the use of a condom. In contrast, however, ALL of them can be eliminated by being abstinent until marriage. (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 19) Condoms were never intended to prevent everything from meaningless weddings to distrust of others. They are, however, intended to prevent pregnancy and STDs, and years of scientific research suggests that they are effective at that. For example, when used consistently and correctly, condoms are 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and research has shown that using a condom for HIV prevention is 10,000 times safer than not using a condom.15 Telling students that condoms don’t work will not stop them from having sexual intercourse. It may, however, stop them from using condoms when they do become sexually active. This focus on unrelated issues is clearly designed to discourage condom use rather than inform students. Promoting Biases In addition to relying on inaccurate information, Choosing the Best PATH is based on a number of underlying biases and assumptions about marriage and sexual orientation. Presenting these biases as universal truths does little to inform students and instead fosters myths and misunderstandings. Marriage—Promoting One View Choosing the Best PATH discusses sexual behavior exclusively in terms of marital status and marriage is presented as the only positive venue for sexual activity. For example, the curriculum suggests that sex is a natural act designed for married people. According to the curriculum, individuals who have engaged in premarital sex will be unable to bond with a spouse. In an exercise entitled “A Bonding Experience,” two volunteers (one male and one female) are called to the front of the room. Each has a long piece of clear packing tape placed on one arm. The teacher explains that “this tape represents a relationship between two people who have never had sex before this bonding.” The teacher then asks the class if this relationship will last until marriage. Students are encouraged to say no. The tape is ripped off the students’ arms to emphasize breaking up. The boy’s tape is then placed on another girl’s arm and vice versa and the tape is again ripped off. This process is done two more times. After the last couple has the tape ripped off, the teacher asks the students if they “notice anything different about the tape.” Suggested answers include “it’s no longer sticky” and “it has lost a lot of its bonding ability.” The two pieces of dirty tape are then stuck together to symbolize marriage. The teacher then pulls the two pieces of tape apart and says, “although there is a bond, its not very strong. A relationship that begins with a weak bonding may not survive the normal pressures that occur in any married relationship.” The teacher then sticks two fresh pieces of tape together and shows students how hard they are to separate. Students are told that “this represents the greater bonding potential of young people who wait until marriage to have sex.” According to the author, this exercise illustrates “how repeated sexual encounters make it difficult to begin and maintain lasting relationships because the ability to bond emotionally is destroyed.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 6) In contrast, Choosing the Best PATH presents marriage as a cure-all. For example, students are asked to list the “freedoms” they will have if they choose to remain abstinent until marriage. Suggested answers include “freedom from being hurt emotionally; freedom from STDs or unwanted pregnancy; freedom to pursue personal goals.” (Choosing the Best PATH Leader Guide, pg. 28) This list inaccurately suggests that STDs, unintended pregnancy, and even emotional hurt are never issues for married people. In addition, the curriculum’s focus on marriage seems to assume that all students will choose to marry and that there is something wrong with those who do not. In fact, more than 98 million adults in this country are classified as single because they have delayed marriage, decided to remain single, are divorced, or have entered into a gay or lesbian partnership.16 Sexual Orientation—Excluding Gay and Lesbian Students The emphasis Choosing the Best PATH places on marriage as the only appropriate venue for sexual activity also shows a clear bias against homosexuality. The curriculum consistently ignores the fact that gay and lesbian individuals cannot legally marry in this country. Students are asked, “is there a difference between love and sex?” The answer: “Love is a significant commitment between two people; sex can be only physical, or it can be a part of a meaningful, committed relationship in marriage.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 32) Not only are gay and lesbian teens essentially being told that they should never engage in sexual activity, but quotes such as this suggest that homosexual relationships can never be meaningful or committed. In addition, all references to sexual activity and arousal within the curriculum are specific to male-female couples. Once again this shows the author’s assumption that all students are heterosexual. Curricula written exclusively for heterosexual students are not appropriate for a classroom setting in which some students are likely to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning their sexual orientation. Such curricula will only further marginalize and alienate these students. Gay and lesbian students, especially young men who have sex with men, are at increased risk for STDs, including HIV, yet Choosing the Best PATH fails to provide these students with any realistic strategies for protecting themselves from those risks. Finally, sexuality education should not reinforce stereotypes or justify biases against a particular group. Instead, it should teach students that sexuality is a natural and healthy part of everybody’s life regardless of their sexual orientation. Teaching Methods Choosing the Best PATH contains eight lessons: “Sex: Everybody is Talking About It”; “The Risk of STDs and HIV/AIDS”; “Teen Pregnancy and ‘Safe Sex’?”; “Pressures to be Sexually Active”; “Choosing the Best Path”; “Set It! The Need for Boundaries”; “Say It! The Need to Speak Up”; and “Show It! The Need to be Assertive.” Each lesson contains five components starting with a short video segment. The teacher then facilitates a “guided discussion,” presents facts and new ideas, and leads the class in experiential activities. Finally, the students are encouraged to take what they have learned home and discuss it with their parent or guardian. Curricula Strong Points—Appealing to Students and Parents In the past, many fear-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula felt outdated and unlikely to appeal to young people. Choosing the Best PATH has rectified many of the problems with its appearance and the new materials are very polished. The curriculum guides and workbooks are produced in full color and use pictures and graphics that are more likely to appeal to young people. In addition, the video segments contain short interviews with individuals cut together “MTV-style.” Another strength of the curriculum is the dedication to involving parents. In the introduction, the curriculum states that: “Sex education involves the family value system of the student. The students are asked to interact with a parent/guardian after each session on key questions and issues discussed in the session. The Help Your Teen Choose the Best parent book prepares parents for these discussions.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 4) SIECUS believes that parents are, and should be, the primary sexuality educators of their children and applauds Choosing the Best PATH for promoting parental involvement and recognizing the importance of a family’s personal values. Exercises—Dramatizing Fear and Shame Choosing the Best PATH attempts to underscore the messages contained in each of its lessons by using experiential exercises. While such exercises are a very important part of any learning experience, many of the specific activities included in this curriculum simply dramatize the messages of fear and shame that run throughout the program. In an exercise designed to show the importance of boundaries, the teacher brings a live goldfish to class. The teacher explains, “This goldfish looks out of its bowl every day wondering what it would be like to be free from its glass boundaries. Once the fish is free, he could go anywhere and do anything he wants. Well, today I am going to make this goldfish’s dreams come true.” The teacher then places the goldfish on the desk where it will likely wriggle and gasp for air. The teacher is directed to scoop up the goldfish and return it to its bowl “after a brief period of uneasy tension” and then ask students “Why are boundaries important?” Suggested answers include: “They can be protective; allow a lot of freedom within a defined space; and make it easy to know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to act because you know your boundaries.” (Choosing the Best PATH, Leader Guide, pg. 35) The teacher goes on to ask, “How does this exercise apply to the areas of sexuality?” Suggested answers include: “Boundaries protect from STDs, pregnancy, emotional pain; they provide freedom to reach goals; to reach marriage with a unique experience to share with spouse.” Although experiential exercises can be beneficial to students, these exercises simply serve to reinforce the negative message about sexuality contained throughout Choosing the Best PATH, rather than building critical thinking and negotiation skills. Conclusion In order to convince middle school students to remain abstinent until marriage, Choosing the Best PATH relies on messages of fear and shame, inaccurate and misleading information, and biased views of marriage and sexual orientation. In addition, Choosing the Best PATH fails to provide important information on sexual health including how students can seek testing and treatment if they suspect they have an STD. Finally, the format and underlying biases of the curriculum do not allow for cultural, community, and individual values. Instead, they discourage critical thinking and discussions of alternative points of view in the classroom. Ultimately, Choosing the Best PATH falls far short of helping young people develop the skills and knowledge they need to become sexually healthy adults. References
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