This by Verum Serum convinces me that being in public education is right where I need to be. My job goes far past raising test scores and teaching academic skills. I know some will huff and puff at that, insisting that I leave that to others outside the classroom, but they don’t see what I see every day, and I would graphically tell them where to stick it, but, you know, it just wouldn’t be polite. Plus, as VS acknowledges, others outside the classroom aren’t picking up the ball.
Working as a teacher in public schools ain’t pretty, but that’s allright. Paraphrasing C.T Studd, I’d rather set up a rescue yard within a foot of hell than live within the comforts of church and chapel bell.
A few other points: as Azam notes in an interview, this is a reflection of our hyper-sexualized culture. This is their reality: everything from what’s on Road Rules and The Real World, to “Pimp and Ho” parties (sadly, I know those in my church who have gone to such parties or even thrown such parties without blinking an eye) creates an environment where such behavior is no big deal. Life imitates art….or at least life imitates entertainment. Of course, we are gobsmacked at this, but to paraphrase C.S Lewis, we laugh at chastity and are shocked to find pimps in our midst. You get what you pay for, and “The New Good Night Kiss” is simply the logical outcome of a hyper-sexualized culture. Will this knock some sense into us? Probably not.
Here is the Azam interview:
Furthermore, this is more testimony to the fact that daughters (and sons) need their dads. I know some in the blogosphere are baggin on parents, saying “why didn’t dad react better when he found out his daughter was doing X?” Really, these gals needed their dads well before any of this went down.
In my pre-marital class this week, one husband of 30 years remarked on his consistent practice of taking his daughter out on “dates” every Monday night when they were growing up under his roof. He did this regularly starting when they were wee little gals. As he was talking, I had a “note to self” moment; I need to do that with my future family. Such a practice actively socializes young women in an incredible way, teaching them volumes about how a man is supposed to treat a woman. My bet is that any girls who have dads like that won’t go anywhere near the promiscuity revealed by Azam. Their dads have given them more integrity and self-respect than any self-esteem curriculum could ever hope for.
Azam makes some pretty insightful comments about parents engaging their daughters (and by extension, sons) in the many teachable moments that arise almost daily. Engaging is exactly what isn’t being done, and it is so important on many, many levels.
Lastly, I don’t think anyone is arguing that this is the case for the majority of women and girls….it definitely is a rising trend, though, and we should take note.
