13 Til 30 - Intense Personal Stories

There are days that are tough.  Some days are tough because I'm so busy, running from one thing to the next, hopefully (but not usually) on time.  Some days are tough because I can't seem to cut a break, everything is falling out of my hands or no one is being particularly kind.

Then there are days that are emotionally and mentally exhausting, which then leads the body to feel physically drained.  Tuesday was one of those days.

I have been working with Partners in Sex Education to teach some sessions at a fancy suburban high school.  One this particular day, I was assigned to introduce guest speakers to some classrooms.  There were about 7 different classes in all, and 3 speakers assigned to a couple of them.

These guest speakers were all HIV+, and spoke to each of the classes about their experiences.  These speakers are powerhouses, in my opinion.  To be able to share to openly and honestly about their lives, and the hardships that they've had to face in order to get to where they are now.

But I realized after I left the final session that I was exhausted.  I though back, maybe I didn't get enough sleep?  After thinking about it a bit, and heading off to the after school, I realized that I was exhausted because of hearing all the personal stories.  Most of the stories, I had heard several times that day.

I just felt that all my energy was drained from me.  I felt sad, my head felt a weird pressure.  I was definitely nervous that my cold would get aggravated.  But once I identified what was wrong, it felt so much better.

I couldn't even imagine if I had chosen to be a clinical social worker instead of a macro social worker.  I would be emotionally drained every day, I think.

I give props to all my friends and colleagues who have chosen that path.  It is not an easy job, but I know a lot of great people who do it.

Day 29: Lesson Plan

Today, I had to create a lesson plan to turn in to the Sexuality Education Certification Series.  It is a way for facilitators to know that we had learned something.

Today was the last day of our training.

I am officially certified to teach a sexuality curriculum!

Today, I also updated my resume.

Hearing on Sex Education at City Hall

On Tuesday, February 15th, Boston's City Council held a hearing on the state of sex education in the Boston Public Schools.

This hearing came about because the Hyde Square Task Force and their youth organizers created a documentary about the scarcity of comprehensive sex education and its consequences.

Students are asking for better, more comprehensive sex education, which includes conversations about healthy relationships, STI's, and peer pressure.  They are also asking for more availability of condoms at high schools.

In my social work experience, I've had the pleasure of being able to visit the State House quite often for various reasons, but this was the first time I had attended a hearing in City Hall.  The room was packed!  They needed to start filtering people into other rooms that had televisions so that they could still watch what was happening.

The big players were all at this event - Boston Public Schools, Boston Public Health Commission, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice, Massachusetts Alliance on teen Pregnancy, and of course the Hyde Square Task Force and student representatives from various youth organizations.

But there were also representatives who agreed on the availability of comprehensive sex education with a strong emphasis on abstinence and disagreed about the availability of condoms for high school students.

City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley was really a champion on this effort.  She asked the right questions to the various people who were testifying for and against the subject of the hearing.  It's great to see that the city is listening, especially when the strongest voices are those of the youth.

Many of those that disagreed with subject of hearing had the usual arguments.  One woman spoke about how sex education in schools undermined the testament in the Bible about honoring thy mother and thy father. But City Councilor Pressley reiterated previous testimonies that stated that while parents want to be the first resource for their kids, they don't often know how to broach the topic.

The first group who testified against the distribution of condoms was from Pure at Heart, based out of Harvard University.  They read statistics from countries around the world that showed that more condom availability means that more teens will just have sex.  They also stated that it would be wrong to recommend a product that is not 100% effective in preventing STI's.  Councilor Pressley then stated that their argument would be related to wearing a seatbelt -which is not 100% effective in preventing harm during a car accident.  The Pure at Heart representatives then started using drunk driving as an analogy to sex, which in all honesty, was pretty incorrect.

The one shocking testimony for me was from a medical doctor.  Though I couldn't hear too much of his arguments because he wasn't speaking too clearly into the microphone, he not only disagreed about the effectiveness of condoms (stating that they need to be used correctly to be the most effective, which begs the question, "How are people supposed to know how to use a condom without education?"), but also blamed the prevalence of teen sex on the lack of a strong two-parent home.

Truth be told, my eyes went wide at that comment.  I cautiously looked around at adults and kids in the room and questioned if anyone would take his comment personally.  While I agree about having positive adult male and female role models in everyone's life, it would be wrong to say that those positive adults can ONLY be parents.  How many of the people in the hearing come from single-parent households, but also have other positive adults in their lives?

Truth be told, it seemed that most of the people who disagreed with condom availability mainly spoke about how "kids don't know any better."  They talked about how having more condoms would mean that kids would want to try them out, but then not use them correctly and just pass all types of diseases to each other.

As someone who is a believer in youth empowerment, it was frustrating and disheartening to hear those arguments.  While the adults are ultimately the ones passing the laws, I really believe that the youth have the ability to make informed, educated opinions about very difficult topics.  They have to maneuver the murky waters of relationships, friendships, waking up to get to school on time, homework, work, and so many other things.  The fact that so many of them are able to do this is an achievement in an of itself, and the adults have to remember that.

I definitely agree that comprehensive sex education includes not only a conversation about anatomy and STI's, but about all prevention methods including abstinence, about healthy relationships and peer pressure, and about the ability to make a choice.

I connected with the Boston Public School representatives, and will hopefully get involved in a task force to further work on the creation of a comprehensive curriculum.

I really feel extremely passionate about this field, and am really feeling that this is where my path is leading me.  But, I don't want to wait around for an opportunity.  I really want to seize it.  I'm ready and willing, good, giving, and game.

Beginnings and Rumblings

It's only day 4 of 2011 and I can feel the momentum building.  There's movement and action, and I'm hoping it will all lead to bigger and better things.

While I was in Maine last week, I got an email about an opportunity to teach sex ed at a high school in the Greater Boston area.  All kinds of things went through my mind at the sight of the email.  I must have read it and reread it several times before making any more moves.

First, I had to think practically.  Could I get to the school by public transportation?  Would I be hearing back from previous jobs?  Do I have to reschedule anything?

After I figured out those logistical things, I responded to the email and spent the remainder of last week preparing for it.  At one point, I met with another volunteer and the head of the organization.

I was a bit nervous, truth be told.  While I was excited to interact with kids again and doubly excited to teach a sex ed curriculum, I started feeling some self-doubt.  Having no experience teaching sex ed and being unfamiliar with the curriculum, I just didn't know if I wold be able to pull it off.  It was almost as though I had forgotten how much experience I had under my belt.

But as we met and discussed the curriculum, I realized that I had nothing to worry about.  I know this is going to sound bad, but I actually felt better after the other volunteer asked me if I had experience teaching classrooms.  After quickly going through my experience and realizing that she was just applying for a Masters in Social Work and Sex Education, I calmed myself down.

Basic fundementals

When Monday finally arrived, I was nervous and excited.  I made sure to double check the bus directions, double check the curriculum, and double check my belongings.

As I exited the Haymarket T station, I looked around to eye all the bus numbers.  Realizing that I might be in the wrong section, I asked a T worker.  He said, "I don't know.  I actually just work with the subway."  I'm sorry, but why don't you know more about the services the T has?  Clearly, this is why they're losing money!

Frantic, I quickly walk to another exit, but I don't see my bus number and there's no other T worker around.  I quickly grab my phone and try to figure out where the bus is supposed to pick up.  I realize I'm most definitely at the wrong station, and there's no way I'm catching this extremely infrequent bus!

I had no other choice but to back track back to my neighborhood and grab a Zipcar.  I feel so flustered, but I knew I wasn't going to be late, since the bus would have gotten me there nearly 1 and a half hours before I needed to be there.

As I'm waiting in Government Station for the B line, I get a local phone call.  Since my cell has an L.A. area code, I know whether or not to pick up an unknown number.

The phone call is for a job I applied for back in December.  I schedule an interview for Tuesday.

Well, if these two days are any indication, I'm really hoping that there's more to come. In fact, this entire week is full of awesome.

All week I'll be teaching a sex ed curriculum.  The job interview went extremely well, especially after a fellow BUSSW alum peeked in and gave me an on-the-spot recommendation!  I will be contacting another agency tomorrow to inquire about a job I applied for.  The boyfriend will be starting grad school on Thursday.  I will hopefully hear back about the most recent job interview by Friday.  And the weekend will be dedicated to my side job and a sales meeting.

I am feeling eternally grateful for this week.  I feel busy and active and useful. 

Just a little more of that, please, 2011.  A healthy, manageable amount of activity that still leaves time for my side business to grow and for me to spend time with the soon-to-be-busy boyfriend and the kitties.