Sex Assembly

Every year I speak to Year 10 as part of their SRE curriculum in PSE. For those non-teachers out there, SRE is Sex and Relationships education. My involvement is part of a larger programme which they have which includes:

*Class work on family relationships, friends, and partners,
*Talks on Sexual Health from Local Nurses(which take into account the Catholic Ethos of the School) from Local Nurses,
*Anonymous Question and Answer sessions,

I give a talk to Yr 10 in two halfs and on understanding the logic of the Catholic Perspective on Sex and Relationships – I try to not use Bible teachings, rather analogies and logic; and then a second talk to the whole year group on self discipline and making positive choices.

Before school today was the first of my talks/assemblies with half the year group. I really enjoyed it. As a starter, to break the ice, I used a youtube clip of a song from “Avenue Q” – “The Internet is for Porn”. It went down really well – when I spoke to pupils at the end of the day they brought up the clip and when questioned were able to explain how it related to what I was talking about.

The slight downside is, due to surfing Youtube for the best version, imbedding the clip, and then showing it, I now have had it going through my head for most of the afternoon and evening – I just hope I haven’t accidentally been singing it without realising!

Sixth Form Assembly

On Thursday of last week I led Sixth Form Prayers – this is essentially a short prayer session, similar to an assembly, which is compulsory for all sixth formers who have first lesson at my school. I get to lead about three of these a term.

Thursday was the morning after the School Open Evening and most of the sixth form and all of the staff had been at school until 8.30pm the night before. I decided I needed to do some thing visual and entertaining.

To get them in the mood I played the youtube video “Where the Hell is Matt” as they were coming in. This had them glued to the screen and engaged straigt away. When it had finished I began the prayer session by pointing out that whilst Matt wasn’t necessarily the best dancer in the world, his enjoyment, and the joy of those who joined him, was contagious. They were free, they were happy, they were without worry and the dance and music enabled them to do this.

I gave a plug to the tour as Matt will be in the UK this month and said that living without fear, worry and with happiness was what I wanted them to take away from the assembly today.

I then played the video of the Glee Cast performing Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way”, after the video I asked them to focus on the lyrics:

 

“I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes”

“Whether life’s disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
‘Cause baby, you were born this way”

I then used Matthew 6: 28-30 “Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves.²⁹ But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.³⁰ It is God who clothes the wild grass—grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you? ” and extended it to a comparison of the universe, the marvels of cosmology and the wonders of physics.

I finished with. God makes no mistakes, just as Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus who he then raised from the dead, so he loves each and every one of you. Accept who you are, no matter what you are ashamed of, or emabarrased by, love yourselves, and then if you can help others to do the same.