Healthy Life Curriculum: Ola Pono
2015-2016: Kumu Becca
Aloha! I am teaching health this quarter. I feel very strongly that all of our children should be empowered to keep themselves, their families and their community healthy. Our definition of health comes from our understanding of Olelo Noeau. It includes physical health, mental health, social health and sexual health.
Our contents and standards are based on the Hawaii State standards and laws, and enriched with Kawaikini’s goals for Ola Pono, Academic achievement, Manokalanipo, and ESLRS.
The classes are divided into high school, middle school girls, and middle school boys to allow for the differences in their life stages and experiences.
I believe that all people have their own kinds of intelligence. I approach the class projects from multiple intelligences-- visual, physical, music, spatial, natural, personal, social and spiritual. My hope is that the students will leave the class with a solid understanding of their own healthy life goals with their own strengths.
Why is this class necessary for 7-12th graders? Hawaii has the 10th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. And kids of Hawaiian descent are far more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies than their non-Hawaiian peers (Advocatesforyouth.org). Also Hawaii is higher than the national average for abortions (Guttmacher.org). These are the kinds of things we want to educate our kids to avoid.
Parent Participation and Opt-Out
We will be talking about sexual health. We will follow the state guidelines:
[§321-11.1] Medically accurate sexuality health education. (a) Sexuality health education programs funded by the State shall provide medically accurate and factual information that is age appropriate and includes education on abstinence, contraception, and methods of disease prevention to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, including human immunodeficiency virus.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
"Age appropriate" means suitable to a particular age or age group based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for that age or age group.
"Factual information" means medical, psychiatric, psychological, empirical, or statistical information that is verified or supported by research conducted by recognized medical, psychiatric, psychological, and public health professionals or organizations.
"Medically accurate" means verified or supported by research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods and recognized as accurate and objective by professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the relevant field, such as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
"Sexuality health education" means education in any medium regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, family planning, and sexually transmitted diseases. [L Sp 2009, c 27, §2]
This means we will talk about internal and external anatomy, puberty, reproduction, and how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
My goal is transparency-- if you have any questions about what the sexual health lessons will contain, please talk to me. If you do not want your child to participate in lessons about 1. anatomy 2. reproduction 3. preventing pregnancy and disease, please write me a signed note specifying which lessons you want your child to miss.
The best option would be for parents to come to the class with your child so you can participate in the lessons, add your perspective.
Here are our weekly topics:
8/3
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Mental and Emotional
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8/10
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Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
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8/17
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Personal Health and Wellness
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8/24
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Safety from Injury and Violence
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8/31
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Tobacco, Alcohol, Drug-Free Lifestyle
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9/7
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*Sexual Health and responsibility
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9/14
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*Sexual Health and responsibility
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9/21
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Interpersonal Communication Skills for Health
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9/28
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Goal setting and decision-making and advocate for community
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More information from HawaiiPublicSchools.org
Sexual activity, pregnancy and STIs among Hawaii teens
Hawaii’s students, like their counterparts across the country, are at risk of experiencing unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. The good news is that Hawaii’s students are less sexually active than their peers nationally.
However, a significant percent of Hawaii’s students are sexually active. Data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that:
- 10.4% of middle school students and 37 % of Hawaii’s high school students report ever having had sex
- 24% of Hawaii’s high school students reporting having had sex in the past 3 months
- The largest jump in sexual initiation occurs between 7th and 8th grade.
- By 9th grade, almost 1 in 4 students have had sex and by 12th grade, more than half report they have had sex
- Among high school students, 36 percent report having experienced oral sex and 13 percent report having experienced anal sex.
The bad news is that Hawaii’s sexually active teens are less likely than their national peers to use protection. Among those who were currently sexually active:
- Only 44 percent reported using condoms at last intercourse – the lowest percentage of any state in the nation.
- 20 percent report they did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during their last sexual intercourse — only one state had a higher percentage.
And Hawaii’s teens are more likely to face serious consequences for their risky behaviors.
- While both Hawaii’s teen pregnancy and birth rates have declined over the last decade, Hawaii has the nation’s 10th highest teen pregnancy rate at 93 pregnancies per 1,000 young women ages 15-19.
- Nine percent of births statewide are to women ages 15-19
- STIs are a major concern for Hawaii’s youth. Hawaii has the 6th worst chlamydia rate in the nation.
- 1 in 4 sexually active adolescent females have an STI
