Schools and Drugs education

27 Mar 2008

The children are taught the names, various guises and effects of the drugs because they aren't always offered to them by someone who says 'this is a drug and it could do you serious harm or even kill you'.
Bit like sex education really, you teach them what could happen in the hope that educating them about it, means it doesn't.
Were you given the opportunity to go and watch whatever they did?

27 Mar 2008

I'm pleased the schools encourage the kids to talk about drugs, with peer pressure being what it is, I think learning together can be very effective in preventing drugs use.
I am more than happy to allow the school to teach out kids at aged 11, and under. They have the experience and knowledge to hand that is needed if the kids ask questions. I'm unsure I could answer anything our kids ask without having to look it up online and who knows if I'm going to get it right then.
In my eyes, it is never too early to let the kids know about drugs and the damage it causes as long as it is taught in an age appropriate manner.

27 Mar 2008

I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

27 Mar 2008

This is a really hard one Flower, and I know its easy for me to comment when its not my child, but you have to think that not all parents are as responsible as you, and not all parents are in a position to educate their children about the dangers and effects of drugs, It may be worrying knowing that your daughter knows so much, but it would be more worrying if she didnt know and ended up trying some of these items, just to find out what they did.
Sorry Flower, but I am firmly on the side of the education dept with this one. I really do understand what you are saying and empathise, and in an ideal world, I agree it should be the parents who do this. However if it was my child, I would rather they knew about the dangers, whether it came from a teacher, a trained counsellor, or other 'expert' rather than let my child experiment to find out themselves.

27 Mar 2008

I'd like to know who was in this 'drugs awareness' group.
If it was doctors and police who know the disastrous effects that drug abuse causes then it maybe OK. Otherwise I don't think so.
I have seen, first hand, the devastating effects that drugs can have on people's (children and adults) lives.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

Not inappropriate when you consider that some primary aged children are being offered drugs on a daily basis. The message about only drugs prescribed by doctors, whilst being a reasonable guide, isn't completely accurate either - some children regularly take non-prescription, over the counter drugs administered by their parents.
In our school, we've never had a drama group in for drugs education, but we do enlist the support of the police and the school health service, who are very knowledgeable and sensitive.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird
I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

Not inappropriate when you consider that some primary aged children are being offered drugs on a daily basis. The message about only drugs prescribed by doctors, whilst being a reasonable guide, isn't completely accurate either - some children regularly take non-prescription, over the counter drugs administered by their parents.
In our school, we've never had a drama group in for drugs education, but we do enlist the support of the police and the school health service, who are very knowledgeable and sensitive.
Absolutely true FB.
And with all due respect to the parents and those for whom drugs have had a personal impact, I can only talk from the experience of someone who works with secondary aged kids.
My personal opinion is that education on drugs, alcohol, sexual health etc should start asap. And as NWC said, not all families are equipped to do that, so school is a good place to start.
For some kids drugs are a way of life, they are the norm and sometimes it is only when a trusted figure like their teacher approaches the issue with the class do they pluck up the courage to speak out and talk about what is happening at home.
It is better surely that they be educated early on about the dangers of drugs, alcohol etc and also learn how to say no etc, so that as they grow up and these things become more prevalent they have the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices.
Nola x

27 Mar 2008

I had my daughter who was 11 at the time come in one day and told me some guy on the street had asked her if she knew where he could get some skunk from :shock: children that age and younger are living in a world where drugs are all around them and if they need to be educated about it in primary school then its a sad world but thats the reality of it sad

27 Mar 2008

I do understand your feelings, do we really want to expose our children to all of these issues as when I think back to when I was 11 how naïve I was, still a child at 11. But today things are so different it’s on the TV children talk about such issues in the playground our children are not so naïve as we were.
If it is any help my son was told about drugs at school around the same age, also they covered smoking and sex education too. He is 17 now and still knows and remembers what was taught 6 years ago it has stuck. He has never smoked or taken drugs as it scares the hell out of him. So in my opinion the teaching was a good thing, and we have always on the back of knowing he had been taught about such issues kept communication open at home to, so if he felt he would like to talk we were there to talk to. We would all like to avoid and protect our children from the bad things in the world but being educated is the best way I feel.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird
I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

Not inappropriate when you consider that some primary aged children are being offered drugs on a daily basis. The message about only drugs prescribed by doctors, whilst being a reasonable guide, isn't completely accurate either - some children regularly take non-prescription, over the counter drugs administered by their parents.
In our school, we've never had a drama group in for drugs education, but we do enlist the support of the police and the school health service, who are very knowledgeable and sensitive.
I'm talking about illegal drug taking, which I inferred Flower had said had been covered in the school sessions.
I wasn't talking about drugs administered by safe people like doctors and parents.
.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
I'm talking about illegal drug taking, which I inferred Flower had said had been covered in the school sessions.
I wasn't talking about drugs administered by safe people like doctors and parents.
.

Drugs education is about illegal and legal drugs, and the dangers of all of them. It's about making the children aware.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird

I'm talking about illegal drug taking, which I inferred Flower had said had been covered in the school sessions.
I wasn't talking about drugs administered by safe people like doctors and parents.
.

Drugs education is about illegal and legal drugs, and the dangers of all of them. It's about making the children aware.
Yeah, and I'm saying that there are some things that they should not be aware of - like how drugs are taken illegally!
.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
Yeah, and I'm saying that there are some things that they should not be aware of - like how drugs are taken illegally!
.

In an ideal world, children should be allowed to stay as children as long as possible, and allowed to grow up in their own time, learning right from wrong as they go along. However, in the world which we live in, children are no longer 'allowed' to do this. TV, peer groups, magazines etc etc etc are all making them grow up well before thier time, and surely it is better for them to be made aware of these dangers from a 'sensible' source rather than via the experimentation route?
I do agree Tune, that ideally, the children should not NEED to know about these things, but surely some education will help them make informed decision on wheter to try these things?
Like I said in my first post, this is a very hard topic and I really dont think there is a right or wrong answer, I just wish the answer was that they dont need to know these things, but sadly, I feel they do.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
Yeah, and I'm saying that there are some things that they should not be aware of - like how drugs are taken illegally!
.

There are kids in our school and many others who are exposed to illegal drugs and illegal drug-taking on a daily basis. In an ideal world, that wouldn't happen either. Unfortunately, it does and we have to educate them to realise that they don't have to succumb, and about the effects on them if they do.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

I really feel this way too. I think that these sort of things rip away our children's childhood and force them into crapolescance far to early :sad: It is an indictment on us all that it comes as necessary to do this. Really sad state of affairs, it seems it's becoming mandatory for all kids before leaving junior (ffs) school to be aware of sex alcohol and drugs. At what point do we introduce them to listening to Gangsta rap? Should we introduce it at kindergarten? we could squeeze pimp my whore bitch in between the wheels on the bus and i'm a little teapot. but hey it's ok ain't it because we could have a fact based discussion after it.
It is a shame though seriously isn't it. :sad: X10

27 Mar 2008

I can understand your shock Flower, I too felt the same when my daughter was being made 'aware' of drugs/alcohol misuse at school.
As you know, this is part of my studies at this moment in time, drug and alcohol misuse along with sex education forms part of Every Child Matters in particular the 'be safe' element of that.
It's aim is simply to raise awareness of the drugs available because let's be honest, they are everywhere, even in the school playground.
Looking back, I'm happy my daughter was taught about drugs because we cannot hide our kids from the true horrors of life or wrap them up in cotton wool, I've learned this the hard way, society has horrors and an educated child is far better than a naive one.
Can I clarify the kids are not taught about drug taking itself, they are made aware of the types of drugs that circulate their schools esp. in tablet form so that in the event they are shown any they will know they are wrong. By the age they are taught, normally 12/13 yrs old, kids know right or wrong and will form their own opinions but they know what to look out for.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by flower411
Who is going to teach children the difference between the government sanctioned harmfull drugs and the illegal ones ?
I would like to see education that tells children that a lot of things are OK if taken in moderation.
A person could just as easily become addicted to a legal drug as an illegal one.

Sorry to snip, Flower. We do teach the difference - that is, that there isn't any difference; they are all addictive!
I agree, it would be reasonable to teach that a lot of things are OK in moderation. Very difficult concept that though - and one that they learn as they get older. To start with, we teach the facts. We have the most disgusting jar full of tar to show kids what cigarettes do to their lungs. We show pictures/videos of accidents caused by and involving drunkenness. Shock tactics I suppose.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by flower411
We have legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco) that cause a huge amount of problems, but children see them for sale everyday in the shops. In fact, not only for sale but "pushed" by the supermarkets and petrol station shops.

I think you make a good point here about the way in which certain drugs are ok to be pushed, but others are not. I agree that the potential impact/effect of all drugs (legal and illegal) should be fully explained, but I disagree about certain plants being ok. There is enough information in the public domain to prove that the effects of what some people class as harmless drugs, are infact, very dangerous. This is one of the reasons the government are now looking at reclassifying this based on new medical evidence?

27 Mar 2008

Picky ba*tard alert Picky ba*tard alertPicky ba*tard alert Picky ba*tard alert

[/Mushrooms ain't plants they are fungi
I apologise : redface

27 Mar 2008

Quote by westerross
I understand your concern.
I think that anything about drug taking is wholly inappropriate in a primary school.
I'm sure that a plain message that drugs are bad unless your doctor prescribes them is the message that should be given.
Not much more than that.
.

I competely agree on that quote. Blimey if people think it is fine the next thing they will be teaching it to infant school children, and then it will be on the pre-school list of things to teach them.
I feel that drugs and sex should not be talked about to under 11's. Where do you draw the line on this? Would it be acceptable for under 8's to talk about drugs or sex? I know the world is a different place now but....it is a scary thing to know what our kids are being taught about today, at such a young age.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by kentswingers777
I competely agree on that quote. Blimey if people think it is fine the next thing they will be teaching it to infant school children, and then it will be on the pre-school list of things to teach them.
I feel that drugs and sex should not be talked about to under 11's. Where do you draw the line on this? Would it be acceptable for under 8's to talk about drugs or sex? I know the world is a different place now but....it is a scary thing to know what our kids are being taught about today, at such a young age.

When my daughter was in year four (about 9 years old), she came out of school one day with her friend and was offered 'sweeties' by a stranger. She refused and went back into school to tell the teachers, whereupon the people offering her said 'sweeties' got into their car and drove off. She knew to do this because she'd been educated and understood that they could be drugs.

27 Mar 2008

I think that young people should be as aware of the dangers and 'pleasures' of every substance when being misused.
It is impossibly and naive to tell a young person (however young) 'just say no' because when you fill their head full of pap about what drugs do. They only need to meet someone, who uses said drug, that they admire and whom is in tip top health and all your 'educating' goes out of the window. You suddenly look incredibly stupid to your child.
I know from experience that how a good school educates about substances is as objective as it can get without advocating one way or another. In my experience they can also be a little naive, but they have to deal with parents screaming blue murder about how they are teaching their precious child how to use drugs. rolleyes

Young people are clever and in my opinion much more discerning than most people give them credit for.
Drugs are here, they have always been here (I am including alcohol and smoking here too) Young people need to know to make their own decisions. Ignorance is not a decision maker.
Just for the record I have in my working life met a 6 year old who can identify all the paraphernalia associated with heroin, crack and cannabis use. If her school had been allowed at an early age to deliver drugs education they might possibly have introduced her to terms that she was actually referring to when talking about 'my mummy and daddy make badges every night'
Also if you really want to educate your children about how 'harmful' drugs are then ensure you come home pissed on a weekend. Talking about what a great night you had and all the silly things you did.
Alcohol kills and affects more people in this country than all the illicitly acquired substances lumped together.
Your child will grow up knowing that as soon as they can they should purchase alcohol to 'have a great night'
feck it.. am ranting...
bolt

27 Mar 2008

Quote by flower411
In life there is always something that the other guy knows that we don`t ....why do we try to give all of the children all of the information about everything .

I dunno Flower. All I know is that I teach everything I'm told to, plus a good dose of common sense and life experience thrown in. It's the best I can do.
Good thread, by the way.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird

I competely agree on that quote. Blimey if people think it is fine the next thing they will be teaching it to infant school children, and then it will be on the pre-school list of things to teach them.
I feel that drugs and sex should not be talked about to under 11's. Where do you draw the line on this? Would it be acceptable for under 8's to talk about drugs or sex? I know the world is a different place now but....it is a scary thing to know what our kids are being taught about today, at such a young age.

When my daughter was in year four (about 9 years old), she came out of school one day with her friend and was offered 'sweeties' by a stranger. She refused and went back into school to tell the teachers, whereupon the people offering her said 'sweeties' got into their car and drove off. She knew to do this because she'd been educated and understood that they could be drugs.
Which is exactly as far as I think the education needs to go at that age. That's what I was saying.
.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird

I competely agree on that quote. Blimey if people think it is fine the next thing they will be teaching it to infant school children, and then it will be on the pre-school list of things to teach them.
I feel that drugs and sex should not be talked about to under 11's. Where do you draw the line on this? Would it be acceptable for under 8's to talk about drugs or sex? I know the world is a different place now but....it is a scary thing to know what our kids are being taught about today, at such a young age.

When my daughter was in year four (about 9 years old), she came out of school one day with her friend and was offered 'sweeties' by a stranger. She refused and went back into school to tell the teachers, whereupon the people offering her said 'sweeties' got into their car and drove off. She knew to do this because she'd been educated and understood that they could be drugs.
I as a child was also taught the dangers of taking sweets from strangers, back then though it was telling children the dangers of getting into a strangers car. Those dangers still exist today.
I still feel that there is a line that has to be drawn as to the age children are taught about these things, and my opinion is primary school children are too young. Where does one draw the line on the age to teach children these things?

27 Mar 2008

Quote by kentswingers777
I as a child was also taught the dangers of taking sweets from strangers, back then though it was telling children the dangers of getting into a strangers car. Those dangers still exist today.
I still feel that there is a line that has to be drawn as to the age children are taught about these things, and my opinion is primary school children are too young. Where does one draw the line on the age to teach children these things?

Yes, those dangers still exist. Except now they're just as likely to be offered drugs.
Maybe the line should be drawn when children start discussing drugs and all the paraphernalia they've seen, with you and their classmates? In my case, in our school that would be about seven years old.

27 Mar 2008

Quote by Freckledbird
Maybe the line should be drawn when children start discussing drugs and all the paraphernalia they've seen, with you and their classmates? In my case, in our school that would be about seven years old.

I totally agree with that. If children are seeing drugs and the effects of drugs in their lives then then should be educated about them and most importantly what the negative affects of these drugs are. Just quite simply so that these kids don't take the same route.
Flower.....I know that you wanted to discuss drugs with your child yourself, but maybe it is better for your child to learn about these things from someone who knows about all aspects of drug taking and who also knows a bit more about drugs than someone who has had the odd joint in their younger days?

27 Mar 2008

Quote by flower411

Flower.....I know that you wanted to discuss drugs with your child yourself, but maybe it is better for your child to learn about these things from someone who knows about all aspects of drug taking and who also knows a bit more about drugs than someone who has had the odd joint in their younger days?

OOOO careful with those assumptions !!! lol

I`d be very happy if I thought that the people imparting the information were as knowledgable and impartial as you suggest.
Sorry but I don't have information about the people educating your child to hand.....from your quote I take it that you think the people educating your child do not understand drug use?

28 Mar 2008

Is it not better that kids get educated properly about drugs rather than the 'chinese whispers' from their peers?
I'm sure I'd want a child to know the true reality rather than the child like perceived reality of the playyard.

28 Mar 2008

Personally I have no problems with either of my children being educated about drugs and what they do and dont do...
My children are 10 and 13..
Lets be honest......They can switch on the tv and see films and drama series where drug taking happens....
Would you rather have them taught what really happens or leave it to the film/tv industry to sensationalise the whole business dunno

I prefer the former....