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Primary education anti-drug site
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
In my job I work around the local primary schools and came across a video aimed at educating children about drug use. Naturally I was more interested, so after talking to the teacher there I found they had a website.
Mega U .
The site deals with a few issues, including drugs, so thats the part I've looked at. I'm not sure what to make of it to be honest, and I'm hoping for some others views on it. I'm undecided as to whether it is using the right approach in teaching 5 -10 year olds about the dangers of drugs,or even if it should be teaching them at all.
Don't get me wrong, children should be educated about such things. But should they be taught such specifics, like what drug is called what, and what that drug looks like?
Mega U .
The site deals with a few issues, including drugs, so thats the part I've looked at. I'm not sure what to make of it to be honest, and I'm hoping for some others views on it. I'm undecided as to whether it is using the right approach in teaching 5 -10 year olds about the dangers of drugs,or even if it should be teaching them at all.
Don't get me wrong, children should be educated about such things. But should they be taught such specifics, like what drug is called what, and what that drug looks like?
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Comments
it was shown in the seventies that this aproach in america had the popposite effect to the one desired.
and why exactly are you asking us? ask your peers at your ed. establishment!
I'm asking here because I am interested in the views of other experienced drug users. I don't think that any person who is involved with the general education of minors would freely admit to taking drugs on a regular basis, and be prepaired to give an answer based on their personal experiences.
Also, the impact and usefulness of other Anti drug sites have been discussed here, so why not this one? I'm pretty sure that the reason for creating a 'drugs' forum was not for the sole purpose of asking how much an average quarter of skunk costs, and where the best place to hide your pills is.
by this stage it's often too late...you'd be surprised how many 10 year olds do drugs, i think the key is immediate education from a young age, not to stigmatise the whole drug taboo, to teach that it is a problem and for children not to succumb to peer pressure or get involved in drugs in any other way...though shouting at them and telling them "drug A will do this and look what happened to Mr A after he took Drug A, therefore don't do drug A", these tactics never work (the just say no campaign springs to mind)...you need a more laid back practical approach...i'm not a teacher so i wouldn't know the best way to do this...maybe others would though...
As for the wider issue of whether to educate kids at that age, there are certainly some who know what smoking is and have had alcohol at age 10. It shouldnt be so seperated though, PSHE education needs to cover the whole range of topics and start when kids are small. The Dutch have classes about self esteem which seems an excellent thing to try and teach younger kids.
I wouldn't mind getting hold of the video, just for a gander.
And yes that puppet is scary, looks very spitting image.
Are you talking about the membership badge form? If you fill it out with anything, it goes onto the main site.
Yes, I have figured it out now, obviously it was too complex for me.
The questions are a bit in depth arent they, for 5 year olds, for 10 year olds maybe, but there is no mention of alcohol or cannabis, clearly the two drugs younger kids would get involved in.
Never thought of alcohol, though alcohol is covered in Secondary PSE so perhaps they feel they didn't need to cover it.
There is a different section that covers smoking. Handled in much the same way as the drug section.
I don't like the fact that they are teaching children the specific names of the drugs, it's making them too familiar at such an early age. Imagine leaving primary school knowing what pills and charlie is.
Solvents, alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are the four which should be covered at that age really.
But more than anything it should be about their bodies, talking about keeping fit and confidence building, stuff that will help them later on.