Mrs. Rastahomie and I are charged with teaching the 6th-graders at our church during Wednesday night youth group. We have a book of lesson plans, which go from subject-to-subject beginning with the letter “A,” and I’m not particularly impressed with my book’s lesson for “D,” so I’m going to change it to “Drugs.” I need:
A good verse (I’m thinking the one about “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” but in context that verse seems to be about sex).
Some discussion questions.
Some games that would drive the point home. I’m thinking of building a maze in the church parking lot and having them try to navigate it while wearing Mrs. Rastahomie’s glasses (on the hope that they’ll become unbalanced and stumble around) or something.
Any other ideas you can come up with.
Needless to say, I want to avoid scare tactics and teach them from a good angle.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the poster names Rastahomie would teach AGAINST drugs… Yeah a lil ganja da ticket ma man, a lil herb make the worl’ ‘appy. Peace me brotha’.
Good to avoid scare tactics. 6th graders are sharper than most adults suspects. They may have too much fun with #3, and decide it is not a bad idea. Ever remember a college drinking game where you chugged a beer, spun around a bat on the ground, and then tried to run a straight line? You may just be teaching them a new drinking game.
I’ve spent some time talking with my fifth-grader about why intelligent, rational, well-behaved kids might decide to use drugs or alcohol. Right now, she’s sure she would NEVER do anything like that, but I know from experience that a kid who thinks that in fifth, sixth, or seventh grade can turn around completely by eighth or ninth grade. We have yet to come to any conclusions, but I think it’s useful to talk about the stresses and influences that can make kids just like them decide to use drugs or drink.
You and Mrs. Rastahomie volunteered to teach middle schoolers? There’s a special place in heaven for you, you know.
The problem with most “drug programs” for the young is that the premise is usually “drugs are bad, don’t ever, ever do them”, and it sort of begs the question “gee, if they were so bad, why DO people EVER do them?” By 6th grade, they’ve figured this out.
I’ve done some programs for inner city youths about these issues, and use legal information.
As in: if you’re in a house where drug activity is going on but you’re not doing anything, can you still get in trouble (you bet)
So, I discuss things like (in my state these are true, YMMV) If you so much as tell some one where they can get drugs, you can be charged. You give a ride or accept a ride from some one and drugs are found, you can also be charged. Or, You and your friends are buying and smoking dope in your basement. Your parents can be charged with operating a drug house.
I also point out the difference between buying aspirin off of a counter and getting some pills in a baggie from some body’s pocket.
we’d developed a card game where one person was the drug dealer, and would make huge amounts of money by the turn of a card, but the risks were also greater, and the others were plodding along working at a McJob. the payouts were smaller, but the risks were much smaller, too. We developed that game, based on our observations of drug dealers who would be dead, incarcerated or broke within a short time. longer term rewards that have stability vs. short term rewards that can be snatched away.
I think the most important thing about drug education is not only the effects of drugs, but how to avoid them. I never used any drugs or had sex until I was out of high school. I only had sex with what is now my husband, and only did weed twice and never did it again.
The reason I was able to avoid it was to pretend that I either had done it or portraay indifference. I really kept me from being peer-prssured throughout school.
I’m not quite sure how you would teach that to kids, or if it even is something you want to teach to kids. But it worked wonderfully for me, and kept me out of a lot of trouble.
Okay let’s make sure Handy never teaches kids about ANYTHING.
As for how to teach the children, I am not sure.
Statistics will likely not work too well.
Maybe the idea of doing something to simulate being high (walking with glasses that make everything fuzzy, or spinning them around and make them dizzy) and let them see how silly they look. But be careful, the others will likely laugh at the one stumbling along and they might think it is fun.
As for a verse, I am not sure of a good one. The verse about not drinking till you get drunk comes to mind, but that implies that a certain amount of drinking/drugs is okay, but just don’t get high.
Maybe ask them to name someone who has been successful and was a drug user (answer no one long term, not rock stars, not sports stars, not anyone)
Point out that drug dealers only want your money, they do not care about you.
I think anything you do should be shared with the parents so that there are no conflicting messages. Also, maybe you should talk with your minister for ideas and approval (if you have not already).
Okay, skip this first suggestion. I can name about thirty-seven just off the top of my head. If you include boozers as well as drug-users, about three hundred.
You could make the same point about car dealers. And haberdashers. And the guy at the newsstand.
I could make a homevideo of all my friends and me smoking some pot… but no… that s to embarassing…
some stumbling around… others singing, dancing, falling over…
Oh … tell em one scary fact:
Ecstasy makes dicks shrink… you can leave out that they eventually get back to normal size…
Show photos!!! LOL no… damn… sixth graders… shame… that would have been awsome…
Sorry… I am not much help…
perhaps try that freevibe.com thingy… I think they are hillariously “no drugs or devil will eat you for dinner” but you could get some facts there and change them into none preacher language…
Get some of the junks here (there are junks here… at least some) to write stories about themselfs. How they started - and those who stopped, why and when they did it.
A friend of mine got caught and couldnt get her drivings licence therefor… stuff like that.
I mean - I would only have to tell stuff I dont find bad at all, but 6 graders would be shocked. Friends who are dealers, friends who live on the street, a classmate who had her first cure with 13 - then went back to the needle… yuck… maybe tell them that even stonars and ppl on E and acid will tell you never to get to the needle - cause that is a world of diffrence.
Sideffects - get ppl to write about bad trips.
Just make a thread on it if you like the idea…
I have done a lot of speaking to high school age kids about drinking and drugs. Not to go into it on the boards, but…
First off- don’t assume they’re ignorant! I have had some questions you would not believe from young teenagers. Don’t talk down to them, they hate it and will disregard everything you say.
Be honest, and don’t take a hard stance on either side of the issue. Teaching, not preaching. Get good information, not just what’s off the top of your head. Reliable publications can be a good resource (except that Time Magazine said in the 70’s that cocaine wasn’t addictive…).
If you are serious about giving them real info, you can contact your local AA central office and ask for the contact person for the Public Information committee. PI panels go out and talk about their experiences with non-AA groups, such as schools, churches and civic groups. Even if you don’t have a panel come in, the PI contact can probably give you good information about what works for them with young people in a teaching setting. Oh and BTW, you will get plenty of drug stories from the younger AA’s if you ask nicely!
Let us know how it goes. You are very brave to be teaching this age group, good luck!