“I Haven’t Seen a Curriculum Like It Anywhere”
What Schools Are Saying About BSBW
It’s back-to-school time, when the alarm clock sounds early and families adjust to new schedules and busier days. Teachers who prepared their classrooms, welcome a new tide of students for a year of growth and learning. Returning to fall routines can feel both hopeful and daunting, depending on the individual and the experience of school thus far.
Back-to-school is also a time to check in on what parts of the school experience are “working” for students and teachers. What is increasing hope? If there are challenging aspects, what steps are being taken to address them?
I recently had a chance to hear from a number of administrators, counselors and teachers who offered to share their observations of the Be Strong, Be Wise (BSBW) curriculum and its impact on their school. BSBW addresses a primary challenge in schools across the nation: the rise of sexual assault and harassment among students.
“It was a pervasive and consistent issue,” said Jeremy Marks, Head of Counseling at Camden Hills Regional High School (CHRHS). “It was getting in the way of students’ education, so much so that the students staged a school-wide walkout in protest. Many of them reported they did not feel safe at school. We knew we had to act.”
Camden Hills began to implement BSBW programming in 2021, starting with the Youth course, followed by the Teacher Training course and a school-wide assembly. At present, each incoming freshman at CHRHS will receive the benefits of the 5-step Youth course as part of health class.
“I haven’t seen a curriculum like it anywhere,” said Marks, addressing the need for sexual safety education that is both “accessible and practical.”
“The BSBW programming, from the Youth course to the Train-the-Trainer, allowed us to take the time to get it right. Be Strong, Be Wise has a genuineness to it and a real-world quality that isn’t just based in theory. We are observing that students are coming in to the counseling department with much fewer issues around consent, assault and harassment,” said Marks. “We are not dealing with these at all in the same way we were.”
Be Strong, Be Wise is now in its fourth year. We’ve had the opportunity to gather evidence from our flagship fleet of schools who implemented one or more of our offerings. The feedback we’ve received has been spectacular, and a solid reminder of why we keep at it, even with the many obstacles.
As founder and lead educator, I’ve had to address these obstacles repeatedly over the years. Taking on a subject like sexual safety for teens is a serious task, especially in today’s political climate. I’ve been accused of victim blaming, of not doing enough, or of doing too much.
But when I hear a high school administrator, like Tom Forti, Head of Upper School at The Episcopal High School of Baton Rouge (EHSBR), say: “This course is as important, if not more so, than any of our core curriculum,” it’s nothing short of thrilling.
Looking at video testimonies offered by our flagship schools provides an opportunity for reflection, and a chance to (again) acknowledge the variables affecting teens. It also gives me a chance to consider the aspects of the BSBW course that have been most helpful to our young students. Ironically, the elements that are most impactful to teens of all genders are the same elements that have garnered the harshest criticism.
“Victim blaming” is a primary example. I’ve been told it’s victim blaming to teach girls, students of color and/or LGBTQ+ youth how to recognize red flag signals, act tough when they feel scared, and verbalize their boundaries, among many other things. These groups are statistically more vulnerable to assault. It makes sense to equip them with the skills of personal safety that their parents may have learned in their early twenties but that teens need now at age 13. Besides, all teens are at risk of assault and all can benefit from an awareness of how to respect others’ boundaries as much as their own.
“It’s so important for them to understand how they can be empowered to make positive choices,” said Jen Roberts, former Lead Counselor at Islesboro High School. “The more education they have, and ability to connect and discuss these topics, the better off they’re going to be when faced with these sticky situations.”
Our Gender and Culture class- class two in the Youth course- is a favorite for the majority of our students. It’s where teens have the opportunity to explore with each other the social conditioning impacting girls, boys, non-binary and trans students, and how that conditioning affects behavior, self-concept and relationship expectations.
During the class, students are given a chance to answer reflective questions like:
Have I ever felt pressure to “perform” sexually in ways that were out of my comfort zone? Have I ever placed pressure on another person?
Have I experienced pressure from friends to engage in a lot of sexual activity?
Has the media affected my sexual expectations for myself and my future sex partners? If yes, how?
Do I know how to communicate my boundaries and to respect the boundaries of others?
“These discussions are just essential,” said Deana Tefry, Director of Guidance at Gordon College. “We need to be part of those conversations, because they’re going to go elsewhere for the information, and we know what’s out there.”
The feedback from students has been equally positive: “I never felt this comfortable in a class before. This is a topic that is NOT talked about enough,” said one high school Junior. “You treated us with respect, instead of assuming that we’re dumb,” said a Sophomore. “I thought I knew a lot about sexual safety but I was wrong,” said a Freshman.
Teens of all genders carry a tremendous burden in separating themselves from the sex-saturated messages in popular media. Given that both the Department of Education and the CDC are calling on schools to take action on behalf of the sexual safety and mental health needs of students, the timing is right to offer a curriculum that “gives students realistic tools that they can use outside of school, outside the home, in college and for the rest of their lives,” said Kristen Wilcox, Head of Counseling at EHSBR.
Our flagship schools have all observed positive changes as a result of the course, including: decreased sexual violence & harassment school-wide; student-developed support & advocacy groups; greater school & counselor confidence in keeping youth safe; and student-to-student conversations that are preventive, versus reactive.
Jen Curtis, Principal at CHRHS, said of the course exercises: “Let’s actually practice these skills. Let’s literally put a tool in your tool box that won’t necessarily last just for your ninth-grade year, but well beyond.”
As we enter another school year, I’m grateful for the deep and lasting connections made with our flagship schools. Investing in the next generation takes collaboration and mindfulness. The individuals I’ve had the honor of partnering with have refined what it means to have a “student-first” philosophy.
“We are servants to the community,” said Curtis, “It’s our job to exercise that role responsibly.” A philosophy that begins and ends with students’ best interests proved to have a positive impact on the entire community, both in and out of school.
For a free consultation to explore how BSBW can serve the particular needs of your school or youth organization, click the button below. We’d love to partner with you on behalf of the teenagers you care about!