[Faith]

I went thru DARE as a child. I remember how we all though it was SO boring and stupid, just something to get us out of 'real' class.

It never affected any of our friends decisions on what to do about drugs.
I don't think most kids (at the jr. high level like we were) take something from a teacher that seriously. Maybe it was just us, but just because a teacher said XYZ didn't mean we believed it, and that went double for the dorky guy they had teaching us DARE.

As is was, we all went to DARE and all turned out differently. My DH's bestfriend blew his entire trust fund on serious drugs over many years, my bestfriend was terrified of drugs (even asprin) until college, and DH and I smoked a little mj in our college years and now are completely, hopelessly straight. I think it has to do with upbringing, and I agree DARE is a complete waste.

 

[phathui5]

I remember doing DARE in the 6th grade. We learned all the "cool" names for all the drugs and what effects they could have on you. Both how the drugs made you feel (as in, why people did them) and what they could do to you that was bad. I remember all the discussions afterwards in the hall and cafeteria about how dumb the DARE cop was and how drugs weren't that bad and that they were just trying to scare us out of it. DARE might not hurt (though it could), but I would vote for keeping your kid out of it and teaching them about drugs yourself.

 

[Jen123]

In reference to my post about my six year old going thru DARE:

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFmom Wow, I've never heard of DARE being offered to a first grade class before. Where I am it's 4th or 5th, depending on the school.

He wasn't in first grade. He was in kindergarten. In an all kindergarten school builiding. Yes. Kindergarten. They teach sex ed here in third grade. Eight to Nine year olds. Yep. Complete with the complimentary box of condoms.

Who was it that said (I'm too lazy to go find the post): let school teach the 3R's and parents teach morality.

 

[Lousli]

WHAT?!?! I teach fifth grade, and we don't have a DARE program at our school (although we do have an anti-tobacco program). We teach "family life" in 5th and 6th grade. We do not talk about STD's, contraception (or give out samples), etc. In 5th they learn about the body changes they undergo during puberty. In 6th they learn about reproduction and how babies are made. I can't belive that there is a school that would teach DARE to kindergarteners and full-scale sex ed to third graders. That seems so inappropriate to me! And I'm a huge believer in sex ed, but at an age appropriate time, like 7th-8th grade.

 

[Greaseball]

Quote:

And I'm a huge believer in sex ed, but at an age appropriate time, like 7th-8th grade.

T
There are 10-year-old girls in my area who have had babies...when should they have had sex ed?

 

[Lousli]

Greaseball, I guess you're right. But 10 year olds are in fifth grade, not third. And I just think you're walking a fine line. I know some parents don't teach their kids anything, so schools end up having to pick up the slack. But I also don't think it's appropriate to freak out an 8 year-old that might be a little more innocent by describing STD's in detail. Students this age should know where babies come from, IMO, and most parents teach their kids this. I guess schools could be expected to teach the basics that early, but what the pp was talking about seemed a little excessive to me, with handing out of condoms.

And no, I do not believe that giving out condoms promotes children having sex. Nor do I believe that thorough sex education does. I strongly believe in giving kids all the information, and letting them make informed decisions. I guess when and where I grew up, children as young as 10 did not need to be making those kinds of decisions. I taught third grade, and I just can't imagine some of those kids being mature enough to process a thorough sex ed class. Some of my fifth graders couldn't even handle talking about menstruation, much less condoms!

 

[Lucysmama]

Just wanted to pop in and share my own DARE experience. I went thru the program twice, our school did it in 5th and 8th grade. The idea was to pound the message into kids just before middle school started, and just before high school started.

I remember DARE being the biggest advertisement for taking drugs ever. The cop would tell us, "Now this drug....will make you feel very relaxed and happy. It will make everything seem very funny, and people who smoke it often laugh a lot. It may also make you mildly hallucinate"

I remember thinking, "That sounds really fun!!!" in the fifth grade. Now, I don't blame DARE for anything, but it certainly didn't do much to discourage drug use, IMO. It was more of a guide to different drugs and their street names and effects, coupled with ways to narc out your friends and just say no.

Coming from someone who has tried virtually every drug in the book, and doesn't want her kids to try most of them, there is no way I'm letting my kids go thru DARE. Well, we're homeschooling, anyway.

 

[Mommy2Brittani]

I did the dare program in the 6th grade, and I really don't see how it did any good. All it did was what everyone has already said. Describe drugs and what they did to the body...What did I do in high school? well, ok, I started smoking cigs at 16 cuz my parents and their friends did it, and I could get cigs from the 26 yr old friend my mom didn't want me to "see"

I had a sex ed class in 6th grade as well, and again, it didn't really teach me anything. I really think more parents should take the responsibility to teach their kids about the birds and the bees (so to speak) and drugs, and save schools for the things like math and science and music and art.

 

[grisandole]

One of the problems I have with DARE is that, at least when I went through it in 7th grade, they lie and exaggerate, which kids can see through. If they don't see through it at the time, they will eventually......

I was taught that marijuana could cause insanity. I swear, they must have gotten that from Reefer Madness. Even though I hadn't experimented with any drugs, nor had my friends, I knew that pot did not cause insanity or some of the other things the cop said. I found the whole program quite ridiculous and a waste of time.

Kristi

 

[MrsMoon880]

I have taught 5th grade for 3 years, and we had DARE every year (not my choice). The kids really did enjoy the program a lot, but as others have said there is no proof that it works. I sat through every lesson, and I did not see evidence of drugs being a good thing, as they focused on bad side effects. They also didn't say to report people to the police. The officer was super nice and great with kids, and they loved him.

So, I feel it is a waste of time, as there are so many other things I needed to accomplish in my classroom, but not damaging to children, either.

 

[Evergreen]

Our school system has stopped the DARE program because it was deemed ineffecticve. THey are looking for a new program that has been proven to work, and have not yet succeeded. My area has a very very high drug abuse rate. I beleive that 30 percent of highschoolers here have tried heroin, and marajauna and alcohol are very common in all age groups.

 

[magemom]

Dare here was 5th or 6th grade (depending) and both my older kids went through it. Their health book was worse for misinformation. DS1 kept calling DH an alcoholic for having a beer with dinner. Now DH and I BOTH had alcoholic parents and there is no compairison! DS1 also said he could drink more than his sister by weight and then went into the alcohol content of different things. This is MONTHS after the class. DS1 says stupid things all the time, but this made me really mad.
DH swore by the DARE program till he expereinced it here.

As for the sex ed part, it was 5th and 6th grade. 5th was our changing bodies, talked about body hair, odor, periods. 6th grade was more about changing bodies, but not about STDs or birth control. When I was a freshman, it was all about mechanics and STDs. I chose the class over writing 10 page reports on different sports.

 

[darsmama]

My DARE experiance of about 10 years ago:

Sat in a classroom, learned how drugs made you insane. People who picked up a cigarette, would pick up alcohol, then Marijuana, and move onto crack cocaine. It was your duty to report the illegal ones to authorities because the police need to help them. We were told stories of how marijuana growers were paranoid at first, then grew insane, and how the growers planted fish hooks at eye level in areas that they were growing their plants at. Yeah, I *STILL* am leery when I'm walking in a forested area.

I graduated and won the DARE essay award. #1. I marched out thinking all people who did drugs were horrible, crazy people who needed my 11 year old HELP.

Then, I met some productive, responsible, *GASP* SMART druggies, who don't believe neccesarily that something man made is better for certain conditions then a god given herb.
Add that to the fact that I met MANY alcoholics who couldn't say the same thing, and as they swallowed down their 40's of Old E (all they could afford) spoke of what losers druggies were. Hmmm..A year after my DARE training, you could say I was confused.

I've met both extremes in this situation, and I am not advocating that abuse of anything is good, or that the education of children is BAD.

I believe that DARE is a huge waste of money, resources, and our time.

I participate in the National Organization to reform marijuana laws and National asst. to legalize medical marijuana. I have to say, DARE helped me to get a head start on seeing what I think of as a huge hypocrisy.

This is what I learned from DARE.

 

[Annie7]

*slightly*

T

Career Day in dd's kindergarten (actually multi-grade classroom , so K, 1, & 2 class):

Mr. Policeman is talking about safety (i.e. bike helmets, skating elbow/knee pads, stranger danger, crossing streets, etc.)

Topic turns to Q & A (for little ones, we ALL know this means everybody gets a turn to say "Um, one time....")

A first grader proceeded to tell his story "Um, one time..." reguarding a fender bender his dad had and how he got to meet a policeman who talked to his dad about drinking and driving.

This prompts another safety speach about drinking and driving from the policeman. At which end he said "So if you see your mom or dad starting to drive when they drink, remind them that it's NOT SAFE".

My sweet little baby raised her hand and says matter-of-factly, "My mom drinks and drives ALL THE TIME!"

To which I loudly (and quickly) said to her, "He's not talking about Pepsi, Honey!"

She slid her hand down and said "Nayber mind".....

(15 minutes of fame...miss-spent!)

 

[lauren]

:LOL

 

[darsmama]

LOL

Yep, I loved working at the kindegarten class this last winter. Some of the stories that came out of those kids mouths, and yes- they all began with "Um..This one time..."

LOL

 

[crunchymamatobe]

My experience in the DARE program (I was in the 6th grade) was very similar to KatienDwayne's. I came out of it convinced I'd never ever ever use drugs. That people who use drugs are very bad, horrible, awful spawn of the devil.

I smoked a little pot in high school, tried a few other things in college, and every single person I have kept in touch with from the 6th grade (okay, so there are only about four of them, so take this with a grain of salt) tried or used way more drugs than I ever did. And not one of them is a bad person.

They've since stopped the DARE program in the district where I went to school because it wasn't working.

 

[root*children]

I remember that the officers used to tell us to watch out for the drug dealers, b/c they loved to prey on children. They would supposedly come to the playground and try to give us free drugs to get us hooked, so we'd want to buy more from them! :LOL :LOL
That had me a bit scared as a youngster. But now I just think it's hilarious. As someone who's been friends with so many 'drug' users, I'd have to just laugh if I heard of any drug dealer who thought an elementary playground would be a good spot to find customers!!

 

[Greaseball]

Quote:

They would supposedly come to the playground and try to give us free drugs to get us hooked, so we'd want to buy more from them!

There are a lot of people who wish this was true! :LOL