Professionalism, or lack thereof

So, I'll admit it: Professionalism is not one of my strong points. As an overall package, I feel that I am able to present myself in a credible and honorable way. But generally, there is always some peace the is missing. In my wardrobe, it tends to be shoes. When I taught SFL 240, there was one one day each semester in which I wore "real shoes". Instead, I opted for either flip-flops or loafers. (Sorry, Mom. No, this doesn't mean that you have failed as a mother.) Early on in teaching the coding class I unintentionally adopted the habits of climbing on and jumping off the conference room table on the first day of class. I have dropped this tradition since the batteries were replaced in the projector remote.

Today my professionalism fail was the first statement I made when entering the classroom for the coding class. To put it in coding terms, I expressed some mid-level-intensity externalized negative (EX). In non-coding terms, I made the seemingly-out-of-nowhere negative comment, "I'm angry at overly-conservative 90-year-old women", with a somewhat hostile vocal quality. And then explained why.

And lest you are curious, here is my reasoning. A few days ago a colleague of mine who interns with a radio show informed me that she was hosting the show next week, and expressed an interest in having me come on as a guest to talk about something that I am passionate about: healthy sexuality education in the home. Among many conservative populations, there is a taboo about issues relating to sexuality which prevents parents from effectively becoming their children's primary sex education, thus leaving their children unarmed them with information, and parents unavailable to respond to questions presented by their children that are often inspired by peers and media. One statistic I found indicated that 80% of parents don't talk to their children about sex, with 50% citing the reason as feeling to embarrassed to do so. When parents abdicate their role as their children's primary sex educator, that rule falls to peers, television or the internet. And, since most conservative parents do not share the values and messages promulgated in society, this is detrimental the children's socialization. Anyway...I'm passionate about it. And I was really excited about getting to reach a target audience and spread awareness.

Unfortunately, the topic wasn't approved. My colleague contacted the usual host who liked the idea, but advised getting it approved by the owner, indicating that she might have some reservations. So she called the owner of the show, a 90-year-old woman, and as soon as she said the word "sex", she was met with very strong resistance and was made to feel like a vile sinner for even suggesting such a thing. Apparently the show caters to a very conservative audience, and the topic was deemed wildly inappropriate.

I understand that this woman is from a generation and culture in which sexuality is taboo. And I recognize the need for sensitivity and discretion around such a sacred topic. But the strength of her reported opposition exemplifies the very reason this topic needs to be addressed. Parents in today's world who assume the same fear-based approach are doing their children a disservice, because those children will encounter pornography and see and hear something divine being defamed, and they need to be taught about sex in its appropriate context so that they can make sense of the counter-messages. So, I was sad and mad that the people who need it most are closed to messages that are needed in today's world. And thus my non-professional statement at the beginning of class.

Also, I accidentally locked my flip-flops in the classroom. Luckily, I had a pair of real shoes in my car.