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���� �� Abstinence: A Worthwhile ‘Quest’ Quest: An Adventurous Journey is the second workbook in a series that encourages students to remain sexually abstinent until marriage and to make good choices in order to reach their goals and to remain physically and emotionally healthy. Every page of this interactive workbook challenges students to think about the most important decisions they’ll make; offers ways to resist pressures to fall into sexual activity before marriage; and gives them advice about how to avoid other destructive behaviors. The workbook says it will help students to learn “to resist the power of present influences and instead to pursue future freedom.” Quest tells the compelling true stories of real people in order to enliven classroom experiences for students. Some of the individuals whose stories are told are available as guest speakers. An important aspect of this consumable workbook series is that it is taught by regular classroom teachers instead of an outsider. When students later have questions, their teacher will be available to help them find answers. Life is a Journey In Chapter One, students meet Shenette Howard who grew up with a single mother; her father was in prison. Although she dreamed of becoming a Florida Panthers cheerleader, she says, “Statistically, I was likely to be a teenage single mother.” Examining her own talents, Shenette decided to pursue dancing. A community college dance instructor saw her perform and encouraged her to enroll. Shenette was eventually the first person in her family to graduate from college. Students are asked to consider: “Where is your path taking you? Is it where you want to go?” The text and their own answers in the workbook help them realize that their daily choices will positively or negatively impact their future opportunities. An interactive exercise asks students to consult with classmates about their experiential or professional goals. This is done in the form of a Bingotype game which has spaces that include: be a florist, a chef, a carpenter, an artist, a scientist, drive in NASCAR, serve in the military, own a business, have a swimming pool or a horse, help the poor, or own a vacation home. The text reiterates that “Making a plan during the early years of your life can be very helpful and increase your chances of achieving a good life in the future.” At the end of the first chapter, Shenette fills students in on the rest of her story. She earned a masters degree, competed in and won the Miss Florida International pageant, and became a Jaguars cheerleader. Mapping Your Course The second chapter begins with the story of Sofia, who made some poor choices starting when she was fourteen. She was in a sexual relationship with an older boy who became abusive. Eventually she realized that she “didn’t want to become a statistic either by getting pregnant, getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), staying with deadbeat boyfriends, getting abused, or dropping out.” Sofia chose to stop all “self-destructive behavior.” Students are asked to fill in blanks listing what Sofia needs to stop doing and start doing in order to “turn things around.” Quest compares sex to fire. Fire is often a good thing, in the right situation. Students are asked to explain “how sex outside of marriage is similar to fire outside of a fireplace.” Tools students can use to deal with pressure to engage in destructive behaviors include saying “No”, being firm, and leaving. Breaking Free The third chapter of Quest helps students understand various pressures exerted through media. By examining different forms of media, students can better focus on the ways that sexual activity outside of marriage and other destructive messages are communicated to them daily. The workbook says, “Teens are exposed to about 3,000 media messages per day.” This includes emails, pop-up ads, trick links, chat rooms, television, video games, and more. In this chapter, students meet Jonathan, a young man who was addicted to video games. He says that games controlled his thoughts, actions, and desires. The workbook has a student quiz to help them determine to what extent they are involved with media. The workbook then suggests ways to break free from “the strong pull of the media.” The questions for students to ask their parents in this chapter are: What do you think are the best parts and the worst parts of the media? Review the workbook definition of the word entertainment. From what kinds of things would you say the entertainment media seeks to divert young people’s attention? What are some things that we can do as a family to balance out the influence of the media in our lives so that our lives don’t revolve around the media? Finding Your Way The fourth chapter tells the true story of Luis, a young man who says he didn’t have a good role model or anyone to tell him that abstinence was the best lifestyle choice. He engaged in sex outside of marriage and fathered three children by three different women, paid child support for children he rarely saw, and ended up very unhappy. Luis failed to make a plan for his life or to determine any goals in the first place. That’s exactly what this curriculum seeks to have students avoid.


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