We've now spent 3 devotional times of students sharing stories, asking questions of each other and of me, responding to one another, and recalling Scripture. I've had students slip me notes or questions in secret and am wondering whether I should set up a question box to take more anonymous questions and comments. Without fail, there are a few hands still up at the end of our 10 minutes when I have to remind them that we need to move on to Spanish class. We've skimmed the surface of many issues and their connections, including salvation, sin, attraction, mental health, consent to affection, love, repentance, friendship, nature and nurture, religion, and orientation. The kids' opinions, knowledge, and experiences range widely, which makes for very rich discussion. I try bring in my knowledge and experience where relevant to clear up some misconceptions or to offer a differing standpoint for the kids to consider. I've spent more time reviewing the things I've read and heard to determine what to share and how to guide the kids through tricky but important concepts and issues without confusing or overwhelming them.
This is especially interesting as our board is meeting next week to discuss how they're going to go about handling the new bill on student-initiated GSAs. I'm not sure where any of the staff at the school stand on these issues, nor their comfort in discussing them with kids (recall that many staff are also parents of the students).