Speech

Good morning and hello. I have come here today to address a problem that has gone on unspoken. This issue is one that has been infecting America for decades and one that still goes unnoticed. It affects the world of our children, the world of the future, and the world of our education. Many students futures are being put on the line for something that is not worth it.

I am speaking about the incorporation of religion into our schools. Now, under the United States Constitution, it is illegal to teach religion in public schools but that is not how the damage is dealt. Religious parents and the voice of the religious community pressure schools into doing things that abide by their doctrine. For example, they pressure schools into not teaching sex education or making the program shodily made and not efficiently funded. This cannot go on. Teen pregnancies are life altering and can shatter a person’s career hopes and dreams. Some of these kids do not have access to information about sex and safety or are in a position to be safe, so having a good sex ed program at their school could literally change their life.

Parents, you are risking that. I understand some of what is taught is very private and sensual and should be taught with care, and told by someone that is trusted by the child. But these programs can ensure that your child remains safe and sound even when you are not there to guide them. There are Comprehensive sex education programs around the country and they have nearly eliminated any teen pregnancy problem that the state was having. Your child will be able to explore the world of adulthood, the world of change without feeling like they are alone. There comes a lot of mental anxiety and stress at this age, so having people to rely on is important.

Put your child first and let your beliefs come later, it is important to teach these things and for these things to be brought up rationally and reasonably.

Letter

Dear the Board of Education, Governor Cuomo, and to whom it may concern,

How are you this evening? It has come to my concern that some schools in the county do not have a comprehensive sex education program. I find this to be a big issue and I implore you to look into it and make it so that all schools have the resources necessary to have a sex education program.

First of all, a sex education program is very inexpensive. All it requires is for a teacher to go a state mandated class and get a license and provide the school with some equipment. Compared to other things, this is very cheap and much more important.

Furthermore, this is very important and serious issue. The recent rate and number of teen pregnancies have been going up and that is a problem. We need to make sure our students are prepared for the world that they are about to enter. Having them be informed and safe when it comes to sex is one step in that.

I understand that many religious parents ask you to not have this sort of program because it speaks on topics that should be spoken in a much more private setting. But do not give into their pressure. It is not worth it. Your job isn’t to make these parents happy, but to ensure that this country has its future prepared and ready for the world to come.

 

Rationale

I only had one goal in mind while writing these two genres. That goal was to limit the influence that religion and religious teachings had. From the research that I have done, there seem to be severe potential consequences from having schools listen to and adhere to what parents are saying regarding their religious context. I wanted the parents and schools prioritize the children’s future and not make it so that the religious agenda is more important than that. So in order to realize my goal, I selected my audience based on who can do what and who can affect the situation the most. That is why for the speech my audience was the parents that call for schools to be sensitive to religion and to dissemble programs that teach sex ed. And for my letter, my audience will be the beard of directors for a school district. These two groups can affect the situation the most. The message I wanted to get across to the parents is that things like sex education are important for some kids and that you shouldn’t be against it becasue it goes against your teachings. I worded the speech in a manner that makes it so that I am making the children a priority. I talk about what advantages are being taken away from the children and the consequences that this has. If i try and make them understand from the point of view from a child, it will have a much more profound effect. By turning the conversation into one that talks about the student’s future instead of one that focuses on politics and religious debate, action will be able to arise from it. The same rationale went into making the letter. The letter is intended to be read by superintendents and people who can change what goes on in schools, especially when it comes to budgeting and giving money to schools. I worded it in a manner that offers reassurance. I didn’t want these people who control whether or not a school should could have a sex ed program to feel pressured. To to this, I offered reassurance that se education programs are not a waste of money and the many advantages it causes. It’s message was meant to remove the pressure that parents place on them and to relieve them for their efforts. That is how I developed my purpose with my audiences in mind.

 

Reflection

My thesis related to how religion influenced American schools and the effect that had on teen’ growth. I came by this idea when I was researching sex ed programs in schools in the southern states. The correlation of religion having an effect on the number of schools that teach sex ed came up when I read articles detailing the opposition these programs have faced by religious parents. I thought that this was detrimental to the teens because if these parents got their way, then these valuable sex ed progams will be taken away and this has severe consequences.

When I began working on this, the first two genres that came to mind were a speech and a letter. I thought that these two genres would be appropriate because they have a better chance of reaching my target audience than other possibilities. For example, since one of my target audiences are religious parents, using a genre such as a web video or anything social media related would go over their heads, since most religious parents tend to be older (in their 40s) so they don’t use social media or YouTube. If it was a speech that is played on their TV, it holds a greater possibility that my target audience will see it and respond to it. And for my other genre, since my audience was the director of a school, choosing a genre that will let me be direct with them would have the greatest chance of producing the desired effect.