The Knothole - Prologue. Prologue

Jeffery is a typical 12 year old.  He's more interested in pictures than words.  He's also curious about sex as are most boys that age. My school district required 5th grade sex education.  Teaching the two hour course by showing the films provided by the district was no problem. Boys and girls were taught in separate classrooms.  What I did get a kick from were the questions the boys came up with after the films. These questions often had me struggling to suppress laughing out loud. Some questions I read, and could only tell the boys they needed to take with their parent about it.  

6 minutes ago, raven1 said:

Jeffery is a typical 12 year old.  He's more interested in pictures than words.  He's also curious about sex as are most boys that age. My school district required 5th grade sex education.  Teaching the two hour course by showing the films provided by the district was no problem. Boys and girls were taught in separate classrooms.  What I did get a kick from were the questions the boys came up with after the films. These questions often had me struggling to suppress laughing out loud. Some questions I read, and could only tell the boys they needed to take with their parent about it.  

Thanks for your observations, Terry.  Though it may not be representative, I based Jeffrey on my level of ignorance at that age - no brother to "educate" me, though.  I'm glad your classroom presentation induced questions.  At least it got them thinking.  There was so little of that sort of instruction when we were growing up - speaking for myself at least.  I remember "health" class in seventh grade - the only such "education" I experienced.  In retrospect, it was a farce.

I guess that book would have been that periods version of internet research, though I remember finding the sperm donor's stash of hustler and some other magazines when he was home. People my age and younger take for granted the information we have at our disposal. It's easy to picture a brotherly interaction like this.

5 minutes ago, WolfM said:

I guess that book would have been that periods version of internet research, though I remember finding the sperm donor's stash of hustler and some other magazines when he was home. People my age and younger take for granted the information we have at our disposal. It's easy to picture a brotherly interaction like this.

Thanks, Wolf.  Yes, information was scarce, and meaningful "health education" was even scarcer.  I recall someone alluding to gay sex - using the same colloquialism as I did in the story - when I was fourteen and I didn't have a clue.  Some things are better now than in the "good old days", IMHO  

1 hour ago, raven1 said:

Jeffery is a typical 12 year old.  He's more interested in pictures than words.  He's also curious about sex as are most boys that age. My school district required 5th grade sex education.  Teaching the two hour course by showing the films provided by the district was no problem. Boys and girls were taught in separate classrooms.  What I did get a kick from were the questions the boys came up with after the films. These questions often had me struggling to suppress laughing out loud. Some questions I read, and could only tell the boys they needed to take with their parent about it.  

Were there some questions that you did not dare read aloud, or some you "edited" (read: "partially censored")?  In that time frame, I would guess that might be the case.  (Actually, in some of the school districts of which I am aware, most of the questions would be "edited" because of the ultra repressive and/or conservative nature of the area.)

Could you give us some examples of the questions the guys asked?

1 hour ago, Backwoods Boy said:

Thanks for your observations, Terry.  Though it may not be representative, I based Jeffrey on my level of ignorance at that age - no brother to "educate" me, though.  I'm glad your classroom presentation induced questions.  At least it got them thinking.  There was so little of that sort of instruction when we were growing up - speaking for myself at least.  I remember "health" class in seventh grade - the only such "education" I experienced.  In retrospect, it was a farce.

I received far more sexual education in PE [Physical Education} class than I did in the "Health" class we had to take.  In Health, we learned about washing hands, taking showers, sanitizing kitchen counters, a couple minutes about mopping floors, and the closest thing to sexual education in that class was -- "Always wash your hands after using the restroom."  Interestingly enough, our health class was combined with the Drivers Education class, and taught as part of Drivers Ed.

In PE we would comment about other guys bodies, especially when showering or getting undressed or dressed.  Sometimes we would even get the suggestion to wash our hair (on top of our heads) more thoroughly, because we had sweat so much.  No one in any of my PE classes ever commented about someone having a small dick (in my area, everyone called them "dicks," not "cocks").  But guys with big dicks would get teased about stretching out the girls.  No one in any of my four years of PE ever got an erection, and we had PE five days a week.  We had to dress out and also shower ever day we were present, unless we had broken bones.

2 hours ago, WolfM said:

I guess that book would have been that periods version of internet research, though I remember finding the sperm donor's stash of hustler and some other magazines when he was home. People my age and younger take for granted the information we have at our disposal. It's easy to picture a brotherly interaction like this.

I remember sitting in the library, reading large parts of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Kinsey.  Some sections were fascinating.  Once in a while we might discover a Playboy.  As you said, BB, info was scarce much of the time.

When I was a fifth grader back in the days just before the civil war, I was learning words on the playgrounds and having more than a passing acquaintance with the dictionary, looking up those first few words, led to so many others, you might say it was my early version of the internet...

Now, the following rings so ,freaking true these days, I have adult friends who feel as Jeffery did/does...

The twelve-year-old rolled back onto his bunk. If there weren't any pictures, he wouldn't be interested. Reading was something Jeffrey only did at school and as little of as possible. The whole idea was too weird, anyway.

I lived until I was nine years old in a suburb town of Amsterdam, Nederlands. Their 'sexual revolution' was long-past by then, and being openly gay might get you a frown from some older folk (like over 50), but it was accepted by anyone under that age, and no longer remarked upon. It was not shocking at all to see teen-aged or twenty-something guys or girls walking hand-in-hand on the streets. It was by no means everywhere you looked, but it was not so uncommon as to be startling, either. So I was used to seeing it at an early age.

My best friend and I knew a boy who was 15 who lived down the road, who was openly gay, and who would tell you stories about his exploits if you asked him. We were kids, we were curious, and we did. We got an earful, a lot of which we could scarcely imagine. But it was simply one part of an education I was comfortable with by the time my family came to the US in 1976.

We moved to the woods of upstate NY,  where my dad had grown up, and there I met new friends my own age. In short order, I discovered that these guys simply had no clue about sex. They knew NOTHING. I had always heard that America was so advanced, and had all the best tech and the best schools, and the smartest people on the planet. So it was a bit of an eye-opener for me!

I finally had to ask my dad about it, and he kind of sighed, and told me that most stories I'd heard about America were true. But not ALL of them!

So while it may have been the norm here for a 12 year-old to have little or no idea about sex back in the late 70's, it was not the norm in other parts of the world!

54 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

I received far more sexual education in PE [Physical Education} class than I did in the "Health" class we had to take.  In Health, we learned about washing hands, taking showers, sanitizing kitchen counters, a couple minutes about mopping floors, and the closest thing to sexual education in that class was -- "Always wash your hands after using the restroom."  Interestingly enough, our health class was combined with the Drivers Education class, and taught as part of Drivers Ed.

In PE we would comment about other guys bodies, especially when showering or getting undressed or dressed.  Sometimes we would even get the suggestion to wash our hair (on top of our heads) more thoroughly, because we had sweat so much.  No one in any of my PE classes ever commented about someone having a small dick (in my area, everyone called them "dicks," not "cocks").  But guys with big dicks would get teased about stretching out the girls.  No one in any of my four years of PE ever got an erection, and we had PE five days a week.  We had to dress out and also shower ever day we were present, unless we had broken bones.

I remember sitting in the library, reading large parts of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Kinsey.  Some sections were fascinating.  Once in a while we might discover a Playboy.  As you said, BB, info was scarce much of the time.

Thanks for your observations, Paul.  These "stories from the past" seem to produce reflections on that time.  Health as part of Driver's Ed - an interesting combination that was probably a "what do we do with them the rest of the semester" issue.  The only time I encountered "Health" was in an urban junior high school in seventh grade.  Somehow, they managed to skip it entirely in the rural high school.  I'm not sure whether it was Decameron or The Canterbury Tales that I encountered in the high school library.  I'm now surprised it was there.  Kinsey came much later.

38 minutes ago, drsawzall said:

When I was a fifth grader back in the days just before the civil war, I was learning words on the playgrounds and having more than a passing acquaintance with the dictionary, looking up those first few words, led to so many others, you might say it was my early version of the internet...

Now, the following rings so ,freaking true these days, I have adult friends who feel as Jeffery did/does...

The twelve-year-old rolled back onto his bunk. If there weren't any pictures, he wouldn't be interested. Reading was something Jeffrey only did at school and as little of as possible. The whole idea was too weird, anyway.

Are you sure that wasn't the War of 1812?  That's the one I remember.    Yes, the well-worn dictionary and Encyclopedia Britannica (with annual supplements) were the internet of the day.  When I write now and have two thesauruses, a rhyming dictionary, and some kind of Google search all open at the same time, I'm somewhat in awe of what is right at our fingertips.  Jeffery was sort of modeled after me, at least here in the prologue.  Derrick was the big brother I wished for  

1 hour ago, Geron Kees said:

I lived until I was nine years old in a suburb town of Amsterdam, Nederlands. Their 'sexual revolution' was long-past by then, and being openly gay might get you a frown from some older folk (like over 50), but it was accepted by anyone under that age, and no longer remarked upon. It was not shocking at all to see teen-aged or twenty-something guys or girls walking hand-in-hand on the streets. It was by no means everywhere you looked, but it was not so uncommon as to be startling, either. So I was used to seeing it at an early age.

My best friend and I knew a boy who was 15 who lived down the road, who was openly gay, and who would tell you stories about his exploits if you asked him. We were kids, we were curious, and we did. We got an earful, a lot of which we could scarcely imagine. But it was simply one part of an education I was comfortable with by the time my family came to the US in 1976.

We moved to the woods of upstate NY,  where my dad had grown up, and there I met new friends my own age. In short order, I discovered that these guys simply had no clue about sex. They knew NOTHING. I had always heard that America was so advanced, and had all the best tech and the best schools, and the smartest people on the planet. So it was a bit of an eye-opener for me!

I finally had to ask my dad about it, and he kind of sighed, and told me that most stories I'd heard about America were true. But not ALL of them!

So while it may have been the norm here for a 12 year-old to have little or no idea about sex back in the late 70's, it was not the norm in other parts of the world!

Thanks for your comments, Geron.  I precede you by about fifteen years, I think, which is a factor in making comparisons.  But while this country may have been on top of tech knowledge, it definitely wasn't on top of much else.  Victorian/Puritan principles lingered long.  I envy you your early background - and your parental environment too.  Jeffrey was about where I was at twelve.  At fourteen, he was way ahead of me.

15 minutes ago, Backwoods Boy said:

Thanks for your observations, Paul.  These "stories from the past" seem to produce reflections on that time.  Health as part of Driver's Ed - an interesting combination that was probably a "what do we do with them the rest of the semester" issue.  The only time I encountered "Health" was in an urban junior high school in seventh grade.  Somehow, they managed to skip it entirely in the rural high school.  I'm not sure whether it was Decameron or The Canterbury Tales that I encountered in the high school library.  I'm now surprised it was there.  Kinsey came much later.

Oh, Kinsey wasn't not in the school library.  It was in the county library, and was restricted to "Library Use Only." Decameron and Canterbury were not in the school library either.  Nothing remotely like Sex Ed was allowed in the school library.

Our "Health" section of the Driver's Ed course was maybe three days.  The rest of the time it was actually Driver's Ed.  But that way, the school could call it  "Health."

9 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

Were there some questions that you did not dare read aloud, or some you "edited" (read: "partially censored")?  In that time frame, I would guess that might be the case.  (Actually, in some of the school districts of which I am aware, most of the questions would be "edited" because of the ultra repressive and/or conservative nature of the area.)

Hi @ReaderPaul,  Good question.  Before I answer it, let me describe the environment and timeframe.  The events I describe were about 25 years ago and only when I taught that particular grade.  The district was a very progressive suburban district which often was on the cutting edge of education.  They provided the materials and minimal guidance for how to used them.  They trusted us (teachers) to be sensible in their use and how we handled the discussions. 

That said, the student's provided the questions.  I gave them paper and instructed them to write three questions.  I told them they could write silly questions that were off topic, but they had to write questions.  They were not to place their names on the papers, and fold them at least twice before I collected them in a basket.  I randomly drew notes out of the basket and to read aloud questions and answered them. 

Yes, I  did employ minor edits to some of the questions to make them clear.  I also did not read (or answer) a question with a name involved.  Silly questions were few, but I still read them prefacing with the phrase "This one's off topic".  I frequently asked the students if they remembered the answer from the film, and allowed them to answer the question.  I did dare to read almost all questions, but my answer was, "This is a question for your parents and me."  I would then explain these questions often related to opinions, privacy or religious beliefs of their parents, and I could only explain or clarify facts in the film only.  My goal was to leave the students educated, but untainted by my personal beliefs or opinion. Good question, and I hope my reply answer it well.   

Hi, @raven1 -- good answers.  You were fortunate to be in a progressive area.  It was handled well by you, and you have clearly answered my question.

9 hours ago, drsawzall said:

When I was a fifth grader back in the days just before the civil war, I was learning words on the playgrounds and having more than a passing acquaintance with the dictionary, looking up those first few words, led to so many others, you might say it was my early version of the internet...

Me too! It seems were about the same age @drsawzall. Internet for me was the dictionary and encyclopedia.  I almost forgot to mention my favorite porn magazine back then, National Geographic.

3 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

Hi, @raven1 -- good answers.  You were fortunate to be in a progressive area.  It was handled well by you, and you have clearly answered my question.

The only time I had trouble was when I had a male student teacher.  I almost had to used duck tape. 

53 minutes ago, raven1 said:

The only time I had trouble was when I had a male student teacher.  I almost had to used duck tape. 

That's why you volunteer in sex education, when they need help.

20 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

I lived until I was nine years old in a suburb town of Amsterdam, Nederlands. Their 'sexual revolution' was long-past by then, and being openly gay might get you a frown from some older folk (like over 50), but it was accepted by anyone under that age, and no longer remarked upon. It was not shocking at all to see teen-aged or twenty-something guys or girls walking hand-in-hand on the streets. It was by no means everywhere you looked, but it was not so uncommon as to be startling, either. So I was used to seeing it at an early age.

My best friend and I knew a boy who was 15 who lived down the road, who was openly gay, and who would tell you stories about his exploits if you asked him. We were kids, we were curious, and we did. We got an earful, a lot of which we could scarcely imagine. But it was simply one part of an education I was comfortable with by the time my family came to the US in 1976.

We moved to the woods of upstate NY,  where my dad had grown up, and there I met new friends my own age. In short order, I discovered that these guys simply had no clue about sex. They knew NOTHING. I had always heard that America was so advanced, and had all the best tech and the best schools, and the smartest people on the planet. So it was a bit of an eye-opener for me!

I finally had to ask my dad about it, and he kind of sighed, and told me that most stories I'd heard about America were true. But not ALL of them!

So while it may have been the norm here for a 12 year-old to have little or no idea about sex back in the late 70's, it was not the norm in other parts of the world!

I have wished over the years for the level of understanding shown in the above post.  As a boy growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, my rural area was somewhat puritanical in some ways, and practical in others.  There was practical knowledge about the reproduction and sexuality of animals, and almost an adult veil of silence about human sexuality.  Among us guys there was discussion, speculation, and sometimes sexual play such as penis comparison, and group masturbation.

Most of us did not have indoor plumbing at first.  of the five houses less than 3/4 mile from our home, 2 had indoor plumbing.  (Our home got indoor plumbing in the summer between my 8th grade school year and Freshman year.)  Our outhouse, however did have an electric light in it -- and you soon learned not to turn on the light if it was raining, or the concrete floor would give you a nasty shock.

@Geron Kees, the European system of practical knowledge and understanding on sexuality is much better.

On 3/26/2023 at 2:05 PM, ReaderPaul said:

I have wished over the years for the level of understanding shown in the above post.  As a boy growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, my rural area was somewhat puritanical in some ways, and practical in others.  There was practical knowledge about the reproduction and sexuality of animals, and almost an adult veil of silence about human sexuality.  Among us guys there was discussion, speculation, and sometimes sexual play such as penis comparison, and group masturbation.

Most of us did not have indoor plumbing at first.  of the five houses less than 3/4 mile from our home, 2 had indoor plumbing.  (Our home got indoor plumbing in the summer between my 8th grade school year and Freshman year.)  Our outhouse, however did have an electric light in it -- and you soon learned not to turn on the light if it was raining, or the concrete floor would give you a nasty shock.

@Geron Kees, the European system of practical knowledge and understanding on sexuality is much better.

The best thing to remember about Western Europe is that they experienced all the worries, fears, and dramas that young Americans here have faced about sexuality growing up, but they were largely done with them quite some time ago. Europe is a far older civilization than we have here. Or, that the European settlers have here, that is. The Native Americans, for the most part, had accepted their sexuality in all its forms, long ago.

America is not a mature nation. It does seem to be moving that way, sort of inevitably, despite the forces at work to keep us in the past, and deny us a future. Europe was once the same, but they did, largely, manage to grow up.

There is hope that we will, too.

On 3/25/2023 at 12:37 PM, Backwoods Boy said:

Thanks for your observations, Terry.  Though it may not be representative, I based Jeffrey on my level of ignorance at that age - no brother to "educate" me, though.  I'm glad your classroom presentation induced questions.  At least it got them thinking.  There was so little of that sort of instruction when we were growing up - speaking for myself at least.  I remember "health" class in seventh grade - the only such "education" I experienced.  In retrospect, it was a farce.

I changed school systems between sixth grade and seventh. In the first, Catholic school, health was a later subject; in the second, public school, it was earlier, so I missed out on it completely. Somehow, though, I discovered masturbation on my own...and mastered the subject!