I see both sides of the argument about whether or not sex-ed should be taught in schools. On one side we have the if we don't teach them it they won't be curious about it argument. On the other side we have the if we teach them about it and how to handle certain things appropriately than there won't be unsafe curiosities.
What if we turned "sex-ed" into health? Well we tried that and in some schools, including my own Hampden Academy, the subject was not taken very seriously by students. Sure we listened enough and studied enough to get a passing grade but we didn't retain very much knowledge because to us the class was a joke.
What if we made health part of our science classes? Now that might work. My mother, a sixth grade teacher, just ended the school year with a unit about the reproductive system and other body systems. She said it works out great. The students take her class a little more seriously than something that might be considered "extra".
Why can't we take everything students should know about puberty, the body, sex, STDs, health, etc. and spread out all this knowledge over the course of several grades while integrating it into the science classes? There are some things that students need to know about their bodies when they are in fourth or fifth grade that is important. But there are some things that students can wait on until the "middle school years".
Instead of being scared of the topic, administrations should just take the topic, insert it into the curriculum, and stand behind it. Stop running away from it and just do it.
Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of your points about sex education. I agree with you that it would be a good idea to insert it into the science curriculum when talking about the different systems and functions of the body- and this would be a good introduction to sex education.
I also went to HA, and I agree with you that many students thought of it as a joke-- but I think it could have also been the teacher. I, myself, did not feel comfortable listening to an older woman talk about condoms and birth control.. My parents could have done that and it would have been just as uncomfortable! I think that it should be approached in a different manner- maybe separating the sexes- putting males and females in different classes so they feel more comfortable asking questions and engaging in discussions.
Also, I think that having sex education as part of a health unit may have been part of the problem, as well.. It could certainly be made into a semester long, required course... And, remember that "flour baby" project we all had to do in sociology? I think that could have easily been implanted into the curriculum to promote abstinence..
There is a campaign called "Pause Before You Play".. which is geared towards educating adolescents about sex and the repercussions of unprotected sex. I don't have much to say about this because I still need to look into it further to truly comment about it.. but I'm just putting that out there for readers to look into if they want to!
I also think that, like you said, administrators should back this curriculum up.. But I also think that parents should be more involved with it as well. I think it's such a touchy subject because school systems think that many parents have such strong opinions about their children being educated about sex. If more parents would back the school systems, they may be more apt to make it a bigger part of the curriculum.
Anyway, lots to think about- but it is certainly a controversial topic which needs to be addressed in some way to youths before they are sent off into the real world!
I agree. Having a considerably older woman teach sex ed was awkward. Also, no one took her seriously so that didn't help. I think I learned more about "sex-ed" with the flour baby project than I did in sex-ed". It really gave a student a small taste of school when you have to carry that huge baby around everywhere. I mean that is if you did the project correctly.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a very controversial topic and I don't think it will ever not be a touchy subject due to certain religious beliefs.
I definitely agree. What I am concerned with however, is who decides what is classroom appropriate? Learning about STDs and protection is important, but where do we draw the line? Should we stop at body parts, their functions, and the birthing process? Or should other things, such as homosexuality or the various fetishes be discussed as well? Is it the state, the school board, or the parents who get to discuss the curriculum? I would be interested in this process, since I am not completely familiar with the school system here.
ReplyDeleteVery true Noor. My hope is that a committee of people who represent all sides would meet and help make these decisions together.
ReplyDeleteReading the posts about your sex-ed teacher being an older woman and how awkward that was made me laugh and reminisce of my own sex ed experience. Our health teacher in high school was an 80 year old man who also happened to be the football coach. Imagine having to talk about sex, condoms, STIs, and the reproductive with him. Mortifying! Needless to say it was awkward for all.
ReplyDeleteI agree that sex education needs to be incorporated more into the curriculum and not a topic that is simply covered one week during the year. Sex ed is a topic that covers more than just anatomy, but also covers issues around decision making, healthy alternatives, self-esteem, and life planning. I think it is an area that needs to be taken more seriously and as teachers we need to be more comfortable teaching the subject and more importantly we need to make it comfortable for students.
Maggie - great topic. I have been advising a student health club at the high school level for a couple of years, and it seems to be far easier to get traction in the community with anti-tobacco/substance abuse, physical activity, and nutrition programming than with family planning/std prevention, even though it seems that the latter is desperately needed in our community. A lot of the reticence seems to be coming from Noor's concern about who determines what is appropriate to be delivered at which age level.
ReplyDeleteErin's point that sex ed is not merely a biological or anatomical topic, but rather one that engages morality, self-identity, and aspirations makes it at that much more important to be taught seriously and effectively, as these are topics emphasized in our readings as being key to development in the middle grades.
I believe it was in Practicing Harmony where I saw a statistic that said that unplanned pregnancy was growing fastest in the under-15 category. That was one of the more alarming items I read this week! I wondered about access and effectiveness of sex ed, as well as about the strange position many 10-15 y.o. adolescents are in: not old enough to have the privacy and independence of their own transportation or money, but old enough to be pushing boundaries and have a curiosity about sexual behaviors . . . compounded by a significant pressure to "fit in," marinated in all of those unsavory examples readily accessible in the media.
Where are the models that seem to work most effectively? How can we convince administrators, communities, and legislators to back these models?
Well, this discussion is lively! Amazing to me that in 2011 even the subject of sex-ed is still so controversial and contentious. I liked many of your suggestions here about the considerations that need to occur to make this topic tenable.
ReplyDeleteStepping back from this topic for a minute, the idea of fully considering what the middle level curriculum should be is a critical question for us in curriculum planning. In this case, what do we know about young adolescent growth and development that might suggest that sex-education should be included in the curriculum?
When we look at it that way, one might ask how we could NOT teach sex-ed given the dramatic physical and psychological changes occurring...and because young adolescents are hugely concerned and interested in what is happening to their bodies. And why not?
How could we not include some type of comprehensive sex-ed curriculum when it is such an important part of what our students are going through.
BTW, I really liked your ideas of differentiating the sex-ed curriculum...with different pieces happening in different places.