Sex Education in Our School System

This is an issue I'm somewhat conflicted about. On one hand I don't think it should be provided because I don't believe that teens need to be having sex, because fact of the matter is that I don't feel many of them are emotionally ready(especially for the consequences that may come). On the other hand I realize that teens are going to have sex and if they're going to do it, then they need to have information available to them that could save their lives. What does everyone else think?

 

I'll be perfectly honest about this. I think it should be taught, and it should be taught when kids are still in 4th or 5th grade, before they are ready to be sexually active, so that they are prepared to know the consequences before you get there. I actually received sex ed in 5th and 6th grade when I was a kid.


Sex Education is not about teaching kids how to do it, it is about informing them of the dangers and how to protect themselves/prepare themselves for the emotional, physical, and psychological weight of the action.

And let's face it, whether they receive the class or not, some kids will always be driven to experiment sexually before they are old enough to understand the repercussions. If you teach them early enough, than those repercussions are better understood for that group.

 

I don't think it works. A group setting is just a license for kids to feel embarassed and/or goof off. Only a few take it seriously, I believe.

The only real way to do it is one on one, or with a few people at most.

 

I think sex ed is important. Kids that age are just full of misinformation on the subject, which can be dangerous. Better to have them know the truth about the dangers and consequences than have them getting wierd ideas (like, if he pulls out there's no chance of getting pregnant!! la dee da)

 

I have to agree with my oft-adversary Kessel here

Amidala, it's true that kids are nowhere near emotionally ready for sex. But, they're also nowhere near emotionally ready to be President of the United States, yet they should learn everything there is to know about that office.

I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea, but I favor education over ignorance.

How many kids are inspired by their teachers to have sex? (Not taking Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" video into consideration here).

 

and as for the group environment, frankly I think that helps them be forced to listen.... A typical elementary classroom is around 20 kids and they are often so embarrassed they are afraid to speak up.

 

The school system that I grew up in started teaching the basics in the 3rd grade(i.e. the reproductive system and what happens during puberty). They started teaching a little more about the dangers of it in high school, after many had already lost their virginty. The kids that had had sex then didn't listen because they felt they had all the information they needed(until they contracted an STD or got pregnant). If it is to be taught, it should be taught before too many have sex. I think I would start in the 6th grade.

No matter what age group you are dealing with, you're going to have kids giggling and laughing at the topic. Many in my high school health classes giggled and pointed like we were still in elementary school.

 

I'll say what I've always said in these threads. Sex Education is terrible! It is even worse than gym. Harsh, yet true. Never before have I been so annoyed. People who are going to do such antics are going to do them anyway. People that arent, arent. Nobody pays attention in these ridiculous courses.

Also, dont make us take this nonsense more than once. I had it maybe 4 or 5 times. Cut it out.

 

The key to sex education isn't stopping kids from doing stuff but the key is to killing the disinformation before it hurts them.

 

Mcnerf, if you want it only taught once, what age would you want to see it taught at?

 

I dont think it should be taught at all, its not the school's place to do so. If it MUST be taught, I suppose 8th or 9th grade.

 

I don't think it can be taught in schools, for the reason McNerf said. Too much fooling around and not taking it seriously.

 

I must agree with KesselRunner. The disinformation needs to be killed. I really don't like sex ed either, but if it's going to keep a child from getting pregnant or getting an STD I think it might be well worth it. I actually didn't mind getting it more than once. I never forgot any of it. I'm going into education and many of my friends who are doing their student teaching in 7th and 8th grade classrooms have children that are pregnant Something has to be done before then because children that age definitely are not ready to be mothers or fathers.

 

Sex Education is not about teaching kids how to do it, it is about informing them of the dangers and how to protect themselves/prepare themselves for the emotional, physical, and psychological weight of the action.


Precisely. It's the same thing I've been saying for years, and the same goes for Driver Education or even just school. Any idiot can get behind the wheel. Driver Education is teaching you how to think in such a way as to maximize everyone's safety on the road. Anyone can memorize facts; school is about teaching people how to think and analyze. Anyone can have sex; sex ed is just to teach the right mindset, and the possibly consequences.

 

That's all good, I agree. The problem is that the kids/students really don't show themselves to be mature enough to handle it well enough to make those ideals a reality.

 

We had sex ed. in my school in 5th grade, 7th grade, and 9th grade. In 5th grade, it was mostly about puberty, the changes of the body, and the basics of intercourse. In 7th it was taught by a woman who, trust me, could make people want to be virgins all their life -- it was so wrong to hear her talking about sex, and it was basically the same thing -- it went along with our study of biology, we talked about the reproductive systems of everything from plants to helminths all the way to humans throughout the year. Then in 9th grade it was also part of our biology class, except this time they threw in the marvelous world of STD's.


I guess what I'm saying is that I like how my school did it -- they just integrated it into the biology classes, made it a natural progression. They don't make a big deal of it, they just do the biology of it. No parents, from the liberals to the super-conservatives, minded. It got us more interested in biology and science than sex.


Just my $.02

 

The unfortunate thing is the religious types trying to prevent it, and in the process increase the problems of teen pregnancy, etc.

 

I think if it is taught, it should be 100% optional, and the parents would have to sign a form to get their kid to take it. I dont think its the school's place to teach this stuff, and I think if they must they should focus on abstinance. Not that it matters, because most people dont pay attention anyway. I know I didnt. For the first few days it was annoying and embarassing, but then I learned to tune it out. Its so easy to pass, you dont need to bother with listening to the same junk they teach you every single year. The people are going to be engaging in premarital antics are going to do so regarless of what some 40 year old "health teacher" drones on about, and the same goes for the people who dont want to do such things. Its useless.

 

Better yet, get it over with in a single, OPTIONAL, assembly rather than making it a class and taking up valuable education time. In this manner, more people would POSSIBLY listen, since a single time would be far less bothersome than an entire semester of it.

 

Or you could just integrate it into the biology class, like I said in my post! Arrrgh! I hate it when my posts are ignored!

 

I agree with you, Ariana. I think the Biology option is a good one. It was part of Biology for me in 9th grade, and it was taught by an intelligent, sharp teacher.

 

Ariana-I like the way my school did it as well. It was very similar to yours, but in middle school we have separate health classes and it's talked about it in that class.

Kessel-I'm a religious type that would like to see it remain in the schools. Unpopular notion in the religious community, but I just don't want to see a bunch of pregnant teens and pre-teens running around. I think I would definitely encourage abstinence, however.

The only problem I have with leaving it totally up to the parents is that many parents don't have the education to teach their children about STD's and what to do to prevent them. When my parents were my age, they didn't have to worry the same way that people do today. The parents would need to be educated before I would ever consider leaving it up to the parents. The fact of the matter is that many parents don't talk to their kids about it either.

 

Well McNerf really likes to ignore solid facts which contradict his opinion sometimes


Biology is the perfect place in which to integrate the subject, however the sad fact is that in the elementary grades you don't have a biology class, and sometimes not you only have about 20-40 minutes a week to do science in general.

 

Biology would be a good idea as well, as long as they stick with the scientific matters.

 

You think they should leave out all the information out about protection?