Ok, to start I should say, I’m not in school anymore, just finished my first year of college. I mainly have two questions to ask those who frequent the forum:
1. Is the sex ed we have today good enough.
Sex ed in my small town school was the teacher sat us down, put up some diagrams of genitalia, and said don’t get AIDS. That last part was good advice nonetheless, but I think there is more to be said about sex. This was when I was in 7th grade. When I had health the second time around, we had just gotten a new school nurse that year. She came in and gave a lecture about STD’s. Her lecture contained many pictures of diseased penises and vulvas with descriptions of each disease. For some reason, the school allowed her to show this slideshow, but she couldn’t show us how to correctly use a condom, or even show us the condoms…she just kind of flashed the box.
My real question is, how are people supposed to know anything about anything if this is all we are given. I am not only speaking for myself; people I have talked to from all around agree. I also notice a breakdown of information in the younger generations as well (I have a younger brother). Teen pregnancies, STD’s, all kinds of things happening, yet little has changed other than saying “don’t have sex”. What can be done about this? How much more should be taught?
2. I would also like to ask any others out there who wish to comment on how sex ed was implemented in their schools what they think.
Any feedback appreciated. May even be a fun debate. Thank you.
I agree 100% that sex & health education is severely lacking in the schools & at home. What my brother was taught v. what I was taught was significantly different.
The major factor you are encountering is a result of The current President of the US who believes in teaching abstinence. Any sex education taught in schools is an option the school can add; however, they will jeopardize their Federal/State funding.
What can you do? Ask your parents to complain to the Superintendent of schools & to the state. Often, I give patients reading material of Internet links for what I cannot teach them during a patient exam.
I believe it should be the responsibility of the school to teach 100% (my brother & his class had to practice putting a condom on a banana). I have worked in Catholic hospitals where discussing birth control was prohibited under all circumstances (including rape). Others and I did still teach & inform patients of all option regardless of the Archdiocese affiliation.
Holland has the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world followed closely by the Scandinavian countries. The US has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world but dropping. The incidence of sexual behaviour among teens in N. America, Europe, Australia is essentially the same.
The difference in teen pregnancy rates is generally ascribed to sex education including self-protective actions rather than just "sex is bad before marriage."
I agree with Sera. People think that if they teach 'abstinence only' that teens won't have sex. Bull, for the most part. Kids are kids and they get curious, especially about that which is 'forbidden'. So instead of doing their inevitable exploring with a knowledge base that can protect them from unintended consequences, they do it with no idea of how to use the protections available to them. Then when something happens, add to that the stigma and non-support of those they care about because they didn't abstain. If you want to teach your kids to abstain, fine, but also give them the info they need just in case they don't. And I personally don't buy for a moment that there was any more abstinence in my parents' generation than there is in mine-we're just more willing to acknowledge it and discuss it like intelligent adults.
Let's see 5th and 6th grades, 1971-1973. Boy's in one classroom and girls in the other. Don't really remember alot of what I was taught by the teachers, it was a long time ago. They sent home stuff for our parents, mom sent away for the stack of information, and well that's as far as mom and I got for sex. Dad more warned me about boys, and that as a girl I could come home pregnant so I got a curfew when my brothers didn't. I got around that, he put a curfew on the car he bought me not thinking I would just bring it home and have someone pick me up.
If you have a younger brother and want him to know more, then sit him down and give him facts, don't make it up. Hand him a condom, show him on a banana how to put it on correctly. Schools should teach more, parents should teach more, yet????? Don't let him laugh at you and don't laugh at him, he needs his big brother.
[QUOTE=Brandye;222545]Holland has the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world followed closely by the Scandinavian countries. The US has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world but dropping. The incidence of sexual behaviour among teens in N. America, Europe, Australia is essentially the same.
The difference in teen pregnancy rates is generally ascribed to sex education including self-protective actions rather than just "sex is bad before marriage."[/QUOTE]
Why is this the case Brandye? What do they teach and when, if you know?
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I would disagree that the state and federal sex Ed programs in middle and high schools is lacking, they are down right harmful, and even can be argued to be unconstitutional. Now it was not that long ago that I was in middle and high school and my next door neighbor, who is more of a brother, just finished middle school. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]From the very first moment you know it is going to be bad, they combined the drug and sex education programs, since when dose sex do as much damage to your body as drugs. They basically had the same point of view on both of them, don’t do it or it will kill you. Now I can’t go over all the horrible things they did but I will tell you the “high points”. One of the “games” they had us play went like this, two people in the class had cards with AID writes on it, then the rest of us got cards with either condom, no condom or abstinence. We would walk around signing each others cards, if you singed a card of an “AID” person they would write aids on our card if there was no condom, and flip a coin if it had condom. The point was every one got aids except the people with abstinence on there card. [/FONT][/SIZE]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Let’s see what else, we had to sign abstinence pledges. I got my parents call for “not participating” because I did not sign it, my parents sided with me. they told us the condoms are only about 90% effective, and then explained that if we have sex ten times with condoms we are likely to get the girl pregnant, not joking at all. We had to say over and over that the only safe sex is abstinence. This all happened in California, I wonder how bad the programs are in other states. Luckily my mother has a M.P.H. so I got some good healthy education about sex. Then in college I took human sexuality and it was a very good class, a little graphic so some parents would not approve, but I say to hell with them, and start teaching college level human sexuality in high school. [/SIZE][/FONT]
1. The current sex ed in the US is woefully lacking. Either they take the strictly scientific path and talk about various hormones etc. Of they take the right-wing sanctioned path of telling you abstinence is the way to go, which is basically what you were taught.
What you do is you go to libraries, bookstores, and websites - sex ed becomes a "do-it-yourself" educational experience.
2. I got in trouble during sex ed, as I remember. The teacher, a man, asked a mixed group of kids "Who remembers their first kiss?" I asked him "The first kiss where?" I was told to shut up. Well, someone had to do it!!!
For those wishing to read up on the basics of sex: www.lulu.com/content/2508691
For those wanting a more advanced education: www.lulu.com/content/1232509
Goof,
European government schools, for the most part, teach a full and progressive curriculum of how the male and female bodies work, the chances and likelihood of pregnancy and disease, how to prevent either or both, alternative sexual activities with their dangers and how they can be effective substitutes for vaginal sex, including homosexuality among both men and women. Generally, there are real contraceptive devices, especially condoms, available and their proper use is shown and practiced. OK, they put them on bananas or broomsticks but everyone takes one home. The use of vaginal spermicides is shown and some are available for practice, such as filling the applicator with foam.
Abstinence is taught as the only way to be 100% certain but the effectiveness of everything else is compared against that. Date rape is taught with the rights of women to stop at any point. Thirty years ago, 90% of first sex experiences were unprotected. That is likely closer to 30% now - still far from where it should be.
This is all begun when they are about 11 and the use of condoms is introduced by about age 14. The teachers are taught to be sex ed teachers as rigorously as math teachers are taught to be math teachers. Parents can opt their children out but this is rarely done.
There are places where local school administration may modify in response to parental demand. On example of that is in the Hebrides (my home) where the influence of the Presbyterian church, on the North islands, and the Catholic Church, on the South Islands, is significant. There are still minimums that must be taught.
I agree with you somewhat Mr. Saint, it is kind of harmful. And it was taught to us as well (in upstate NY) along with the "drug unit". Just kinda threw a bunch of crap at us and said "BAD. No." That was it. Lame videos about having sex too young and random drug ralated gang violence, same poor production qualities and made up names.
The main thing I would stress is, pretty much what everyone else said, the promotion of contraceptives. I have a friend who just recently got a girlfriend pregnant. Rare chance that both the condom and the morning after pill failed. He told me something; "people are going to have sex".
I don't think I had ever heard about anything other than a condom or birth control until after highschool. Some of my friends from around here don't know of these things either. I still hear about new stuff sometimes. At least there are some places that give out free condoms occasionally, but i hear they're weak.
I think how sex is percieved in the United States has alot to do with it's Puritanical origins. The pilgrims made friends with the Natives, and left a sex shunning legacy. I have noticed it's not like this is other countries; on BBC America, they actualy say "blow job" before 10p.m.
So how is that abstinence-only sex ed working out for you, Mrs. Palim?
How many times does a program have to fail before people realise that it does not work? Repression solves nothing. Being ineffective solves nothing. Proper factual education, provision of necessary items if wanted, and compassionate understanding is what is required - not merely "say no".
Sex in History by Tannahill should be required reading in secondary schools.
Currently, I'm reading Folkways and although a older work, it does have information regarding how people behave in the collective sense that is valid for today's world.
Wow, it all came rushing back. Well not all, but a memory. Being in metro Detroit I get a Canadian station, and always have. I remember watching as way to young of a kid blue movies. Now these were X rated movies shown on a regulat tv channel. This would of been back in the mid to late 60's and early 70's. And when we went to visit the relatives, which is probably where we discovered them in the first place. Yep, nothing like watching a porno with your brothers. LOL
I wouldn't call these ugly the camera just continued to roll after the adults went to bed.