Comprehensive Sex Ed
Comprehensive Sex Ed. By Lindsey Kremaku Two thirds of all STD’s in our country occur in people under the age of 25. A majority of which are uneducated on the threats sexually transmitted diseases impose, the symptoms of infection, and how they are contracted. Comprehensive sexual education (sex ed.) is lacking in many schools across the United States, and must be required of all students wishing to graduate. As a college student that is concerned about my own personal sexual health, I am grateful for the sex education that I received, and wish that all students are given the option to receive the comprehensive course that I have. Sex ed is generally taught in elementary school from 5th to 6th grade, in junior high/middle school to 8th graders, and again in high school the junior or senior year of education. Sex ed has the purpose of informing students of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, teaching them about puberty and the changed in their sexuality, how to go about safe and protected sex, and the reproductive system. A disappointing 39 percent of school districts require the teaching of sex ed. (etr.org, 2005) So, knowing that only 39 percent of school districts require sex ed, I wonder how many people my age, college students in their 20s, are uninformed about sexual activity and the risks that accompany sexual activities? In a conversation with one of my roommates, about condom use, I was absolutely shocked at something she said. “Condoms are pointless if you’re on birth control!” My jaw dropped and once I recovered it to its closed position, I explained to her that condoms are very effective in preventing the contraction and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. My roommate was completely unaware that condoms had any use other than to help prevent pregnancy. The rapid spread of disease in this country finally made sense to me. People who have not received comprehensive sex ed might not even know that condoms are useful in preventing disease. I finally realized that I was among a small group of people that were well educated about sex and it’s accompanying diseases. Even with the alarming amount of uneducated people that are helping to spread sexually transmitted diseases, the teaching of sex ed is still controversial in many school districts. About 7 percent of the American population, believe sex ed. should not be taught during any level of education (USA Today). Some stricter schools even outlaw any sex ed except for abstinence-only education, such as at Daisy Reyes’ Catholic School: “I received abstinence-only sexuality education at school. In 13 years of Catholic schooling, the only sexuality education I received was one week each year, using scare tactics. The week was dedicated to showing students hour-long videos of STD-Infected genitalia and aborted fetuses, and telling us tragic stories about doomed teen couples that had sex. At no point during the week was contraceptive or condom use mentioned. Was the abstinence-only program successful? Of the 60 students in my graduating class, 5 girls became pregnant before 18.” (Daisy Reyes, Women’s Health Activist.) Other schools choose to teach uncensored and very informative sex ed. Teaching safe sex methods, giving examples of contraceptive methods such as condoms, birth control, and other pregnancy and disease prevention devices. Some schools even go to extremes with their sex ed programs. In one case, at George Washington University, a professor used videos that showed real people performing sexual acts. He also discussed willing student’s personal lives as a form of teaching. (Seicus report, 2005) Finding a middle-ground for sex ed that allows safe-sex practices and contraceptive ideas to be taught, while keeping sex somewhat modest, and using abstinence as a solution, but not an answer, is constantly being sought out. Several school districts across the nation have found a successful route to follow when it comes to teaching comprehensive sex ed. One of those successful school districts is local to Washington State. In an interview with Joni Brand, a school nurse for the Northshore School District, in Woodinville, Washington, she described the districts’ comprehensive sex ed curriculum in depth. The school district teaches to 5th and 6th grade students using Disney-made educational films. The classes are split into two; one room for male students and one room for female students. This is done so that each sex can feel comfortable asking questions pertaining to their gender. The videos the students watch use cartoon images to display examples of each gender’s reproductive system and also a generative cartoon of the process of puberty for each gender. The videos are harmless to the young eyes, but informative and factual. After the videos, students are given pens and paper to ask anonymous questions they might have lingering that the videos did not answer. The instructors then answer the questions for the whole class. (Brand, 2005) For the Northshore School District elementary sex ed classes, the focus is not about the morality of pre-marital sex, the act of sex is not even discussed other than what the actual term means and how it pertains to conception. Once students in this district have reached 8th grade, students are required to take a one-quarter long health class that has about two weeks worth of sex ed related topics. The course teaches students about sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, the reproductive system in regards to puberty for both genders, and the likelihood of catching a disease and becoming pregnant from unprotected sex and also sex with contraceptive use. (Brand, 2005) In 12th grade at Northshore, a senior health class is required for graduation. Students discuss sex in a more mature manner. Sex, and how it relates to healthy relationships, diseases, pregnancy, and rape, are all discussed in an open, factual atmosphere. From my personal experience, being a student under this curriculum, I can say that it was very effective, useful, and did not promote promiscuity. I am one of the most sexually informed people I know (of all ages). Northshore is one of few school districts that have found a successful route to teaching comprehensive sex ed without pressuring abstinence-only ideas on students. Across the country, in school districts like Northshore, sex ed was formed to educate. It was not formed to promote sexual promiscuity. While the teaching of sex ed is under controversy in the United States, it is still a travesty that it still only remains in less than 50 percent of school districts in the country in this day and age.
|
