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Sex-ed in Schools is Inefficient and Unimportant

Posted by: Haley York

Thursday, December 13, 2007 3:38 PM

The situation: Health class teaches both abstinence and protection methods while condoms are being handed out on school property. Ironic?

The problem: Students are receiving a mixed message from teachers, Planned Parenthood, and companies like Christie Clinic.

The solution: Where to start? Should schools ban the presence (or the distribution) of condoms on school property? Should they stop teaching protection methods? Or abstinence methods?

In this generation of students, none of these solutions is acceptable. If condoms are banned, then students will have more unprotected sex, leading to the spread of STDs and an outbreak of teenage pregnancies. The same result could be achieved by stopping the teaching of protection methods. Probably the least harmful solution would be to stop teaching abstinence. But, if that were the case, students would have an even firmer belief that sex is ok, without anyone telling them otherwise.

The fact is, sex-ed in schools is a joke. None of the students take it seriously, and the topics are not thoroughly covered. Abstinence is only mentioned now and then, and only as an alternative. "The best way, and the only 100% safe way to not get pregnant or get an STD is to not have sex." That's all abstinence is for students: an alternative. To me, abstinence is the only option, and there is NO alternative.

The funny thing is, all the students enjoy sex-ed. Why? To watch everyone squirm. And the best part? The visit from from Planned Parenthood. Everyone loves seeing the plastic male and female organs and the demonstration of condoms and diaphragms. It's all a joke, a laugh, a good time for the majority of students. And if they don't take it seriously in class, why is the "real world" any different?

Here's my solution: Parents. Talk to your kids while you still have the chance. Explain to them the benefits of staying abstinent, and the consequences of the alternative, protected or unprotected. Make sure, and I must stress this, MAKE SURE they understand that they are not immune to the consequences. Too many kids think that "bad stuff" won't happen to them, and then it does. Show them this website if they have some questions, http://www.realsexedfacts.com/ , or just Google "sex ed." Of course, you can also take them to Planned Parenthood and talk to someone there, but mainly OPEN their eyes to reality.

Last thing: Parents, don't think that your child is too smart, or too good to do these things. Many of the pregnant girls that I know are nice, good girls who made a mistake. These girls got good grades, were Honor Roll students, teachers' pets, then took the wrong road. SO please, talk to your kids.

Comments

Interesting ideas, although I completely disagree.

Your perspective is valid but you also cannot speak for students without the benefit of parents, guardians or other role models. Or can you say that no student benefits from these classes.

Also, the statistics do not support your argument, but it does not invalidate your point, there should be a clear, concise message, which is lacking.

Posted by mtyoungb on December 13, 2007 at 5:53 PM

Mtyoungb:

You are the one who is wrong. She has made her choice; why does it bother you and others so much?

I don't understand the pro-teen-sex crowd. They can't let people make their own decisions.

To me, that is the crux of the problem: Too many adolescent wanna-bes masquerading as adults.

Posted by Wenalway on December 14, 2007 at 2:41 PM

Teaching them to wait is appropriate. Teaching them the consequences of parenthood is appropriate. Teaching them that the only acceptable choices are complete abstinence or heterosexual marriage is religion, not sex education, and does not belong in public schools.

Posted by jgrout on December 22, 2007 at 1:15 PM

Educating them about the smart choice does belong in public schools, though, especially now that people are proclaiming the reckless choice to be the smart choice.

Ignorance must be countered with fact.

Posted by Wenalway on December 28, 2007 at 4:38 PM

Hmmm... the plastic parts sound interesting -- a lot more interesting than the sex-ed I got in high school in the 80s.

Was it a requirement for passing sex ed that you pass a practical test (like Driver's Ed) by installing a a condom on the dummy (in the back seat of a car, at night with no lights, in 10 seconds or less so as not to lose the mood). Anything less is as dangerous as handing over the car keys to a solo driver who's done no 'behind the wheel'.

A lot of high schoolers and anti-sex-ed folks, especially those that blog think that they can take such courses in college, and learn about it later and just abstain.

But what for those that are married before college, either because of child #1 -- how do they learn to prevent kiddo #2? Or if your formal education ends with high school? Do these folks not also need basic health education?

I remember when my little sister was going to school being horrified to learn about oral sex parties, because 'you're still a virgin'. This is a direct result of the 'abstaining til marriage' idea, you had a lot of 'techno/biblical-virgins' in her class... of course oral STD's rose during those years...

Flash forward to now, a good friend of mine describes dating in his circle as being especially dangerous as the younger generations that have always known AIDS now see it as a 'manageable' disease so they now are returning to the days of Bareback Mountin' That's really scary from my old rocking chair...

Posted by dw on January 15, 2008 at 2:15 PM

There are 25 or more known STDs in the world. If you engage in sex, alot, get tested and make sure you know your partner and that BOTH of you are ready.

From my personal experience I think that sex-ed should be revised. My last sex-ed class was in 2002-2003 and I plan on taking another at my University with in the next two semesters. I'm not sure if what has changed since then, but I remember the class as immature, and the boys were the ones that were being immature. I think Sex is a very serious topic because there are so many consequences. I believe that scaring students is NOT the proper way to handle it; then again I do not believe that cutting it out is the correct path either. Again I'm not sure how it is handled now, but when I was in the Urbana School system two health classes were required. 7th grade and 10th grade, that was all we were given. The instructors did what they could as best they could with our age group. Have people ever thought that maybe it isn't what is being taught in the schools but what is happening in the home that is the issue? I was home schooled until 7th grade, I had to have a sex discussion with my Mom as part of the lesson. It was very painful for me because it was rarely talked about in my home, if it was brought up it was, just don't do it, nothing else about consequences such as STDs (in fact 7th grade was the first time I heard of STDs). As for pregnancy, before sex-ed I thought you just had to kiss a boy or hold hands and you would become pregnant. The point being avoiding this topic in the classroom is VERY DANGEROUS... and it can have extreme consequences on a society.

Posted by eemmlette on February 19, 2008 at 1:58 PM

Isn't Knowledge Power?

Posted by eemmlette on February 19, 2008 at 1:59 PM