Have you noticed that there is a lot of talk about "sex education" but very little about "health education," the class where sex education is taught? I asked my educator friend from Dallas, TX when it was taught, and she said in the secondary classroom setting (C. Davis, personal communication, June 22, 2011). To me, that is where the problem lies. Sex education does need to be taught in the public school but before the children's hormones have taken off! Plus, it may need a name change, something along the lines of "hormone education," "adult 101," or "personal responsibilities/consequences". Sex may technically mean one's body makeup as a male or female (Alexander, LaRosa, Bader, Garfield, & Alexander, 2010, p. 68) but not in an adolescent's mind. It means coitus to them in whatever form it involves.
An abstinence-only program should be in the public school. It should be taught at various times, to preadolescent (upper elementary school), as well as middle and high school children. Hopefully, the school setting is reinforcing the message they get from parents, church and social organizations. Children definitely need to know the workings of their body parts. But they also need to know the legal ramifications and possible consequences (pregnancy, molestation, and rape, to name a few) to their actions. They need to know that legally, in the United States, this is an adult activity. It is not for children. There are responsibilities and consequences for not using abstinence when they are underage. For example, in California, it is illegal for two minors to have coitus with each other. It can result in juvenile or adult court (California Statutory Rape FAQ, 2009). Even as children, respect for the laws of the land should be expected and taught. If they choose to play by adult rules, non-abstinence, then they will quickly learn that they have to also live by adult rules.
References
Alexander, L. L., LaRosa, J. H., Bader, H., Garfield, S., & Alexander, W. J. (2010).
New dimensions in women's health. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers
California Statutory Rape FAQ. (2009). California Statutory Rape FAQ. Retrieved from
http://www.sexlaws.org/california_statutory_rape#Q1
Rachel Buckley's Blog Comment 1:
ReplyDeleteBecca,
I absolutely agree with you that teaching sex education in high school is too late. By the time most kids get to high school, they have already experimented with sex and may have already picked up bad behaviors. Like the text book stated, most teenage girls go one year between their first intercourse experience and seeking advice from a clinician (Alexander, 2010, p. 97). I also like your idea of changing the name of the course- perhaps it would bring down the stigma as well. I add "reproductive responsibility class" into the hat.
Alexander, L. L., LaRosa, J. H., Bader, H., Garfield, S., & Alexander, W. J. (2010). New dimensions in women's health. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers
Becca,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you to some extent an abstinence- only program is not as good as an abstinence- plus program. It should start early within the elementary phase of 5th grade for the reason some young girls experience their first menarche and boys need to be aware. Now in today's classrooms health education includes sex education and everything else. Besides teaching it within the school systems it has to be taught at home, at the doctors, and also from healthcare providers as well. It is true by the time some kids have reached high school they have already experimented with sex and its responsibilities/consequences and by then it is too late. I feel teaching everything in an abstinence- plus program will make a child more aware rather than teaching on the basis of an abstinence- only program.
Hello Becca,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Rachel about teaching children about their sexual health before their hormones dictate their lives. I also think that changing the course's name would be very productive. We have to remember that kids are not mature and going into a class that is named sex education will take their attention away from the information they need to learn. I do not agree, though, that an abstinence-only program is the best way to go. It hasn’t really worked for us in the past and there is no reason for us to assume it is going to work in the future. In fact, our text book shows us that an abstinence-only program can be counterproductive (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 66).
Reference
Alexander, L.L., LaRosa, J. H., Bader, H., Garfield, S., & Alexander, W. J., (2010). New Dimensions in Women’s Health (5th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.