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When thinking of education, many people automatically think of going to school and learning math, English, history, and science, but education Is more than Just going to school. According to www. Webster. Com, the website for the Miriam-Webster dictionary, education is defined as “the action or process of educating or of being educated. ” Webster describes educate as “1 a: to provide schooling for … 2 a: to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction b: to provide with information. By looking at these definitions people can be educated on many Ideas ND subjects, not Just those that are standard to school. When people think of sex education, some believe It Is the act of teaching how to have sex. In some cases this may be true depending on the literature someone reads or by the person doing the educating. If peers are doing the teaching, they may learn the act of sex and the sensations. If parents are doing the teaching, they may focus more on the moral and religious aspects of having sex.
But, when looking at sex education from a scholastic approach, schools teach youth about the other things that are associated with sex. Sex education in school is designed to help teach youth about the other aspects of sex not the actual act of having it. This type of education teaches youth about the process of puberty, such as how the body visually changes and how a person emotionally changes. It also teaches, depending on the school and instructor, about checking the body and asking questions when something seems unusual.
Sex education may delve more Into different diseases, such as cancer and sexually transmitted diseases, that a person may get and how to spot them. Sex education Is also designed to talk to youth about the effects of having sex, such as getting pregnant. It may also get into the idea of how to cope with peer pressure, which may help not only with sex, but also when youth are approached about drugs and alcohol. There are many views regarding who should teach sex education tooth.
Many people feel this should be left completely up to the parents to teach, and others feel this type of education should be a collaborated effort from both parents and schools. By allowing schools to assist In educating youth about sex education, they will learn ore than just what parents teach, and may help dispel any myths about sex. Schools are designed to research and receive information based more on what physically happens and the different types of changes that happen to the body, whereas parents may not do the research and perhaps will only talk about their experiences.
Schools should be Involved In teaching youth about sex education. Schools decided to start teaching sex education to youth many years ago, not only in the united States, but in many other countries. Schools offer health classes to teach youth about the human body in general. At some point a decision was made that schools should teach sex education to make sure youth received proper information about their bodies, both male and female, and how their bodies change over time.
Schools teach students about puberty, which the Miriam-Webster online dictionary describes as “the condition of being or the period of becoming first first occurrence of menstruation in the female. ” Additionally, Miriam-Webster states that the ages for boys and girls to reach puberty is legally construed as ages fourteen and twelve respectively, which is when youth are going into Junior high school. At the time in youths lives when their bodies are changing and they have questions on why, some youth have a hard time talking to parents about what is happening to them.
Some parents may have a hard time discussing all the changes their child is going through, because they are not sure of the information, are unsure about how to talk about it, or do not have time to talk to their children. Youth may come up with questions that parents may not know the answer to or may not want to discuss. There are many people who feel “No one can talk clearly about a subject if they’re not sure of the facts. And faced by their children’s questions, many parents find they’re not quite sure of the facts as they thought they were” (Keener 37).
When youth are entering Junior high, they need information about their changing bodies and a school classroom is a great place to get this information. Schools are designed to research subjects of all kinds, and have instructors who are familiar and are able to answer different types of questions, or if they are not sure of the answers, are knowledgeable enough to find answers for their students. Many schools try to build their sex education curriculum to discuss the changes in the body, such as: the increasing amount of hair on the body, more sweating, and certain aspects of their body getting bigger.
Many teachers try to get the students to ask questions about what is happening and what may happen to them as they age, both physically and mentally. Youth also go through many psychological changes during puberty, such as mood swings. If youth are not given the proper information and enough information about their bodies, they may feel that what they are going through is strange and not supposed to happen at all. When schools teach about body development, they are able to teach students bout checking themselves for anything unusual.
When students learn about how their bodies should change and look as they age, they are then able to check themselves. One thing that some sex education courses may get into is cancer. When they discuss cancer, they talk about how students need to check their bodies, either on their own or with a doctor, for any unusual bumps. Many young girls are already aware of breast cancer from television, but most boys are not aware of testicular cancer. Sex education courses can get more in depth about the different places cancer can occur and how to check for them. Unless a parent is familiar with different cancers, how is a child to learn about them?
As youth go through their lives they experience many types of peer pressure, from friends and other people trying to get them to drink alcohol, do drugs, or even steal. One thing that most youth go through is pressure about having sex. Sex is an overpowering force in society; sex is portrayed on television, in music, and in books. Ann Chairman says “Children’s culture, once surrounded only by comics, and radio, now is inundated with sexual images and messages ‘many of which suggest that the ore casual, reckless, and even exploitative sex is the more pleasurable” (CTD. N Learn 136). Since sex is everywhere, some youth feel they have to participate in sex to be cool. Both adults and youth may be pressured into having sex, or participate in the saying “if you love me you will sleep with me. ” The people being pressured go through feelings of “if I don’t have sex with this person then they may not stay with me” or “if I do have sex with this person everyone may think that I am easy. ” Government, and many parents, think that all that a child needs to do is say no, but they forget what peer pressure was like at a young age.
Adults have a hard enough time saying no to sex and sexual activities, but adolescents who are not taught that it is K to say no, and the different ways to say no, will struggle to do so. People of all ages want to be liked and accepted with the ‘in’ crowds, and will do many things to be classified in that crowd, things such as drinking, doing drugs, smoking cigarettes, and even having sex. When talking to youth about peer pressure, teachers are able to advise youth about counselors and people they can talk to should they need assistance.
Schools also try to teach youth to respect themselves and their feelings, ND that if they are not comfortable in having sex, whether it is with that specific person or Just not ready at all, that it is K to say no; and when someone says no to respect the other person’s wishes. When people choose to have sex there is a possibility of the female becoming pregnant. When teachers discuss pregnancy during sex education they generally start by talking about the ways to prevent pregnancy.
The first and most common prevention method is abstinence. Many parents and lawmakers prefer that abstinence be the only method discussed, while others prefer the abstinence plus or impressive method. Abstaining from sex is the only one hundred percent way to keep from becoming pregnant; but there are other ways to help minimize the risks should a person choose to have sex. If teachers are teaching the abstinence plus method, they would then discuss the different types of contraception that can be used to keep from becoming pregnant.
Teachers would discuss the pros and cons of each type of contraception with the students. The abstinence only program usually just discusses the failures of the different types of contraception, which does not give dents complete and correct information (Sex Education Programs). Schools also discuss what the body goes through during pregnancy, such as the visual changes, the physical changes that are not seen, and the emotional side as well. They also delve into the kinds of life changes that may happen, like the responsibilities of parenthood.
Schools talk about what social changes a person has to make when they have a child, such as not being able to go out whenever that person may want to, having to find a babysitter that is trustworthy, and the money that will need to be diverted to childcare. Although parents may cover pregnancy with children, they may over exaggerate what may happen, whereas a teacher will give the facts to students. When a person chooses to have sex there is a risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or SST, also know as a sexually transmitted infection or SST’.
Schools tend to do research and obtain information on the many different types of Studs, and can teach more of that information to students than some parents. Youth will learn the different ways of contracting the diseases, what symptoms a person may get when they contract one of them, and what kind, if any, cures exist. If youth are taught comprehensive information about Studs, there will be a decrease in Studs being spread. In Loran’s book Safer Sex: The New Morality, it is stated that significantly lowered their SIT rates because of their pragmatic approach to sexuality.
They have educated the public through schools and through mass media campaigns” (152). If European countries have been able to lower SST rates by education than so can the United States by allowing schools to teach comprehensive sex education. By allowing schools to teach sex education they will be able to stop some of the youths associated with sex. Some myths associated with sex are that a female cannot get pregnant the first time having sex, without penetration, having sex in a hot tub, if have not started menstruation, if douche after sex, or if a female is raped.
Other myths include premarital sex will cause infertility; condoms either do not work at all or can be twice as safe if uses more than one, condoms do not provide any protection from sexually transmitted diseases; or that a person can not contract diseases through anal sex (Grant; Learn 142). According to Planned Parenthood, allowing schools to teach comprehensive sex education will help students “confront the realities of sexual behavior” since it is able to cover topics like abstinence, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases (Sexual Values 177).
Schools may teach more than Just puberty, pregnancy, Stud’s, and peer pressure. Unfortunately, there is no standard on what a school teaches. One group, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States or CUSCUS, suggests that schools teach the comprehensive method of sex education. CUSCUS has developed a large document that gives suggested guidelines for schools to build heir curriculum on. They have six key concepts which are human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture; each of these with six to seven topics.
Some of the topics include puberty, reproduction, body image, sexual orientation, family relationships, friendship, love, romance, marriage, children, values, decision making, communication, negotiation, sexuality throughout life, abstinence, sexual fantasy, contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, HIVE and AIDS, gender roles, and diversity (Guidelines for Comprehensive 18). If schools are able to follow the guidelines set by CUSCUS, then students will be taught more than Just sex before marriage, but a myriad of information that will assist them in multiple types of relationships for the rest of their lives.
Although sexual education courses are good and very informative, there are still many people who oppose those types of classes. Some people feel that schools will end up sending mixed messages to adolescents when teaching sex education. These people feel it is a mixed message because a school will try to teach youth to abstain room sex, but then include information about safe sex (Sexual Values 183). People feel that by including both types of messages, youth will not be able to distinguish which method is the better of the two and will choose to have sex.
Some parents feel that schools should stay out of teaching sex education and leave it up to them. There are parents who feel that the only people who should be teaching youth about sex or anything associated with sex, are parents. One reason why some people feel this way is because when teaching children about sex, youth are also being taught bout morals and values which are designated as parental responsibilities not scholastic. Many parents want their children to have certain values, which are often through parents or religious leaders only because they can teach youth those values.
Some religions and countries believe it is taboo to talk openly about sex. There are parents whom feel that schools should not be teaching sex because it is against their specific values or religion to talk about sex openly. Some parents also feel that by schools teaching sex education to youth, they are promoting teen sex. Parents feel hat giving youth the knowledge about contraceptives and how to use contraceptives properly will encourage them to have sex. When talking about condoms some people feel “Teach them how to use them? Why not teach them how to have sexual intercourse right in class?
That’s what you’re encouraging” (Learn 144). During sex education courses, adolescents are sometimes exposed to videos about sex and the body parts that are generally associated with sexual activities. Many parents do not like the idea of their children being exposed to these types of imagery and thus do not approve of sex education being taught in school. Some people believe that sex education courses that have already been introduced into the schools are the cause of the increase in number of teens that have sex and the increase in teen pregnancy (Humility).
Even though there are parents and other people who feel that sex education should be left up to parents, there are still good reasons why a school should be involved as well. Even the American Medical Association’s (AMA) website acknowledges that both parents and schools should be involved in youth’s sexual education experiences (Abstinence-only). There are parents who believe that schools would be interfering with their beliefs and values if the schools were to teach sex education, but sex education courses are more about facts and allowing the students to make their own decisions when it comes to sexual relationships.
There are some cultures and religions that feel talking openly about sex is taboo, take China for instance. China has had a long standing belief that sex should not openly be discussed. According too Chinese newspaper called People’s Daily, China has decided to start teaching sex education in middle schools. This article states that Lie Handing, who is the deputy director of the Family Planning Association of China, believes it is time to stop teaching their ideal moral standards, and allow the youth to learn and be able to choose the right lifestyle choice on their own (Beijing Publishes).
So even though it has been taboo in China to talk about sex, they have decided that it is in the best interest of their youth to have the schools teach sex education. There are some people who feel that by teaching sex education to youth, schools will be sending mixed messages. Schools advocate abstinence but also teach about interception to give youth adequate information for when they choose to engage in sexual activities, whenever they choose to do so.
According to a book titled Sexual Values: Opposing Viewpoints, Planned Parenthood feels that instructing youth on abstinence and contraceptives is not sending mixed messages. Planned Parenthood states that by teaching both, schools will be teaching a balanced message not a mixed message. They give a few examples of similar messages: “Drive safely so you can avoid accidents; and wear your seat belt Just in case. ” “Candy tastes good, but eating a lot of it isn’t good for you. “It’s best to avoid too much sun exposure; but if you’re going to be in the sun a lot, wear sunscreen” (Sexual Values 183).
So society is already sending these types of messages without them being construed as being member in Texas, “Teachers should teach both because that’s what education is – teaching students about the pros and cons and helping them make the best possible choice for themselves” (Thomas). So teaching both abstinence and contraception to youth is a good idea because they receive complete information. Although there are people who feel that by teaching sex education to youth, schools will be promoting sex, there are statistics that contradict this theory.
When the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed 35 sex education programs they found that comprehensive programs were effective in promoting the delay of first intercourse and safer sex practices. The WHO says that none of these programs increase sexual activity levels (Learn 126). Even Avert. Org, an international AIDS charity, agrees that sex education programs push the average age of first sexual intercourse back and also reduces the risks associated with sex (Sex Education that Works).
By giving youth complete and correct information on sex and the risks associated with sex, youth are able to make their own responsible decisions on whether they are willing to take those risks. There are other countries that teach sex education, and “their rates of teen sexual activity are no higher than America’s, and their rates of teenage pregnancy, childbearing, and abortion are two to seven times lower” (Sexual Values 178). In a 1986 report from the National Research Council, it was found that the information given on contraceptives did not influence their decision to participate in sexual activities (Sexual Values 183).
According to Debra Huffier, who wrote Abstinence-only education Isn’t Enough, there was a government report that found as the comprehensive sex education courses increased the number of teenage females participating in sex has decreased and so has the birthrate among them (CTD. In Francoise and Tavern 80). Although parents and other people will still have the belief that instructing youth on sex education will increase their chance of having sex, there are many people who say that it does not increase the amount, but it does assist those who are already having sex to make good decisions about protecting themselves.
When looking at different statistics for teen pregnancy and Studs comparing the United States to other Countries that have extensive sex education courses, there are tremendous differences. Youth in the United States are experimenting in sexual activities at younger ages than they have in the past. According to the book Sexual Values, “One-fourth of all girls and one-third of all boys have had intercourse by age 15; 75% of females and 86% of males by age 19” (181). This is an alarming amount of youth participating in sexual activities. An article written in a youth magazine in Australia says “The U.
S. Pregnancy rate is 53 per 1000 teenagers. Holland, which has had explicit sex education for decades has a rate of 5 per 1000, as is Australia’s. Only 6% of the births in Queensland are to teenagers” (Divided Opinion). Many youth that are participating in sexual activities are doing so unprotected, and according to some research “young people 1 5 to 24 account for about half the new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States each year” (Sherman). According to the book Safer Sex: The New Morality, Teens in the United States contract about 3 million Sty’s each year.
Chlamydia is n the rise, with severe consequences. Our generator rate is 25 times higher than Germany. In the general population, the United States rate of AIDS is ten times more than four times higher than the rate in France. One in five people in the United States has an SST’. About 25 percent of sexually experienced adolescents are infected. (Learn 153) These other countries listed include sex education in their school curriculum and their statistics are better than the United States. Of course parents should be teaching their children sex education, but schools play a vital and long-standing role in adolescents’ lives.
Many parents find talking about sex education difficult, and that they are not sure of all of the information that youth may want to discuss. Schools have been designed to provide youth with complete information in order for them to be better informed and be able to make their own educated Judgments. One person has been quoted as saying: I ask those who oppose sex education: How could education ever be wrong? How could ignorance ever be right? What good is reading, writing and arithmetic to a student who will die of AIDS because he or she was denied education by our schools?
There are many reasons why schools must educate students on life issues like protective sex education. Ignorance is not bliss. (Sexual Values 179) No parents would want their children to be uneducated, and when it comes to sex education, there should be no difference in that belief. As previously mentioned, there have also been studies which have shown that other countries whom include sex education into their curriculum may not have less teen sex, but teens wait anywhere from a year to two years longer than here in the United States, have less teen pregnancies, and lower rates of sexually transmitted sissies.
By looking at this kind of information, what better way to have youth educated on issues that are discussed in sex education, than to have it taught by schools? Schools may not get into the religious views on sex, but schools can at least ensure that youth have correct information. Very few people will choose to abstain from sex until marriage, so youth need all valid information to be able to make informed choices when they choose to participate in sexual activities, whether before or during marriage. The only way to make sure youth received complete information s to have schools teach sex education as well as the parents.