improving sex education

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Improving Sex Education

One of the most forgotten subjects, unless as a joke, is sex education. As a result there is no reliable impetus for students to truly learn about the material that is currently being taught, many tend to forget about it. It doesn’t help that the quality of this brand of education can vary. Several problems can emerge from a teen or young adult being unaware, or simply not caring, about the impacts sex can have. With the exception of being a celibate, a lifestyle that requires for one to have a will of steel, the most effective way of ensuring individuals won’t deal with a potentially unpleasant situation is by making them more informed about sex. Considering the purpose of schools is to educate its students; this means that sex education should be improved.

Sex Education’s Current Status

Currently, describing sex education in its entirety as detailed and impactful would be inaccurate. The fact is it affects everyone at some point in their lives, whether one is properly prepared for it is a different story. A person’s readiness is definitely influenced by how much they know beforehand. As every state is somewhat involved in sex education for its public school students, then a person who has attended a public school at some point would be informed. However, the material being taught varies from state-to-state, meaning that there are plenty of people who aren’t as informed as others. That is not to say every public school is unreliable when it comes to this subject, but only thirteen states require the material be medically accurate, with twenty-seven being required to stress abstinence as the best option. The schools that do rely on an abstinence-only approach with their sex-education don’t produce effective results. Telling someone to do something, or vice versa, isn’t effective if a poor explanation is given. This ignorance often leads to unprotected sex, which in of itself can lead to a teen pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted disease. It goes without saying the number of these instances occurring could be prevented if those involved were more aware.

Possible Improvements

Taking a more realistic view on sex education is the first step in improving it. It is important to accept the fact adolescents are likely to engage in risky behavior; public schools might as well do their best in minimizing the severity of the potential consequences by teaching their students. Due to the unreliability of abstinence-focused programs, a comprehensive sex-ed class is the best option in reducing the number of teen pregnancies and STDs. However, it is important to explain the components of a comprehensive sexual education program.

Effective sexual education has its fair share of characteristics, with the most successful thoroughly covering multiple topics. These curriculums should include accurate information on human anatomy, physiology, families, personal safety, healthy relationships, pregnancy and birth, the various sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives, pregnancy options, and sexual orientation. The more thorough the better considering the damage that can be done by someone who doesn’t possess enough common sense to utilize deductive reasoning. Using incremental escalation is also recommended, as it would be beneficial for individuals to learn all this information when their body is beginning to face these changes. In other words, the material being taught should be age appropriate, as it would be inappropriate and ineffective to teach a child every facet of sex at such an early age. A step-by-step approach will ensure that those being taught will understand what they’re learning.

(A bird and a bee, image courtesy of the Denver Waldorf School.)

These programs should not be utilized with the mentality of scaring adolescents into not having sex by listing all of its consequences, such as the possibility of a teen pregnancy and getting a STD. That is not to say these repercussions should be avoided at all; they are very important topics. Everyone should be provided with this information so they would be more aware of an important aspect of their lives. Other than individuals being knowledgeable about something so vital, these programs would also decrease the instance of teen pregnancies and people being affected with STDs. Although the topic of sex can be uncomfortable when brought up, considering the benefits sex-ed can bring, it could be counted as an absolute win. andres gonzalez staff writer