What should sex education include?

[Adelaide]

What should sex education curriculums include for high school students?

This has been a point of controversy where I am from, and I know it has also been that way on the forum. Should parents be teaching it? What about kids who don't have parents involved enough? Do we teach anatomy? Do we teach about major pathologies? Should there be information about birth control methods and what to do in emergencies? Should there be lengthy discussions on consent and sexual violence? What about gender and sexual orientation? So on.

What does everyone think?

[jet57]

What should sex education curriculums include for high school students?

This has been a point of controversy where I am from, and I know it has also been that way on the forum. Should parents be teaching it? What about kids who don't have parents involved enough? Do we teach anatomy? Do we teach about major pathologies? Should there be information about birth control methods and what to do in emergencies? Should there be lengthy discussions on consent and sexual violence? What about gender and sexual orientation? So on.

What does everyone think?

Well, what I got, that started in the 6th grade... and then in Health and Safety in high school, was anatomy, how babies are made, birthing, and sexual safety. I've never been much a fan of it in public schools: it's a private thing, but some parents just don't get it or are too religious to talk about safe sex, so there has been a gap to fill. Sexual orientation is a social thing however, so THAT does need to be covered to protect and explain...

[FindersKeepers]

By the time they reach high school, the kids all know the basics about sex but they don't know how to deal with their hormones and remain responsible.

I have no problem with a comprehensive sex ed program, as long as parents and kids can opt out. I think the best agenda to take is one that gives information to protect themselves, such as how to use birth control and how to keep from getting diseases. I think it's also a good idea to teach them to err on the side of caution -- having sex before they're ready can emotionally scar them.

I think it's fine to mention gender differences--I mean, they're out there so might as well--and I think it's important to teach tolerance, but I don't think sex ed teachers should ever encourage a student to go ahead and have sex or to experiment. I think that has to be the student's choice.

I think it's vital to teach young girls that older men do not have their best interests at heart and that they should not be swayed by those perverts.

Most of all, I think both boys and girls should be taught to set lofty goals for their lives and they should understand how having sex when their young can derail those goals.

[Admiral Ackbar]

This should not be in the schools in the first place. Any real man learns this where I did.. On the streets and while hanging out in an auto repair shop looking at the "educational" magazines they have there.

The girls the just need to trust the boys and follow their lead.

[Adelaide]

By the time they reach high school, the kids all know the basics about sex but they don't know how to deal with their hormones and remain responsible.

I have no problem with a comprehensive sex ed program, as long as parents and kids can opt out. I think the best agenda to take is one that gives information to protect themselves, such as how to use birth control and how to keep from getting diseases. I think it's also a good idea to teach them to err on the side of caution -- having sex before they're ready can emotionally scar them.

I think it's fine to mention gender differences--I mean, they're out there so might as well--and I think it's important to teach tolerance, but I don't think sex ed teachers should ever encourage a student to go ahead and have sex or to experiment. I think that has to be the student's choice.

I think it's vital to teach young girls that older men do not have their best interests at heart and that they should not be swayed by those perverts.

Most of all, I think both boys and girls should be taught to set lofty goals for their lives and they should understand how having sex when their young can derail those goals.

I think that I agree with most of this.

A couple of interesting things came up in what I was reading earlier, like one student who didn't know how to have safe "gay sex" because it was never covered (I'm assuming that means anal sex was not adequately covered - which does have higher risks associated with it, and both men and women engage in it).

Also, not understanding pleasure - anatomy is taught but kind of poorly, so you have a significant portion of teenagers learning "pleasure" from pornography instead of anyone ever pointing at a diagram and saying "This is a clitoris..." or "This is a p-spot." So, before anyone throws an accusation at me, I am not suggesting we teach kids how to give oral sex or something, but I think maybe it wouldn't hurt to have frank discussions about what pleasure is rather than relying on parents (who generally don't have that conversation), pornography (not really useful) or partners (who may not be a super awesome/healthy influence).

[TrueAmerican]

It would be a good step to stop vilifying men for what we are. And once and for all, make sure that every kid knows that every other kid masturbates.

I was raised Catholic. It took over 30 years to get over all of the Catholic-induced guilt. So what do you do about this? Churches are terrorizing young men with tales of eternal torment for perfectly normal drives and desires. I was especially struck when I saw young men posting on forums with a lot of religious people, who are tortured as I was. The fear of hell is very real when you've been brainwashed by religion. It is a powerful force in one's life. But when the hormones kick in, it is an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. And the young man pays the price for that in emotional torment.

[HawkTheSlayer]

I took back seat lessons in high school.
I learned a tremendous amount showing girls the cornfields on a full moon night.

Maybe instead of having desks in the classroom, they could outfit sex ed class with auto back seats.

[Lummy]

My hamsters taught me everything. Total cost: $0.

[Captdon]

What should sex education curriculums include for high school students?

This has been a point of controversy where I am from, and I know it has also been that way on the forum. Should parents be teaching it? What about kids who don't have parents involved enough? Do we teach anatomy? Do we teach about major pathologies? Should there be information about birth control methods and what to do in emergencies? Should there be lengthy discussions on consent and sexual violence? What about gender and sexual orientation? So on.

What does everyone think?

Nothing.

[TheOneOnly2]

In Australia we had a Safe Schools program that incorporated education on LGBT etc with anti bullying. It was kind of controversial because conservatives thought it was cultural Marxism and it was teaching kids to be gay or trans. I don't know if its still running but reality is that this stuff is all covered in PEPDH or whatever its called now. PE teacher's. Class teaches kids about healthy relationships which is important. One thing they do that would probably upset conservatives is they teach kids how to put a condom on and they use plastic squirting bananas and also realistic plastic penes to put condoms onto. So a male PE teacher may be handing your 13 year old daughter a realistic plastic penis and showing her how to roll a condom onto it properly.

In addition to sex education many schools here have Wellness Hubs that have counselors and psychiatrists and offer services including sexual health nurse etc in case kids need to access these services which they can do without their parents knowledge or consent. We are quite progressive when it comes to this stuff.

Edit - Wellness Hubs are a great idea because consider a 14 year old Muslim girl that falls pregnant - she may not want parents to know and not know what to do - but Wellness Hub can help a girl like that without involving parents. Maybe she isn't pregnant but has become sexually active - Wellness Hub can make sure she has birth control etc - without involving parents.