Middle School and Sex Education

1517 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of gender education in school

Should sex education be taught in elementary, middle and/or high school? If so what should you cover at each level?

In this day children are learning more and more at such a young age, some children even sound like adults when they speak because they are so advanced. I’m also seeing a trend with young ladies getting pregnant in high school and even middle school. With that said I think that sex education should begin to be taught at a younger age. Young minds are very curious. I have had conversations with daycare providers about incidences where a child was questioning the difference between and male and female private parts and I believe if they’re already questioning we need to have answers so as they become more curious as the get older they will have the proper tools to aid in their curiosity. Many people think that the best way to cover sex education at all levels is to teach abstinence, in fact 37 states require that abstinence be taught when sex education covered (Sonfield, 2012). But sex education can be covered appropriately at level by increasing students’ knowledge of the subject as they progress from elementary to high school./
According to a report containing what is now appropriate for elementary schools to teach regarding sex education, “by the time they leave elementary school, children should be able to define sexual orientation” (Harrington, 2012). Some may say to teach sex education to early elementary student is a little too early which is a valid point. But sometimes I think parents forget today is completely different from yesterday. What went on while our parents were in grade school is completely different from what’s going on now and I would like for the youth to be prepared rather than caught in a stic...

... middle of paper ...

...g/publications/cq/40/6/sexual-health-education.aspx
Florsheim, L. (2013, November 7). If College Students Can't Say What 'Consent' Is, Then We Should Teach It Sooner. Retrieved from New Republic: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115506/consent-high-school-sex-education-why-we-should-teach-it
Gresle-Favier, C. (2010). The legacy of abstinence-only discourses and the place of pleasure in US discourses on teenage sexuality. Sex Education, 413-422.
Harrington, E. (2012, January 17). Begin Sex Ed in Kindergarten, Says New ‘National Standards’ Report. Retrieved from CNS News: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/begin-sex-ed-kindergarten-says-new-national-standards-report
Lamb, S. (2013). Just The Facts? The Separation Of Sex Education From Moral Education. Educational Theory, 443-460.
Sonfield, A. (2012). Sex education remains active battleground. Washington Watch, 34-36.

Show More
Related

  • Abstinence vs. Comprehensive Sex Education

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone has an opinion about sexuality education. From vocal parents at PTA meetings to state governors who must decide whether to apply for federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs or more comprehensive sexuality programs, or both, or neither. From school pri...

    Read More

  • The Debate of Abstinece-Only or Comprehensive Sex Education

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chen, Grace. “Schools, Parents, and Communities Should Contribute to Educating Teens About Sex.” Teenage Sexuality. Ed. Aarti D. Stephens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From “Public Schools and Sex Education.” Public School Review. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

    Read More

  • Should Sex Education be Taken Out of Schools?

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    From a young age, children are bombarded by images of the rich and the famous engaging in torrid public affairs or publicly discussing their increasingly active sex lives. No longer is sex education left to teachers and parents to explain, it is constantly in our faces at the forefront of our society. Regardless of sex education curriculums and debates about possible changes, children and teenagers are still learning everything they think there is to know about sex from very early on in their young lives. However, without responsible adults instructing them on the facts about sex, there are more likely to treat sex in a cavalier and offhanded fashion. According to Anna Quindlen’s essay Sex Ed, the responsibility of to education children about sex is evenly distributed between teachers and parents.

    Read More

  • Sex Education in the United States

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Throughout the 1980’s these arguments began to lose legitimacy as the American republic reiterated its support (Fose)”. “Although this topic is highly debated, 93 percent of Americans support “sex or sexuallity” courses being taught in high school and 84 percent supports teachings in junior high (Fose)”. More people requested sex education because of the AIDs epidemic. The AIDs epidemic cau...

    Read More

  • dsv

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sex education in the United States has been an bi-polar opinionated topic within the education system. It's  use and curriculum are affected by many forces such as politics, public health concerns, and religious affiliation to name just a few.  There has though been clearly documented need for publics support for sex education programs in schools. What is often unknown, is Sex education was been introduced into the education systems as early as 1912. At this time the National Education Association requested for teachers to be trained in sexuality education. In the 1940s the United States Health Services supported Sex education programs in the school systems saying there was an urgent need for awareness.  Though it wasn’t till 1955 that the American Medical Association in union with National Education Association published five pamphlets which were to be used for sex education in schools.  Although even with the support of teachers and public health officials the use and implementation of sex education programs in school were heavily debated by many.

    Read More

  • Alouhmy: Teen Pregnancy

    2204 Words  | 5 Pages

    This education should start early for children before they reach puberty age, and before they make wrong actions. Giving education about this subject to students at a young age will give them more knowledge about it. “Providing basic information provides the foundation on which more complex knowledge is built up over time.” (http://www.avert.org/sex-education-works.htm#sthash.o4PTFWFA.dpuf)

    Read More

  • The Controversy of Sex Education Programs in High School

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    How many girls have you see around school who are pregnant? Do you ever come to think that they may not have had the “sex talk” with their parents or any sort of sex education at school? “The United Stated still has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any industrialized country. About 40 percent of American women become pregnant before the age of 20. The result is about 1 million pregnancies each year among women ages 15 to 19.” (The Annie E. Casey Foundation) At the age 15-20 most teen males and females don’t have a stable job and are still going to school. There is much at risk when a male and female decide to have sexual intercourse. Having a sex education class would help decrease the teen pregnancy rate. Learning what one can do to prevent a teen pregnancy and the consequences that can lead up to it, will help reduce the amount of sexual activity among teens. Having a sex education class that is required will benefit the upcoming teens of the next generation. Some parents don’t want their teens to have premarital sex and some parents don’t want the schools to be the ones responsible to teach their kids about sex education because they feel like it’s their job. There has been much controversy on sex education being taught at school.

    Read More

  • Sexual Health Education in China

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wen, S.H., J.D. Zeng, and M.L. Ng. 1990. Sex and Moral Education. Hong Kong: Joint Publishing.

    Read More

  • Sex Education For Public Schools

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the United States, there is a rising problem that is not going anywhere anytime soon, that is if we, as citizens, don 't change it. This problem is causing billions of dollars and people 's futures all because schools would rather teach ignorance than the truth. What’s the problem? Sex education. Although sex education may not seem like a rising conflict, it is actually one of the top controversial topics in our country regarding education. According to Brigid McKeon, “Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” (McKeon). This number is so unbelievable to any sane person, but somehow schools still won 't take the initiative to teach realistic sex education. Sex education can be taught in two different procedures- comprehensive or abstinence only. The difference between the two methods is that comprehensive sex education teaches abstinence as a secondary choice, so that teens who decide not to wait are well educated on how to keep themselves protected. Comprehensive sex education should be required in every single public school because it is the most effective method on how to keep teenagers well informed and prepared.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Sex Education on the Younger Community

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    The “talk” about sex has never been a topic many like to discuss with tweens or teens, but it has to be addressed sometime during their lifetimes. Sex is a natural experience that is used for reproduction and the building of an emotional connection. However, many teens engage in pre-marital sex and have no knowledge about protecting themselves. Sex education teaches about human sexuality and how abstinence should be practiced to prevent sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies. Yet, sex education classes are mostly for those in college. Sex education is not meant to encourage sex, but hopefully steer students into having safe sex or no sex at all. Becoming aware about the consequences of having sex among the tween and teen community needs to be established and understood. If parents have a hard time giving the “talk” about sex, then the subject should be discussed with a trained individual instead of being avoided. Without knowledge teens will explore things without caution. Sources indicate that the argument to allow sex education within public schools, such as middle or high schools, is whether the benefits of learning about sex at an early age will outweigh the risks of experiencing sex without advanced knowledge.

    Read More

  • Comprehensive Sex Education In Schools

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why should comprehensive sex education be allowed in schools? Should teens be exposed to comprehensive sex education? Sex education should be taught in school because it give children stable and accurate information , it informs them of the danger and diseases associated with sex, and it teaches them about safe sex options.

    Read More

  • Teaching Sex Education in Schools

    2307 Words  | 5 Pages

    Before moving on, one must know that sex education is about, but not limited to the discussion of sexual intercourse. As a Buzzle article states, it involves a multitude of topics that introduce human sexual behaviors such as puberty, sexual health, sexual reproduction, sexuality, and more (Iyer). If formally received in school, these topics are brought up and discussed at age-appropriate times over the course of children’s junior high and high school education. Moreover, as I have introduced earlier, the way sex education should be taught is divided into two approaches. It is between taking either a conservative, abstinence-only approach or a more liberal, comprehensive approach. Abstinence-only education, approaches students by stressing the importance of “no sex before marriage” as be...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: Should Schools Teach Sexual Education?

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    I believe that schools should teach sexual education. I think this because kids that are in school during this age do know or respect the dangers of being sexual active. They don 't know what it means to be protected, They will know about their own bodies and that of other genders. I believe they will have a new found respect for themselves and others. Teaching about it encourages students to develop themselves into better people. Anyone who values themselves and others are better equipped to develop great relationships with others. Pupils are able to take great positive approaches to managing their lives and develop skills that are needed to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead. Not all parents inform their children about sexual

    Read More

  • Sex Education : A Hot Topic Of Debate

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sex education in our schools has been a hot topic of debate for decades. The main point in question has been whether to utilize comprehensive sex education or abstinence-only curriculum to educate our youth. The popularity of abstinence-only curriculum over the last couple of decades has grown largely due to the United States government passing a law to give funding to states that teach the abstinence-only approach to sex education. But not teaching our children about sex and sexuality is not giving them the information they need to make well educated decisions. Sex education in our schools should teach more than just abstinence-only because these programs are not proven to prevent teens from having sex. Children need to be educated on how to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies and be given the knowledge to understand the changes to their bodies during puberty. According to the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), comprehensive sex education “should be appropriate to age, developmental level, and cultural background of students and respect the diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community” (SIECUS).

    Read More

  • The Importance of Sex Education

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    First of all, the main reason children have sex prematurely is because they are curious. Students lack knowledge about sex because they haven’t been taught about it, however, when children know the consequences behind their actions and the risks they are taking they less likely to want to have sex. If we take the time to show kids what it is like to take care of a child as a teenager or show them AIDS victims; they may be much less likely to want to indulge in sexual activities. Sex education probably can’t prevent teenage sex, but it can ensure students have the knowledge they need so they’ll be aware of what they are getting themselves into.

    Read More

More about Middle School and Sex Education

Open Document