The Sex Ed Classroom Revisited

Sexual education was actually introduced in the 19th century here in America, but it has

now come under more scrutiny from the public. Jennifer Friedman (2004) claims that sex

education has become more public because of "the rise in teenage pregnancy, legalization of

abortion, and the spread of HIV...", as well as the controversy that arises with those topics. She

also suggest that less and less teens are actually going to their parents for questions and advise

about sex because there is an increasingly awkward connotation with sex, and teens are afraid

that if they ask questions then their parents will assume they are engaging in sexual activities.

However, the amount of sexual activity that occurs within a teen depends on their

By keeping sex as a "taboo"

topic, we are only perpetuating the feeling of awkward and making it less likely for children to

ask questions. Other countries around the world approach the topic of sex as "normal" and

something worth talking about, while here in America we seem to think that if we don't talk

about it, it's not happening. Cllewellyn also suggests that new videos are made and shown to

teens in their sex education classrooms, and that they focus on "sex can and should be fun" and

deciding what is best for them personally. And in Sarah Barger's (2009) article she discusses one

of the newest aids to sex education. In North Carolina specifically a new program has been

enacted where students can text their sexual questions and comments to a professionals who will

text them back with answers. This is an especially innovative idea because it involves

technology, which means students should be more likely to utilize this system. It also creates a

more comfortable environment for students because their questions are kept anonymous, so