Talk:Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 5/Experts Take Sides



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Reader Responses
Wow, seriously...molding genitals out of clay in the second grade?? I think at that age it's up to the parents to discuss such things with the children! Not all young people are ready for such a graphic display of one's private areas. I certainly wouldn't be comfortable with either of my sons taking part in a class like that at 6 or 7 years old. I definately think that sex education belongs in school, but in second grade? Nope! Good article, nice pictures. I also thought the learning objectives and questions at the end were well-thought out. Ldomm002 (talk) 01:45, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Seems to me that back in "the olden days", before all of these graphic sex-education classes, girls got pregnant, but not that many girls. Now, in this more graphic sex-ed classroom setting, girls and guys are kept together for the education and more is discussed than even when I was in school. Is this really helping or hurting? When did the school system take upon itself to do what parents were suppose to be doing. This graphic "stuff" does not belong in the school system and it certainly doesn't appear to be reducing the amount of teen pregnancies. Parents should be the ones to decide what is taught to their children and at what ages, not the school system, when it comes to sex. Now, I know some parents don't talk to their kids about sex, but maybe if they didn't rely on the school to do their job it would be different. And now I digress ... Hcogg001 (talk) 16:39, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

Teaching Health in the high schools is a very difficult scenario. Most of the kids start sex education thinking that they know more than the teacher. About halfway though the study I think the kids realize they don't know everything and that is when the questions start. At that point, I think the students are actually learning things that they will take back and use in their everyday life. In our school system we also do single-sex "family life". The boys are separated from the girls which leads to a better learning environment for all involved. Another thing I have noticed about our "family life" unit. The school system tends to have guest speakers that come in and speak to some of the more controversial topics. I think that gives the school system some wiggle room when it comes to covering the more controversial topics or answering questions. Jtmitchem (talk) 00:52, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

I found your article to be very informative, well-written and interesting. It really opened my eyes to how sex education is being taught in the schools. When I went to elementary school (back in the 70's), the school separated the boys and girls into separate classrooms. We watched a film of what happens during puberty and the instructor told us (the girls) what would happen during our period...that was the extent of our sex education. As a parent, I did not realize that sex education has gotten more graphic...I feel that parents should have the right to be thoroughly informed of what will be taught in school and have the right to sign-up if they approve. After reading your article...I am convinced that I need to check more into what is being taught on the school level regarding sex ed. Thank you for opening my eyes!Scarlett1 (talk) 01:09, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

I really enjoyed reading your article about sex education in schools. I feel it is surprising yet necessary that sex education started as a class to promote abstinence and prevention of intercourse and is now a program promoting safe sex. Now that the younger population is becoming sexually active, students need to hear safe sex practices in the school as they might not be hearing it at home or with their peers. Many individuals, such as Dr. Jocelyn Elders believe that sex education classes have helped to use increase the use of contraceptives but have also increased the rates of sexual activity among students. I disagree, as the rates of sexual activity among students continue to rise each year, regardless of sex education classes. By teaching students safe practices, more students are protected than could be. I agree that sex education offers the necessary knowledge and the hope of preventing STD’s, premarital sex and pregnancy. When given at the appropriate age, it allows students to understand the necessary consequences of their actions. Afett001 (talk) 19:00, 12 July 2009 (UTC)

I cannot say that I distinctly remember learning anything I didn't already know in the super, super watered down sex ed I had multiple times throughout my public school life. But I'm sure it was at least informative in some sense. Well, drilling some form of the repercussions of early sexual activity before you're responsible enough for it is always relatively the route to go– rather than teaching nothing at all. Hsmit022 (talk) 19:40, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

Being a biologist I know how easy it is to become pregnant, transmit diseases, and how we are attracted to the opposite sex. Pharamones and hormones are raging in the teen years and as we all know children are curious. When I done some long term subbing this past fall I done a spill on this topic. I don't think students realized how pregnancy occured at the bilogical level. After showing some pictures of some sexually transmitted diseases they had faces of disgust. However when I would show a picture of a person, usually looking healthy and clean, then show them that person had a STD they were in shock. They had it in their head that people with diseases look unclean and unhealthy. When I told them those appearances occured during the late stages of the disease they were white as ghost. Unfortunatly 18 girls are presently pregnant in this high school out of ~420 students!!! Some are even 8th graders. Hcomb003 (talk) 17:35, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

I have stated it before: our world is evolving and so is the need for the education we give to children. This article clearly explains the fact that sex education is becoming more and more graphic and 'normal' in the classrooms. With everything going on in the outside world, it is necessary that our children know what could go wrong, what are the risks, etc. This article is well written, informative and supported by not only great detail but excellent sources.Ehern004 (talk) 22:34, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

I loved this article! My mother is a teen pregnancy nurse and works a lot with the inner city population. Though some may not want to accept these classes being taught to our children, we must understand that in this day and age it is imperative. These classes aren't condoning they are informing so that students are more equipped to making wiser decisions when it comes to sex. It provides a forum for both their questions to be answered and their curiousities to be acknowledged. I think the graphics in this article were quite funny, and amusingly appropriate for this topic. Great job! Rpaige (talk) 03:57, 20 July 2009 (UTC)