19:45 Apr 10 2011
Times Read: 677
Ok here's the paper I wrote with my friend. I did the bulk of it but there's some parts he wrote so if there's any ares that seem different that's why. I wanted to write it because I've never done a paper on anything like this & wanted to see if I could do it. Hope he gets a good grade lol.
The Sexual Education of Minors
From First Understanding to Adolescents
The education of children on sex, sexuality and puberty has caused a lot of debate amongst educators and a lot of worry, not to mention embarrassment, on the part of the parents and kids. Despite all that in recent years parents and educators have come to realize that there is a very large need for comprehensive and age appropriate sex education and that without it children are left to figure things out for themselves which opens the door to depression, abuse, inappropriate behaviour, shame and total ignorance. Regardless of the personal opinions or cultural ideologies the development of the human body is something that happens and the natural relationships it allows is one of the most integral and important aspects of life. Thus, open and factually correct education should be as important as any other educational subject like math or language.
I will attempt to provide a comprehensive sex ed program for children focusing on the ages of 4-5 years old, 12 and 16-18. These ages mark important periods of development and interaction and require age specific education programs that considers the normal developmental issues and questions raised by the child. Along with the education itself it is important that there be a joint effort between the teachers and schools but also with parents. Without parental involvement it would be very difficult to have the education retained and followed by the students and would increase the risk for negative behaviour since parent-child communication is incredibly important. By having a program that involved parents and schools the success of the program will be greatly increased.
The following is a basic guide for each specific
module.
First Exposure (Ages 4-5)
Parental involvement (helping parents, parental consent)
Physical differences between males and females, including proper names
What is appropriate and inappropriate physical contact (Parents, doctors, strangers)
Dealing with abuse
Pubescents (Ages 11-12)
Puberty
Physical and emotional changes
Sexual orientation (basic)
Abstinence
Abuse and online safety
Parental involvement
Adolescents (Ages 16+)
Puberty and continued changes
Sexual activity
STDs
Sex and Drugs
Contraceptives
Pregnancy
Sexual orientation (detailed)
Talking to parents
First Exposure
Generally the age at which children should first be exposed to sexuality is the ages of 4 and 5. They have begun to notice that boys and girls are different, some start to play “doctor” which can lead to hugging and even mutual exposure of their sexual organs. This is all a normal part of development and as such there needs to proper guidance and education.
In the school setting it’s necessary to find the appropriate teachers for the sex ed program. Given the basic nature of the education for this age the child’s classroom teacher should be adequate. Since any discussion about sexuality is important, personal and potentially controversial it is very important to have the child’s parent(s)/guardians involved. Each child’s parents or guardians should be given a consent form expressing the school’s desire to teach their child about sex, the type of information to be covered and a request for parental consent. At times a parent will refuse and have their child opt out of the class for religious, cultural or other reasons but it is still important that the school make an effort to give the child proper information. Should the parent opt out an information packet including the material to be covered in-class needs to be given to the parent/guardian so that, should they decide, they can teach their child at home and still have access to the proper information.
For the actual class itself given that children of this age are not prone to full on sexual encounters and have not yet formed a fully developed brain it is not necessary to give them a graphic and intensely detailed program. Covering the basics, giving them information on abuse & how to handle it and giving the parents the same information should suffice. It is important that they are taught the differences between boys and girls, using proper biological terms such as “penis” and “vagina”. They should be told that these physical differences are important and play a role in how people interact with each other. The teacher should explain that while the parts are natural and that interest in them is normal touching another person’s “private area” is not appropriate and that only their parents and doctors should be allowed to, and only if their parents say it’s alright. It’s important to stress the differences between normal contact from adults and that of inappropriate contact. The child should know that they have the right to say “no” and that if anyone touches them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, hurts them or touches them after they’ve said no that they should go to a person they trust and tell them about it. They should also be told to keep on telling until someone listens and helps them. The child should be told that it is not their fault if someone hurts them and to not be afraid to seek help.
In the event that the child is mental handicapped it’s important to use simple explanations, using basic drawn pictures and to be patient. Having a series of flash cards with a “mom” or “dad” and a “doctor” and “stranger” all touching various parts of the body like a shoulder, giving a hug and then ones where the “doctor” and “stranger” are touching the pubic region along with a “smiley” face and “sad” face to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate touching will give a visual aid to the process and help the child understand better.
Pubescents
At the age of eleven or twelve the program should begin to go more in depth. This is the time when many children begin going through puberty and they will be noticing changes in their body and will have many more questions as a result. At this stage it is best to have the classes with boys separated from girls because kids will often feel embarrassed when they talk about sex with anyone of the opposite sex. There should be a well qualified person giving the class with all modules there needs to be parental consent. Should the parent opt their child out they should be handed the information to be taught in class so the parent can teach their child at home if desired.
The beginnings of puberty can be a very awkward time for many adolescents because of the changes happening in their bodies. Talking with them about those changes can make this time in their lives much better because they will know that what is happening is normal, especially in regards to female menstruation and possible nocturnal emissions for males. The program should work with the parents and help them play a larger role in this period of their child’s development. Parental involvement is a must at home and the parents should be given the same information being taught so that they will be on the same level as their child and so that the parent will feel they have the information needed and the confidence to communicate with their child.
For eleven and twelve year olds it is important to stress abstinence because none of them will have the ability at that age to handle the responsibility that comes with sexual activity. From my experience, this is a time when kids need a little more in depth information because at my school, they waited until about age thirteen to even have a sex ed. class and at that point there were some who had already begun having sex. It’s at this point that the talk about sexual orientation should begin because as the changes in their body occur, there is a need to explain that nearly all boys and girls will feel, at least once, some same-sex attraction, but, that doesn’t not mean they are homosexual. However, as they continue to grow some may indeed be homosexual and if they think they are they should not feel ashamed about it and may wish to talk with a counselor to help them further understand who they are. Of course there needs to discussion on the terms, what gay and lesbian means, the fact that it’s OK, etc and that discrimination is not alright.
At this age many have begun to spend a lot of time on the Internet and so teaching them about Internet safety is extremely important. They need to know what types of information they can share and what they shouldn’t tell, the kinds of pictures they should not place on their profiles, how others (including predators) can misinterpret flirting, pictures, etc and what to do if they are approached online by a predator or someone they don’t wish to talk to.
Adolescents
At the age of 16 is when young people need to be taught, in detail, about sex. A lack of proper education has been shown to increase the risk of pregnancies and STDs so a comprehensive and open program is highly necessary. The class itself should be taught with both boys and girls together so that they will both learn about each other, the risks, the right things to do, how to handle situations and understand the fullness of the subject. A well qualified teacher, preferably someone with a history in sex education or medicine, is needed.
The class should being with a discussion on the continued biological and mental changes associated with puberty and adolescents. They should understand that while they have a feeling of invincibility that their brains are still not yet fully developed and in-fact the portion of the brain that understands behavior and consequences will not be completely developed for several more years and it is all the more important to think things out, not to act impulsively and to understand that things done rashly, even if pleasurably, can lead to drastic and negative consequences.
Sex ed classes usually tend to focus on the negative and stress the horrors that can happen but all that does is cause the students to “zone-out”, ignore the entire thing and rebel. So it’s important to let them know that sexuality (sex, masturbation, orientation etc) is normal and can have benefits but at the same time comes with responsibilities. While abstinence may be the preferred decision it’s irrational to think that no-one will have sex outside of marriage thus giving them the best information possible about safety will at least lower the risks of dangerous activities, teen pregnancy, abortion, drugs and STDs. Focus does need to be given on the proper and consistent usage of contraceptives.
Given that many teens meet their sexual partner and even engage in sexual activities at social events it is important to teach the connection between sex and drug use and the very real dangers of it. Along with that there should be appropriate education on sexually transmitted diseases, the issue of date-rape, and the risk of unplanned pregnancies. It is also at this time of life, perhaps most importantly than at any other, that parents be involved in their child’s life. Communication is vital and a level of trust must be maintained so if possible there should be a similar class dealing with parent and teen-sex issues.
This is also the time to discuss in detail the subject of sexual orientation. High school is the time when many young people really realize that there are people who like the opposite sex and those who like the same sex. They need to have discussions about homosexuality while they are in high school so they have a better understanding about who they are and those around them. The teen suicide rate is the highest in the nation for homosexual teens and it is imperative that they learn it’s OK to be gay and to have someone they can talk to about homosexual issues. Additional information needs to be given on online safety, sexual abuse and rape.
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