Writing Question- Sex Education

Compressive sex education is important for children and teenagers and it should be a part of the school’s balanced and broad curriculum. If I was asked for input, I would suggest that sex education should begin from elementary school. In every grade from kindergarten to grade four, children should be taught about family and healthy life. From grades five and six programs that incorporate lessons on self-esteem and instructions of healthy relationship dynamics should be considered. 7^th and 8^th grades should increase the hours of instruction for the sex education curriculum and children should be taught about contraception and STDs. By the end of 8^th grade, they should learn about the reproductive system, same-sex relationships, birth control, and abstinence. High schools should have comprehensive sex education programs that include topics such as human development, reproduction, sexuality, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, reproduction, childbirth, contraceptives, abortion, and adolescent pregnancies.

The class readings have significantly informed my vision of effective sex education. I have learned that sex education is not just about telling kids about safe sex and preventing STDs, it’s also about informing students about the various physiological and psychological changes that happen in their bodies as they grow from adolescence to adulthood. A lot of teenagers during adolescence start feeling uncomfortable about the changes in their bodies, and they need to realize that everyone has experienced this uneasiness and these feelings (Klesse, 2011). Sex Education helps a lot of confused teens understand and deal with these changes in a much better and logical manner. It should most definitely be mandatory, as it would help open up dialogue between men and women regarding personal issues, and eradicate ‘Guy Talk’ from the very beginning.

From the readings, I now view sex education as an integral part of education and life as a whole. Even though schools have comprehensive sex education programs there are still some gaps in children’s knowledge of sexual health Maintaining and creating an open dialogue will enable them to learn more about sex life and their health. Sex education is an important aspect of life because it makes one aware not only about how to reproduce but also about reproductive health, healthy relationships, and maternity care (Hobbs, Owen & Gerber, 2017). Educated women thus, do not experience stillbirths or issues during pregnancy. Sex education also helps in educating people to do family planning, control population, following control of resource consumption.

This week’s readings significantly prompt us to expand how we think concerning sexual violence and how we can address the situation. According to Berlant (1998), the view of life that often unfolds in sexual relationships has unavoidable troubles, disruptions, and distractions. Nonetheless, friendships and romance are likely to meet the instabilities of expectation, sexuality, producing, money, betrayal, and violence. Sexual violence often arises in many forms that may destroy sexual relationships. There is a need for effective strategies such as relationship therapy, couple shows, and programs created to help individuals through such salutations. Sexual harassment is however controversial and its remedy is the sexual harassment law (TallBear, 2018). From the readings, we can learn different aspects concerning intimate relationships that are significant in avoiding sexual violence in relationships.

References

Berlant, L. (1998). Intimacy: A special issue. Critical inquiry, 24(2), 281-288.

Hobbs, M., Owen, S., & Gerber, L. (2017). Liquid love? Dating apps, sex, relationships, and the digital transformation of intimacy. Journal of Sociology, 53(2), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783316662718

Klesse, C. (2011). Notions of love in polyamory—Elements in a discourse on multiple loving. Laboratorium, 3(2), 4-25.

TallBear, K. (2018). Making love and relations beyond settler sex and family. In Making kin, not population, 145-64. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.