Should Sex Education be offered in schools?

Should Sex Education be offered in schools?

My answer is YES! It absolutely should be offered. Not only offered, but mandatory.

In my opinion, sex is a natural and pure part of life, whether you have it for the first time at a younger age, or if you wait until you're married. Sex education provides so much information for these students. Preaching abstinence isn't going to stop students from having sex, instead we as educators should be informing them on the proper ways to have safe sex, and ways to prevent teen pregnancy. Not only pregnancy, but sexually transmitted diseases as well.

There is a lot of controversy about whether or not schools should teach it. There are a lot of parents whining and complaining about it as well, like it is some unnatural part of life. From what I have heard and read there are a few different views;
- If a school offers sex education and are handing out condoms, are saying it is okay for children to have sex?
- Well if these children are going to have sex anyways, we might as well educate them to have safe sex.

Parents need to stop being in denial about their children and their sex lives. Why do you think teen pregnancies have increased? Why do you think the amount of sexually transmitted diseases have increased? It is because parents have been protesting and forcing the schools to rid of sex education, when really all they are doing is hurting their children.

In Chapter 2 by Robert F. McNergney, he states that "The more education she has, the less likely a girl is to have a baby. For teens, having a child greatly increases the chance that a young mother  and her child or children will live in poverty" (McNergney 33). No Parent should ever want that for their child. Don't get me wrong. Not every teen mother is not going to succeed. Two of my very good family friends had a child in high school, and they are GREAT, wonderful, and caring mothers who have amazing families that provide them with the best support imaginable. Unfortunately, not every family is fortunate enough to have the financial stability, or the emotional stability to raise a child at that age. So why chance it when you can prevent it? It is reality, and parents need to 'man up', and face it.

There is an article from the CNN News, called CNN Opinion. The title of the article is called "Sex Education should be mandatory in all schools" by Roland Martin. Martin debates that "taxes and death are considered to be undeniable realities of life. I would say that sex is right behind those two", and I couldn't agree more! It is reality! We all don't want to face the harsh realities of ANYTHING that is going to put us in an uncomfortable situation, but guess what? Not preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is even MORE uncomfortable. The author also states, "Folks, y'all are flat out crazy if you want to encourage parents to opt out of sex education by making it more about abstinence and nothing else. Why can't both take place? Abstinence is definitely the safest of all safe sex measures, but there is also a point when we have to accept reality". I think that both should take place as well. Every child is different, and they are going to have different views on sex. Why not educate them on all the different areas of sex? That way every child is informed. Also, that way if students do have more questions about sex and are afraid to ask their parents, they will have sex educators at schools that are willing to inform them. Below is the link to the CNN Opinion article.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/29/opinion/martin-sex-education/

Now-a-days, children are engaging in sexual activity at a younger age. My mother in middle school made sure to have "the talk" to my two brothers and I because she knew that life was changing, and they we needed to be informed of this stuff. No matter how uncomfortable our parents were talking about it, they knew it had to be done. When I was in middle/elementary school, I still thought boys had cooties, and we did the whole exchanging notes in class that said "Will you be my boyfriend? Check yes or no". That is what my childhood consisted of. Now I hear stories that children as young as fourth and fifth grade are engaging in sexual activity and it blows my mind. Generations are changing and that is fine. That is ALSO reality my friends. This is a different generation. Why not educate them as soon as we can?

and PARENTS, all of those iPads and other forms of technology that you are buying for your children that have access to internet browsing, guess what? Your children have just been granted more access to more "mature" things, and they will try out these "mature" things if they are not educated on this stuff. Whether you are informed of it or not. It could even be an accident if they stumbled upon it on the internet! Parents need to realize this. Children engaging in these sorts of activity without any education can be life altering, and they might now know how serious it can be.

In my opinion, every school should make sex education absolutely mandatory, and like Ronald Martin said "y'all are flat our crazy if you want to encourage parents to opt out of sex education".

Reflect on yourself collage






Everyone is unique. Everyone starts somewhere. I decided for my "Reflect on yourself" topic, that I would make a collage from my past, to where I am today. All these pictures symbolize who I am. The picture of the cards are from the classroom of 2nd grade students that I did my junior block with. They all wrote me thank you cards that actually made me cry! (Tears of joy). There are pictures of my entire family and my brother who is in the ARMY. None of us in this world would have the freedom to do what we wanted to do, if they did not fight for our country everyday. There is a picture of me doing yoga, which helps me relax and reflect on my life. There is a picture of my mini library in my room which I hope to expand as the years go on. The softball pictures are very important to me because not only have I played my whole life, but I have coached as well and I can honestly say that softball made me who I am today. I have played non stop since I have 8 years old, and it has taught me leadership, respect, sportsmanship, dedication, passion, and love. All of these characteristics will definitely benefit me when I start to enter the field of education in the next few years. I imagine my future as a guidance counselor or a teacher in an inner city, helping and coaching the students who have all odds against them. That is where I want to be!

   

Why Teach? "The Boys of Baraka"

I could sit here and brainstorm this topic for hours and hours. Why do people choose to teach? Why do I choose to teach? There are many reasons as to why, but I think the main reasons why people, including me, want to teach is because of their own experiences and passion. I have experienced a lot when it comes to teaching, coaching, etc., but there are only a few crucial moments and a handful of people who have really driven me to want to work in the education field. Now considering other cultures, and having the same needs we all have, what drives people to teach?

This is Richard and he is one of my inspirations.

Now I have mentioned a few of my major experiences on a few occasions in this class, but I would like to talk about a documentary that I have seen that will ALWAYS stick with me. This documentary is called “The Boys of Baraka”. This documentary is about a group of 7^th and 8^th grade African American boys who live in Baltimore, Maryland and they were a few of the handpicked 20 at-risk students that were sent to Kenya, Africa to attend boarding school. 61% of the African American boys who live in Baltimore do not graduate high school, and 50% end up going jail. A lot of their parents are addicts and the streets are filled with drugs and crime. This boarding school provides them an opportunity to escape their harsh lifestyle and to see that there is a better life out there for them as long as they stay in school and receive an education. All of the boys that they follow in Maryland, and then in Africa have all different stories and reasons why they want to leave, but there was one boy that really stuck out to me and his name is Richard. He actually starts off talking in the documentary saying how the streets he lives on are filled with drugs, and he says “I can’t wait to go to Baraka. I know I’m smart, if I’m not allowing stupid and dumb people, but see I can’t let them get in here (points to his head), I have to let them stay out there (points to the streets away from him)”. This boy is only 13 years old, and he has seen and experienced more deaths, drugs, and crimes in his first 13 years than most people in their entire lives. For a boy his age to say this who has been surrounded by this his entire life is so powerful. He wants an education to be able to provide a better life for his self.




Below is a 3 minute video on YouTube of Richard talking in the documentary. I recommend every person in this class to watch this full documentary. It is a little over an hour and I promise you, you will never forget it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwNAPbX7gM4
“The Boys of Baraka”

The teachers in Kenya, Africa are teachers who are really understanding, passionate, patient, and strict in just the right ways. These teachers are viewed as professionals and have dedicated their lives to teaching these boys in Africa to make a difference so these young and innocent boys don't go back to their harsh lives back home. They want to send them home as more mature, strong, and educated young men so they will not fall into the drugs or crime, and they will finish high school to get a degree. These teachers are encouraging them to beat all odds, and not only are they teachers, but they are mentors as well. Teaching them to control their anger and to resort to other options besides physical and mental abuse.Also, these teachers are able to be professional and natural because this school provides a setting for the boys to be "boys" in. They exercise every morning, play sports, go on hikes, do group activities, etc. No distractions, and no one telling them they they won't amount to anything. They have all the support in the world here, and I think it is amazing to see. 

Now, unfortunately not all of these students went back to Baltimore and had better lives. Some fell back into old habits, some were in jail, and some were even murdered on the streets. The Baraka School was shut down in 2003 because of certain things happening in Kenya, but some students used this opportunity to excel and make sure that they would have a better life.

I think a lot of people have different views and reasons of why they want to teach. Personally, children like them, who are strong and powerful even when they have all odds against them are the reasons why I want to teach, and why I want to make a difference. You can learn so much from these students, and we as teachers can be the reason of why they succeed in life, in and out of the U.S. Some people might feel differently, and want to teach for other reasons, and that is perfectly fine, but for me, these children are the reason I want to teach.  

Hi, my name is Sarra. I live in Methuen, MA and I attend Salem State University double majoring in Early Childhood Education and English. I plan on receiving my Masters degree in Special Education or Guidance Counseling. I have a lot of experience working with children. I have coached softball teams, taught pitching lessons, taught in the classroom, taught sports and fitness classes, and I have been a nanny for over five years now. One of the greatest experiences I had at Salem State was when I had my Junior Block Pre-practicum. I was assigned to the Horace Mann school in Salem, MA to a second grade classroom of fourteen children, more than half of them having IEPs, or unstable family backgrounds. I got a chance to really know the students and learn not only about them, but a lot from them as well. I was able to experience some of these students excelling in the classroom, even though they had all odds against them. Some of these children came in late or they didn't even come in at all because they were not able to get a ride to school in the morning. Some students I even saw waiting after hours when school ended because their rides were not able to pick them up. I loved working with these children, and I am privileged that I was able to experience all of it because it made me realize what field of education I wanted to pursue in. This is what led to me to want to work with special education students and or guidance counseling, because I want to help those children who may have unstable homes, or family problems. I want to help them and make them feel comfortable in their school environment  So that is why I was really glad that I got the experience that I did. I played softball for Salem State University as well, and I was a center fielder and a pitcher. It was one of the best and most fun experiences of my life. I got to travel and I made some of the greatest friends. I also love dogs and I have a beagle named Murphy and a Great Dane named Molly.

I chose to add a link about the schools in Lawrence, MA. It is about their longer school days, and how the schools who were once Level 3 schools and failing, are now Level 1 schools and are striving to be the best that they can be. I think it is a powerful article, and I personally grew up in Lawrence, MA so I know how rough it can be. I am so glad to know that they are finally making some positive changes.