Sexuality Education for Adolescents
Ashley S. Brown
Nevada State College

Adolescents are in need of preparedness in regards to self identity especially in terms of sexuality. Sex is a taboo subject especially when considering adolescents. Parents tend to be afraid that discussing sex will encourage their adolescent children to want to engage in sexual activities. Adolescents are being influenced by not only by factors such as socioeconomic status, the media and their peers, but also a lack of a relationship with their parents (Asampong, Osafo, Bingenheimer, & Ahiadeke, 2013). The subject of adolescent sexuality and sexual education and development begs for there to be clear communication between the parents and the adolescent, but often that is not the case. According to a poll conducted in 2004, ninety-three percent of Americans approved of sex education being taught in schools (“Sex education,” 2014). Because parents are not necessarily equipped with the education to communicate with their children about sexual education and development, professionals can provide that information (“Developing adolescents,” 2002). I chose to interview my former teacher Ms. Michelle Jones. She has taught elementary school students, middle school students, college students and she is currently an assistant principal. Ms. Jones explained that she feels that as an educator, she is responsible for providing information to her students about all aspects of life. Her belief is that the responsibility comes from having the students for so many hours everyday. She cheerfully said “School is their home away from home!” (M. Jones, personal communication, October 12, 2014) Ms. Jones explained her method of dealing with sex education in her classroom as being based heavily on “teachable moments.” She used “teachable moments” for the times that were outside of the scheduled units for sex education and for the questions that may have been a little off topic from the prescribed curriculum of growth and development, sexuality, sexual health, and other sexually-transmitted diseases. She added that the “teachable moments” are not only for the students, but for her as well. “I have to keep up with the slang or else they won’t hear me” she said in regards to my question about how she stays “cool” with her students (M. Jones, personal communication, October 12, 2014). The school requires letters to be sent home to inform the parents or legal guardians that their children would be discussing issues dealing with sex and sexual development. Ms. Jones also took the time to get her “special consent” from the parents of her students to discuss issues with the students. When I asked her to clarify her “special consent” she said, “I talk to the parents as not only a teacher, but as a parent as well. I want them to know that I wouldn’t tell their children anything that I wouldn’t tell mine” (M. Jones, personal communication, October 12, 2014). She said that she is often approached by students that either don’t want to ask questions aloud in class or that have questions that they are afraid to ask their parents. Ms. Jones noted that the only time she contacts parents is when she thinks their child might be in danger. We discussed the dynamic in her classroom and she said that her classroom allows for the students to see that things are constantly changing. Her goal every year is to get her students to adjust to change by periodically rotating seating assignments. In the beginning of the year, she allows the students to pick their own seats and then she periodically switches things up to promote socialization. She said that the socializing allows the students to get to see the similarities in each other rather than the differences. She then said, “Adolescence is about them finding out who they are and how can they figure that out if they’re always around the same people” (M. Jones, personal communication, October 12, 2014)? Also, according to her, “It allows them to never feel singled out; we’re talking about development, these kids are each going through the same thing so I think that doing things of this nature will give them the mindset that they’re not alone” (M. Jones, personal communication, October 12, 2014). I feel that Ms. Jones has very good traits in terms of sexual education. Her awareness of the sexual and social development of adolescents is beneficial to her students. It is common for adults to either approach sexuality in an ambivalent manner or not pay attention to the needs of adolescents and their sexual development because of the way it is perceived in society (Arnett, 2013). Ms. Jones has no ambivalence toward the issue; her goal is to be as open and informative as possible. She admits that sometimes she may be too open in terms of school policy, but she does it because she truly wants to help the students and their families. As previously mentioned, the majority of parents agree with their children being taught sex education in schools which means that Ms. Jones is likely to be considered a great teacher on that fact alone. If ninety-three percent of americans promote sex education in schools, then why is the overall perception of sexuality still so ambivalent? I believe that open communication, clarity and non-judgement are important when discussing sexuality with adolescents. There are many topics involved in sexuality and sexual development to include: abstinence, gender issues, love, sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDs/STIs) that are all equally important. In my opinion, the American culture should spend more time discussing all sexual issues rather than highlighting some and disregarding others.

References
American Psychological Association. (2002). A reference for professionals: Developing adolescents [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/ develop.pdf
Arnett, J.J. (2013). Adolescence and emerging adults. A cultural approach. (5th ed). Clark University. Pearson Education, Inc.
Asampong, E., Osafo, J., Bingenheimer, J. B., & Ahiadeke, C. (2013). Adolescents and parents’ perceptions of best time for sex and sexual communications from two communities in the Eastern and Volta Regions of Ghana: implications for HIV and AIDS education. BMC international health and human rights, 13(1), 40.
Sex Education in America (2004). Retrieved on October 12, 2014 from http://www.npr.org/ templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610