Please help my friend write a Sex-Ed POS.

[tigerschick]

My friend is a Biology teacher. She has been tasked with re-writing the Sex Education program of study for next year. She has all the 'mechanics' but they want her to include some of the emotional stuff that goes along with the subject. She asked if I could ask you lot for some advice.

So my question is, is there anything you think she should include? Anything you wish you had been taught? She would be especially interested in comments from anyone who was a teenage mum as they have had problems with students telling the older teachers, in particular, that they don't know what it is like to be a teenager now-a-days.

TIA

[Elasticwoman]

Should there be something in it about being assertive? When I was a teenager I remember so many other girls telling me they had had sex just because they felt it was expected.

[hana]

really does depend on the agegroup - even for secondary
feelings, how to say no, personal space, body language, how to get pregnant - mechanics of it all, relationships

can't she get any guidance from her lea?

[Posey]

No real advice as I was a teen along time ago and kids haven't made it there yet.
But, wondered if you could post this in the "teenagers" section on here too, might be spotted by some of the mums of teens who may be able to help you

[octo]

I used to dread teaching sex ed as to my tutor group - I used to make them fold them arms and put their heads on the desk so they got less embarassed If they had a question they could write in down and put it in a box! Not sure how much notice they took but it did make it less painful for them. Personally I think it should be done in single sex groups for some stuff.

When was heavily pg with my first had to sit through another teacher doing a talk on contraception and they all sat staring at me sniggering Teenagers are evil!

[luckylady74]

my friend works with teen mumsin a very deprived area and she says that the main reason they get pregnant is low expectations of the future - all their peers/mums are or have done the same thing and they have no expectation of education or career - so why not have a little baby who will love them and have all tyhe attention that goes along with it- obviously the reality when baby comes may feel very different.. context is key here - a girl pregnant in another area or with a different family support may have become so for very different reasons or indeed by accident.

[hana]

this is why specialist sexual health workers should deliver sexual health and relationship education and not teachers - regular teachers don't have the training to do it alongside all other responsibilities of teaching their subject

[octo]

i.e we're crap (generalisation btw)

[Jomaja]

Myths should be covered (e.g. yes, you are able to get pregnant when it is your first time, you do it standing up etc...)

Has she tried tes website? Some stuff maybe on there?

[hana]

no octo, I'm a teacher as well - was actually the head of PSHE for my school for several years and this was my specialty - I enjoyed it, had great resources, comprehensive schemes, etc etc

trouble was when other teachers who openly said they didn't have the confidence to cover it, or didn't want to, or were happy doing a poor job - that's not good for the students. not great when it's such an important part of the curriculum ( was special needs schcool)

[hana]

but also it's good for students to have someone other than their regular teachers cover things like this. makes it a bit more interesting, they might pay attention and not be embarrassed asking questions, or being interested the way the might -or might not be - with their everyday form tutor

[octo]

I agree hana - the resources provided (if any) were poor and they clearly didn't want to discuss sex with me! I think training should be given and maybe like you say delivered by an outsider to the school.

[frapachino]

I think she should tell the boys how to give a girl an orgasm and she should stress it is sexual politeness to do so before they have one themselves - train them young thats what I say

[frapachino]

And scare the shit out of them over STD's!

[Elasticwoman]

I was teaching a class of 13 year old boys a few years ago, not sex ed or anything remotely connected, when one boy put his hand up and said "please miss, what's a vagina?" I thought about it and said "birth canal." Same boy put his hand up again and this time asked for a definition of the clitoris. I nearly gave him a round of applause just for knowing such a thing exists. My answer was: "the female equivalent of the penis" and waited for this to raise more questions. It didn't. Another boy said "you're good at this, Miss."

[Cathpot]

As science teacher had to cover sex and pregnancy once with 11 year olds and once again with 13 year olds, was comfortable with the biology side but always felt that I wasn't qualified to talk through the emotional side of things, and frustrated that in terms of preventing teenage pregnancies that was the most important bit. Our school eventually moved to PSE days and had a whole day devoted to sex ed where outside workers came in and ran workshops. I agree completely that it is much easier for kids to be open with adults from outside that they don't have to face every day and in smaller single sex groups. If this is not possible how about putting kids into single sex discussion groups with written scenarios about relationships and asking for their ideas. Might be interesting to see if girls and boys come up with different ideas about the same situations. English departments usually have good ideas about how to run effective discussions. Saw very worrying doumentary about the amount of porn from internet and other sources now being watched by teenagers and the very odd view of 'normal' sex this can give, might be worth highlighting the differences between porn and real life!

[Blandmum]

Something that I do in my sex ed classes is to factor in time where they get to ask questions. Every child has to write a question on paper....no names allowed!

I read them out at random and answer them. Even the rude ones

I find this loosens up the kids and they then often ask a huge range of questions