quick-fingersWhy Abstinence Education Doesn't Work
Photo by Stefano Bianchi
I am a high school English teacher, and my students literally laugh at the sex education they get in school. They mock the system for being naive about the sexual behavior of teenagers, and the general consensus among them is that everyone has sex. Period. Abstinence is a joke.
Unfortunately, the problem goes beyond teens just rolling their eyes during sex class. They aren't being properly educated on how to handle the sexual situations they find themselves in. As a result, the study shows that teens who pledge abstinence are less likely to use condoms and other protection against pregnancy and disease.
Once again, I find myself screaming at my TV screen and computer as I read these reports. Where are the parents in all of this? Since when does sex education fall on the shoulders of the school system? I know this is an old debate, but it needs to be discussed in the context of the 21st century. It's not about morality or religion anymore -- it's about survival. And we can't rely on schools to teach our children how to behave in their intimate relationships.
Parents need to be the ones telling their kids about sex. Mothers should be explaining to their daughters what to do when their boyfriends are pressuring them to have sex. Fathers should be discussing with their sons how to walk away from sexual situations, particularly if they don't have a condom. Do parents actually think this is the school's responsibility? Does this sound like something that strange adults should be talking to their children about?
It just blows my mind how much parents rely on schools to teach their kids. To me, school is a necessary evil that helps expose my children to the real world and socialize them enough to function in society. Beyond that, school is s complete waste of time, in my opinion. Anything I want to make sure my children know I teach them myself. I taught both my kids to read before they ever went to preschool. I taught my daughter multiplication before she started first grade. I don't expect them to learn much of anything in school, so I plan to supplement their learning as they go along.
In other words, I take full responsibility for my children's education. If they happen to pick up some knowledge in school, all the better. But I am responsible for making sure my kids enter the adult world prepared for anything that may come along. If more parents took this responsibility, I think we'd have a much more peaceful and productive society. Kids wouldn't need to join gangs to fit in. Parents would be more involved and more loving. And perhaps more kids would be prepared for sexual situations they find themselves in.
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