Sex education curriculum and implementation

Sex Education

The Importance of Sex Education

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State

Dear Secretary, I am writing this letter to you to talk about the importance of sex education for children and the youth in our country. This is an important letter because the topic is very importance in the face of challenges we face today concerning our youth. Today we live in a society where the youth is exposed to sexual imagery on a daily basis, everywhere around us; in movies, TV, ads and commercials, magazines, newspapers, beaches, and even on the streets. In addition, there are high levels of teen pregnancy, sexual abuse such as rape and harassment, sexually motivated violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. The existence of these problems makes it imperative to have sex education classes for children and youngsters because education on human sexuality may alleviate some of these societal problems.

Sex education is generally defined as "the process of gaining knowledge about sexuality, sex, and intimate relationships" (Magoon 8). The key word in this definition is "knowledge." It is often wrongly assumed that sex education encourages youngsters to engage in more sex and experimentation. Sex education is obviously different from erotics lessons. It is not intended to raise sexual arousal among children and youngsters. Rather, the purpose of sex education is to raise awareness about the consequences of irresponsible sexual behavior. It also involves learning about sex reproduction systems. Sex education helps youngsters overcome their anxieties related to sexual problems and with issues related to early puberty. Children and youngsters gain appropriate knowledge in sex education classes -- knowledge that will be useful for them in making independent and responsible decisions in their present and future lives. Sex education can also help them avoid sexually transmitted diseases. And most importantly, sexual relationships are part of human nature, and rather than futilely trying to suppress the inner willingness of young people to learn about it, it is much better to educate them about sex and sexuality.

Sex education involves teaching attitudes and values. It teaches children about the importance of respecting, caring, loving, and valuing friends and family. It also helps to develop important communication and social skills such as empathy, emotion management, behavioral negotiations in relationships, and helps to make responsible decisions (Allerston and Davis 5). These features of sex education are increasingly important in our society. Sexual bullying at schools and in the street is a pervasive problem in our society. Bullying stems from lack of respect and empathy. And sexually harassing and bullying others is not simply a matter of hurting some people, but also shows that bullies are unable to restrain or manage their inner emotions. Date rapes and violence against women are other problems that plague our society. These also stem from lack of respect and empathy for human beings. Sex education classes can help educate children from their early childhood, instill in their minds a sense of responsibility for their actions and respect for others. Sex education likewise can educate girls about effective measures of protecting themselves. The problem of contracting sexually transmitted diseases among young people can also be alleviated by educating them about contraception, safe sex, abstinence, and the importance of hygiene. Here again, the importance of sex education is imperative.

I decided to talk about the importance of sex education because sex education is not readily available in our schools today. Many schools integrate sex education classes into their curriculum, some schools focus on abstinence-only sex education classes, but many schools are also discouraged from having sex education classes due to parental pressure. Many parents assume that it is the responsibility of parents to educate their children about sex and sexuality. But while the parents share the responsibility of educating their children, as a powerful agent of socialization, schools also need to teach sex education. School environment is important for children and youngsters' development of attitudes toward sex. Many young people learn about sex from their peers, and that is partly the reason why they so often have misleading and false assumptions about sex. "I have been asked questions such as 'Can you get pregnant from anal sex' (13 years old), 'Am I not a virgin if I've given a blow job' (6th grader), 'How will I know if I am pregnant' (8th grader) etc.," a school teacher points out. "As a teacher these questions break your heart because you ask yourself why have you not been explained these things? Where are you getting your information from?" (Blosser). Sex education classes can help children understand these important questions at their early age.