This is a research based argumentative paper ... MLA format.. I really need help editing and making it flow a little better... Can anyone give me some help?
Sex education has been a taboo topic in the public school systems for a very long time. In the 1960's and 70's the issue became a hot moral and political topic and it is still in debate today. Sex ed is generally reserved for the high school level and is generally taught in the 9th grade. By 9th grade many students are not only aware of sex, but many have also already participated in it. So therefore sex education needs to be taught in middle school.
A few middle schools have a small amount of sexual education but rarely does it go beyond, "How to say no to sex and drugs." The opponents to comprehensive sexual education have pushed the abstinence only approach. My question is what good does it do to teach abstinence to a ninth grader that has been sexually active for years? In an interview done by Sandy Banks for the Los Angeles Times article, "When middle schools is to late for sex ed" in February 2010, Sandy spoke to a middle school counselor who has assisted dozens of students dealing with the fallout of early sex. "kids understand the mechanics. . . . They know how to do sex, but that's about it," she said. "They don't know about sexually contracted diseases, how they can affect you, how they're spread. About the emotional process, the feelings involved, what happens when he doesn't want to be with you anymore. Somebody needs to explain to them the pros and cons, the big picture, the long-term effects." Abstinence is a great program and it does work, but it isn't enough. These kids still believe myths like "you can't get pregnant if you have sex standing up," they need the knowledge. In a study entitled "Can More Progress Be Made", lead by Dr. Jacqueline Darroch for the Alan Guttmacher Institute, it was noted that "In countries where young people receive social support, full information and positive messages about sexuality and sexual relationships, and have easy access to sexual and reproductive health services, they achieve healthier outcomes and lower rates of pregnancy, birth, abortion and STDs."(6) According to this research the United States is making progress with our abstinence methods but more needs to be done, much more.
Far too many people view middle school adolescents as innocent, they believe that these children are too young to comprehend things like sex, contraceptives, std's, and pregnancy. These are kids between eleven and fourteen, some of them still watch cartoons. The problem is the proponents of childhood innocence are only partially correct, children can't comprehend what it's like to be pregnant. However, they can and do engage in sexual activities and they know quite a bit about sex itself. The times have changed drastically, children are growing up much more quickly. In an interview with a local eighth grader named Sami, I learned that at her school they haven't received any sex ed yet. I asked her what she knows about sex and was surprised when she described many different variations off the top of her head. She told me she learned about sex from her friends, from TV and from the internet. The only formal sexual education Sami has received was in 6th grade when they taught them how to say no to sex and drugs. Despite the lack of education, her friends are actively engaging and talking about sex on a regular basis. "James and Kayla do stuff like that all the time, and Kayla tells me all about it at lunch." Sami said her new boyfriend has done stuff like that before and has asked her about it a few times. These children have 24/7 internet access, they or their friends have googled their curiosities away and shared their discoveries at the lunch table. Movies aimed at them, like the Twilight series, are full of sexual tension and suggestive innuendos. A publication from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmogirl.com called "Sex and Tech" reviews the results of a survey aimed at teens. They found that 20% of teens have sent nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves to someone else. Sending of sexually suggestive messages is even more common, according to the survey 48% of teens have received such a message (NCPTUP, 1). These "innocent" kids are getting the information whether we teach it to them or not. Google is not a good teacher, it wont cover all the bases of what they need to know, they will get information as if they were adults instead of information aimed at them, they will be exposed to pornography. Good technique is not what we want them to be learning and the only way to help them as teachers is to teach them.
Many parents and moral proponents argue that it is unnecessary to teach this sort of information so young. They might ask, what reason is there to put ideas in their heads? In The Journal of School Health (April 2009) Christine Markham Ph.D wrote and article entitled "Patterns of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sexual Intercourse in an Urban Seventh-Grade Population." The title of this article alone was shocking to me as I'm sure it would be to most anyone involved with middle school students. What the article contained was even more shocking. Markham writes that out of the 1279 middle schoolers who took the survey, 34% have either touched others privates places or been touched themselves (196), 12% have had vaginal sex, nearly 8% have had oral sex, and 6.5% have had anal sex (193). Of those who said yes to vaginal, oral or anal sex 25% also said they've had 4 or more partners and 30% said they didn't use protection (197). Not only are the kids talking about sex they are actively engaging in sexual activities or they know someone who is. And they are doing this with little to no knowledge of the dangers and precautions necessary. Markham said, "These findings are alarming because youths who start having sex before age 14 are much more likely to have multiple lifetime sexual partners, use alcohol or drugs before sex and have unprotected sex, all of which puts them at greater risk for getting an STD or becoming pregnant (194)." I believe that withholding information about sex from children is morally wrong for us as teachers. Our job is to give them the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in life and that is exactly what we aren't doing. Their lack of knowledge removes the ability to make an informed decision about what is best for them, it's similar to throwing them to the wolves without the knowledge that wolves bite.
In an article entitled "Sex Education and Student Rights" from The international Journal of Educational Reform (spring 2011), the author Paul Clark says "Children typically have a right to provision which includes the provision of basic needs, such as food, shelter, adequate care and education. Parents are expected to meet these needs. Yet, the state will intervene when the parent is unable or unwilling to uphold these fundamental commitments. Children also have a right to protection from the ills of abuse, neglect, danger and exploitation." Doesn't it follow that withholding information about the danger of sex, and the precautions required to engage in such acts, is a violation of the child's rights. Clark also said "If we want them (students) to become healthy, independent and responsible adults, they should be entitled to make a serious moral claim to relevant and age-appropriate sex education in the confines of the school curriculum. This is necessary,...to facilitate their growth and journey toward adulthood and reaching their full potential." It is our hope that parents are capable of preparing their children to face the sexual pressures they will experience as they grow. But, as educators we are the intervention Clark is talking about, we are the sudo-parents. It is our job to make sure every single child has the skills, knowledge, and equipment they need to succeed in life. Regardless of what their parents are capable of providing for them.
