What Has Your Sex Education Been Like?

Hearing all these stories, I am shocked. People have sex ed in schools? We have no sex ed in my Iowa school, and my parents never taught me anything. My sex is was strictly based off of words and media from anywhere I could get it, and it is an absolute miracle that I understand any of it as a sophomore in high school. Schools should absolutely have comprehensive, hetero/homosexual inclusive, science (not religiously charged abstinence) based curriculums focused on preparing kids for what they might do outside of the classroom. It should not be focused on comparing a lack of virginity to used products (i.e. tape, locks/keys, roses, chocolate, etc).

I am 17 and my sex education was in a public school and it was mixed into Health. it was fun i passed class the class very easily.

My sex education has been abstinence-focused since I attend a faith-based school. Sex is not brought up in any of my classes for the most part. We have learned about the male and female reproductive systems and what occurs when someone is pregnant. The most impactful experience I had was when my school’s anatomy teacher refused to say the word “sex” and used the term “coitus” instead. This proved to me that there is a lack of accurate sexual education among the faculty in schools and for this reason, students are not receiving the sex education they need. The faculty simply pass on misconceptions and stereotypes, instead of actually educating students. I believe sexual education is necessary because it gives people the information they need in order to make healthy choices. Sex is a normal part of life and schools must try to remove the stigma attached to sex. I do feel comfortable with my body and sexuality and feel prepared to have healthy relationships because of my work with Planned Parenthood.

Sex ed should be offered in every middle and high school. Kids and Teenagers have the right to learn about their bodies and should known about them too. The more they know now the less they will have to find out in the future on their own from conducting a back experiment. Sex ed is a class that is more than just sex. It’s a class that should focus on teaching young people consent, anatomy of their own bodies, and medical content like birth control and diseases that could come along with having sex. Sex ed should be a class that prepares teenagers for sex so when they do have it they know the risks and what the proper tools are for when having sex like a condom and birth control or even a morning after pill. Going on about how sex ed classes aren't just focused on sex is true when it came to a sex ed class I had in 5th grade. This class didn’t explain what sex was but, rather the stages of puberty that I was going to experiences very soon.

The most effective impact of sex ed was the lessons about condoms, STDs and STIs. The information learned about these topics were generally helpful and important for me in my future, and mostly un-biased. While this was extremely helpful to me in my teen years, I wish I learned more about sex in a healthy relationship.

For me sex ed wasn't very helpful. Yes, I had a class in middle school called stepping stones which was a sex ed class but honestly I never really learned anything important. Most of the time all we talked about was periods which most girls already had and we learned about our own bodies, what they looked like, how they looked and we learned about a guys body but almost nothing on sex in general. People always just tell teenagers not to do it which just isn't helpful at all. However luckily I had my mom, she was very understanding about the topic and very easy to talk to about sex, I learned everything from her and not just don't have sex, she taught me about how to protect myself if I do decide to do it such as the options you have as contraceptives and how to stay safe from STDs and such, she also made it easy if I had questions and to me this is the most important thing a person can teach you when it comes to sex. But sadly most kids aren't this lucky and don't have parents or people they feel they can talk to about these topics making it hard for teenagers to actually make good decisions in their life that they need to understand. so I believe sex ed needs to step up its game and teach us how to protect ourselves and contraceptives to use instead of just telling us not to have sex because most kids will at one point as a teenager and they should know everything that comes with having sex.

States should require that schools teach medically accurate sex education because it is such a basic part of human nature. Parents can’t opt their children out of learning about how animals reproduce or about other bodily functions, so they shouldn’t be able to deny their child of learning about sex and how to do it safely. It is not necessary to push abstinence or sex before marriage. It is just necessary to provide students with facts and let them decide from there. That is how other scientific lessons are presented and this shouldn’t be any different.

I had the pretty basic sex education starting from fifth grade all the way to 8th. They taught us all the contraceptives to use and how to to be safe. They focused more on teaching what was actually useful and did not focus on not having sex. But how to be safe when we did. Nothing really were that impactful tin these classes because I knew almost all of it but I will say putting on the fake pregnant belly was quite an experience. It really gave insight into what it feels like physically, such as the added weight and imbalance when you stand. I feel as though I got an adequate education in sex ed. I am well informed and know what I need to know to get by. I think all states should require proper sex education based on the school values. There are some private schools that would like to focus more on the waiting till marriage and the curriculum should be based off that, while the rest should focus on an unbiased point of view. Parents should not have to make their child do sex ed if they feel they can provide a proper education on the basis of sex and disease, etc.

Sex Education is so important, especially for teenagers. We barely get taught any sex ed because it is such a taboo topic, and I think that that negligence has had its consequences. I know a lot of kids that haven't been/aren't being very safe in that regard, something that I believe could be easily prevented with a little more knowledge. I understand why people are afraid to talk about it and teach teenagers about it. They think that it'll make teenagers more likely to have sex or make unsafe decisions, but, as the article said, "Studies have repeatedly shown that abstinence-only education increases rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, while comprehensive sex education lowers such risks." It's important for us to learn concepts such as consent and safe sex so that we can build healthy relationships in the future and protect ourselves from bad decisions. My sex ed. experience is very... limited. Ironically, the best education I got was in fifth grade compared to my eighth grade sex ed. In fifth grade, my teachers told us about "growth and changes" and what we should expect, as well as the basics of sex. In my middle school, the boys and girls were separated and a woman we had never seen before came in to "talk to us about sex". She ended up telling us for about five minutes about puberty and things we had all already mostly gone through, and then for the rest of the hour and a half she showed us youtube videos she made of herself skateboarding.

I can not really recall sex education from school but I do remember lessons from my family. Which basically consisted of “don't do it” . I really wish my parents had gone more into detail on contraceptives when I was younger, it's embarrassing coming into highschool and not knowing all my options because no one ever taught me. I think it’s really important for kids to learn more than just “don’t have sex” because it’s no secret that teenagers are going to do it regardless of how many times they’re told not to. If they’re going to have sex at least make sure they know how to do it safely and are well informed on the topic.

I have had basically no sex education. So far I haven't had a single sex ed class in high school and I'm a sophomore. I had "health class" freshman year but when we weren't chucking balls at each other in doge ball we were learning about dieting. Which is to be fair, fairly important but nothing close to relating to sex has been taught to me in high school. I was taught "some" sex ed in middle school though. It was only a week long though and mostly covered subjects such as periods, which most of us had already had, and teenage pregnancy. We talked about STD's for only one day and most of that time was spent debunking the blue waffle myth. Which is if you didn't know: fake. I really learned nothing about sex its self; I wasn't even taught abstinence they just kinda avoided the topic. People only discussed the affects of sex, but never just sex. My lack of sex education hasn't had a negative impact on me personally, or a positive impact for that matter. But what worries me is all the people that their education does affected them and shapes how they approach sexual relationships. The story about how a girl referred to herself as dirty tape is heartbreaking. No one should be taught that they will "go to hell" for pursuing sexual relationship; feel the need to call themselves dirty. And another story about someone not truly learning about sex and sexual orientation is troubling. People should be taught about sexual orientation. People should just be taught about sex period.

I did have sex education in Middle school but in all honesty it wasn't really that informative but it was there. From what I remember it was more information based so like the risk of STD and other things. The topic of consent or actually sexual activity wasn't really touched. Just like facts if you will. A positive thing that came out of the class was they drilled condoms into our heads pretty hard for birth control which I find to be a pretty good thing. The class was about protecting yourself and partner which is a very good thing so I would say the class was a success to an extent. The class didn't make me feel empowered I really don't see how or why it should make you informed to be honest it's a class in a public school. Yeah I feel comfortable with my own body and my ability to have a good healthy relationship with someone. I would say the social and biological side of a relationship is a very hard topic for school to teach because its a personal/individual thing based on the people involved. I think all schools should be made to teach medically accurate sex-education that covers facts, the actual specifics don't need to be covered. I do feel very strongly that we need to change the taboo around sexual activity being discussed in homes. Parents in today's society should not teach abstinence and that sexual activity is a bad thing because I feel that is worse than at school. It makes the kid feel as if they have no one to talk to if something tragic does happen.

The only Sex education classes I have had came in 7th and 8th grade, and I barely remember anything from them except abstinence is the best way to prevent birth, which is something they heavily reinforced. The rest was was learning the anatomy that I remember nothing of. Many states are forcing all students to take sex education classes at least once. I know that it is extremely important, but I don't think the state should force any student to take the class. With how little I remember from the class, the class was basically a waste of time. One girl in the article told about her sex education experiences. In middle school it was all about abstinence and in ninth grade it was about the anatomy. I feel this would be more effective for me and a lot of other people because I feel the anatomy I learned had no effect on me as a middle-schooler. But if I were to learn about it again in high school, I feel it would be more beneficial.

Sex Ed. is extremely important. I started Sex Ed. in 6th grade of middle school. We learned all about the human reproductive system and how sex works. We were taught mainly anatomy only and once we reached high school we stopped being educated on the subject all together. I think high schools need to have a mandatory Sex Ed. class that teaches the most important fundamentals of sex such as contraception and consent. By that age, teenagers know all about how sex works but don’t always take the topics of consent and protection seriously. Especially in this modern day of teenagers partying and getting themselves into different situations it’s important to at least be educated properly first.

After reading the article "what has your sex education been like" I never had one.

It all started in 5th grade with sex ed classes separating boys and girls into different classrooms to learn about our own body's and how each part worked and functioned with one another. Throughout middle school sex education continued and got more in depth every year learning more about what sex is, ways to stay save, healthy and what the dangers/repercussions are. I believe that the school lead classes make it easier to get a full understanding about sex, teaching both aspects of it. For instance how to practice safe sex or abstinence not forcing kids to do one or the, but letting them make there own choice with what they do with there body's.

Sex education classes started in 6th grade during middle school. I had a very good teacher that knew how to make an awkward topic easy to learn. She covered abstinence, consent, and the anatomy of our bodies. We learned about so many important topics including sex trafficking and how to prevent it. It was very powerful to learn about sex trafficking and how it affects communities. It's an awful thing but I believe something we should all be aware of.

I started taking a sex education class in 5th grade. I went to a Christian school, so we were taught only these phrases. “ Don't do it, don't talk about it.” I was taught it was evil and bad. Although I didn't learn anything, i'm glad I was taught to think this was an evil thing. It has and will continue to keep me away. A Lot of people have promise rings, I don't but I still have made a promise to myself. I feel if I didn't go to a school that taught it so vague then I would be sinning. I will most likely go to my mom and talk to her about it.. Awkward….

My Sex Education has been extensive lasting from 6th to 8th grade. We learned a lot about abstinence and I could tell you a long list of fun facts about STDs. Other than that, I have not learned all too much. Our teacher let us wear a pregnant suit which wasn't all too useful given the fact that I will never carry a baby. Our teacher taught us how to put on condoms while demonstrating.. with a banana. We had to watch a lot of videos from the 80s. I don't think those were too useful given that AIDs was rampant in the 80s. Either way, they didn't teach us all that much. Most of what they said was disregarded by students, which now causes problems for them. They could definitely improve Sex Ed at school. Focusing on STDs and Abstinence isn't what the class should 100% focus on.

My sex education at school was really bad. Honestly, everything I know about sex, I’ve learned it outside of school. Anything I’ve learned in school about sex has just been sugar coated. Besides the fact that anything I was told in class I already knew. I think in school they should just tell you everything you need to know and not sugar coat anything. I don’t think sex is a topic where you can’t tell younger kids. But that’s just my opinion. I think school’s should start teaching as soon as Third grade, but again that’s just my opinion. This doesn’t have to do with sex but school’s should teach us life skills, not stupid stuff we won’t need when we get older.

I had my sex education in middle school, it was about a week each year so it wasn't that long. In sex ed we learned about sex, the anatomy of each genitalia, and the importance of safe sex. I really learned a lot from that class and I wish more places would have classes like that because these are things that people need to know so that they can be safe. If everyone had a class like this than everyone could be safer but because its not then people are at danger.