Human Sexuality and Sex Education Coursework

Within the course of Human Sexuality and Sex Education, I studied the impact that effective sex education has on the youth of our society and how important it is to create comprehensive programs within American schools. The two projects I have included here outline the focus of analyzing data as it pertains to populations who have access to sex education, and accurate and scientifically supported information regarding birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and the average age that youth become sexually active. Children begin to understand and explore their sexuality at a young age, so it is important to support programs that encourage them to learn about their bodies in developmentally appropriate ways as this course suggested.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Reactions 

     When looking at the Youth Risk Behavior Survey as it relates to STIs and sexual health, what I found most interesting, and surprising was the disparities between the number of White students and Black or African American students who had been taught about HIV and AIDS in school. I had originally thought that more White students would have received education surrounding this sexual health issue than the Black or African American students, because minorities tend to populate within lower socioeconomic communities where the access to health education is fair at best. I was surprised to find that the results of the YRBS contradicted my hypothesis, and more Black and African American youth had received education around HIV and AIDs prevention. Considering the demographics of my own community, I should not be so surprised, AIDS Project Worcester services predominantly Black and Latino families, though services are open to anyone who needs them, free of charge.  This makes me wonder, from the results I saw, are we assuming that the majority of White youth are not in need of education surrounding HIV and AIDs prevention?

     If these results are indicative of the mindset that is prevailing among Health Educators within our schools, I am concerned for the well being of our young people. Another interesting piece of the survey results are the number of sexually active females compared to males, when looking at sexually active females in 9th grade the YRBS reported 1,685. This was higher than the number of reported sexually active 9th grade males, which were 1,668.  Theses numbers fluctuate when assessing the number of sexually active males and females in 12th grade, with the number of sexually active females being 1,706, and the number of sexually active males being 1,702.  It is quite interesting that in the beginning of high school, when students are beginning to sexually mature and explore their sexuality that females were more sexual than males. You hear common stereotypes that say males are more sexual than females, but this data shows that is false. Females are known to develop and mature at a faster rate than males, and it is well known that it takes boys longer to catch up to where girls are developmentally; perhaps this is why more adolescent females are displaying sexual activity? If a female is developing more rapidly than a male, she would be processing and discovering more aspects of her sexually than her male counterpart, and therefore may be more prone to engage in sexual activity.

     Considering the total number of sexually active females, I was concerned to see that 356 of the sexually active 9th grade females did not use the birth control pill. I was even more concerned to read that when the females reached 12th grade, 856 of them were not using birth control pills. The amount of young women not using birth control pills astounds me, and it quite concerning, because if there is education taking place regarding the effectiveness of the birth control pill, it is not effective. The other potential possibility is that these young women do not have access to the pill, and therefore are not using it. Many parents do not believe in contraception, and even today push abstinence on their young daughters. It is quite possible many of these young women would like to be on the birth control pill, but are not able to do so until they are 18 and can consent for themselves. Another barrier that may be keeping young adolescent females from using hormonal contraception, such as the pill, may be fear of asking for it. The teenage years are full of fast transitions, young women are unsure of the changes occurring in their bodies and often have fear and shame associated with those changes. There may be teenage girls afraid to ask their parents or physicians about contraceptive options that are available to them, which would keep them from using hormonal birth control and limit them to relying on using condoms, which would be that they would need to trust that their sexual partner, if a male was 100% complacent with their wishes.

     I think what I saw in this survey showed that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to reaching young people, it also showed me that I have to work on my ability to analyze statistical data that is reported in this way, because I found analyzing these results to be the biggest challenge thus far this semester. I have to wonder, if these numbers are 100% accurate, I remember in my personal health class last semester that we talked about the accuracy of self-reported statistics. My instructor said that people always-self report lower numbers than are actually accurate, so in reality these numbers we are seeing could be much higher than what are indicated.  I hope that in future surveys the number of young women using the pill will increase, that would be a great way to improve the sexual health of young women.

  

Child Sexuality Interview

     For my final paper, I interviewed the parent of my former focus child that I had when I student taught at the Quinsigamond Community College Children's School. The little boy’s name is Patty, and he is 5 years old. I interviewed his father, Pat, about Patty’s sexuality as it has presented itself within the context of his childhood. From my own experience working with Patty, I know that he is on par with the majority of young boys his age. He loves to joke around about penises, and talk about poop. I remember one day sitting at the snack table he looked at me in a very sly and mischievous way and said, “My Dad is a fat bum who walks around in his boxers and makes his penis stick out!” He then burst into laughter. Patty is a lively, intelligent, and confident young boy. It was interesting to get some insight into his parents views of raising him.

     I was reassured to see that Patty’s Father felt he is comfortable with his body, young girls and boys are becoming body conscious earlier and earlier in age these days, and it's a huge detriment to their development. This can affect sexual development because if a child isn't confident in their own body, they will have trouble wanting to explore of discover new things about its physicality and characteristics. I was also excited that his parents have taught him the anatomically correct names for his body parts, that is so important for young children to learn as part of sex education at a young age. It gives them so much power over their bodies by being able to name those parts, it also helps children have the words and tools to report sexual abuse were it to occur, which means that the abuser is more likely to be caught when children are better able to communicate with adults.

     Having confidence and a string sense of self is critical during early childhood, this is the time when the foundation is being laid out for all sorts of life skills. Language is being built, social skills among peers are being strengthened, gross motor skills are improving, fine motor skills are coming into play, there are so many things happening. Children need to feel confident in their own skin to try to learn and master these skills. Patty has shown he is confident not only in his body, but also with his emerging sexualoty as he is able to understand it at this young age. He is curious about his body, which he demonstrated by showing his friends his penis with the tattoo on it. This is a very healthy part of development for young boys, just like it is healthy for children who are potty training to become obsessed with poop. Young boys need to go through this phase in order to express their fascination and obsession with these body parts, in order to understand them. Sometimes all it takes to get them out of being so hyper focused is a teacher to sit down and have a blunt conversation with them about penises, or breasts, which I have seen before. Everything that Patty’s Father told me indicated he is health and developing at a healthy rate for a 5 year old boy.

     Finally, I think the last question gave me better insight into the mind of a parent. As people all we want to do is the best we can, whether it be at work, school, at home, or in our relationships. Our ultimate goal is to be successful. It is an entirely different burden when you are a parent, and you not only have to worry about your own success, but how to also ensure the success and well-being of another life that you brought into the world. I think it is wonderful that Patty’s Mother and Father want to make sure he understands how important boundaries are, and the importance of respecting them. Not only for his sake, but for others as well. It shows they are dedicated and involved parents who are committed to their child becoming a well-adjusted and developed individual in the world.

Interview with Pat:

Do you think Patty is comfortable with his body?

Yes, I do. He is very confident in his body image, and talking about his body parts. He knows the correct names for his private areas, penis instead of saying wee wee like some parents teach their children.

What are indicators, if any, that Patty us confident with his sexuality as a child and is beginning to try to explore and understand his physical body?

One day we went to a birthday party for one of Patty’s friends. They gave out temporary tattoos in the goodie bags, while my wife and I were talking with other parents Patty had gone into the bathroom and put one of the tattoos on his penis. He was going around the party showing the guests the tattoo he had, and how proud he was of it. As embarrassing as that was, we knew it meant he had a very strong sense of who he was and enough self-esteem to be comfortable doing that.

Has Patty showed any indications of what his sexual preference might be?

At this point all the crushes he's had in school have been girls, there's one little girl named Katie that he's particularly close with at the moment and it's very cute.

Would it bother you if Patty realized he were gay or Transgender and came out to you?

I think it would be a transition for us, but we love him and would want the best chance of his happiness. So, we would support him regardless.

What is a challenge for you of parenting Patty?

It is our hope that we can teach him that certain actions are appropriate for certain times and places, i.e. you don't show birthday party guests the tattoo you put on your penis. We want to make sure he understands healthy boundaries moving forward, which I think is true of any parent. And making those distinctions stick in the mind of a five-year-old boy is a challenge.