Bad Sex Ed classes

[Dirty Hipsters]

A friend linked me to this video talking about sex ed teachers and how bad/untrue a lot of what they teach is:

Spoiler

This reminded me of my middle school sex ed teacher and the total nonsense she tried to teach my class.

One example was a story she told us about a student that she'd once had. She claimed that the student got pregnant by giving her boyfriend a hand-job and that when her boyfriend ejaculated the sperm landed on her stomach and then the sperm crawled their way from her stomach into her vagina got all the way to her uterus, and got her pregnant.

I'm not sure if this was just my teacher being incredibly gullible and believing the student who told her that she'd gotten pregnant without having sex, or if this was my teacher's way of trying to convince us that any form of sexual contact ran the risk of pregnancy and that we should avoid any form of sexual stimulation. Either way my class had a good laugh about it behind her back.

This was in California by the way. You'd think that in a liberal state like that we would have gotten something better than the abstinence bullshit they teach in the bible belt.

So I was wondering how the rest of the Escapist fared in terms of what they were taught in sex ed. Did you actually learn anything useful in your classes or was it just a bunch of fear-mongering in an attempt to keep all you horny kids from doing the horizontal slide? I wish to know. Any funny stories about your classes or curriculum?

 

[Queen Michael]

I'm Swedish. We were taught actual facts. Not all of them, but at least true ones.

 

[DementedSheep]

From what I remember from sex ed the teacher was fine. She didn't lie about it, she didn't pretend it was some horrible thing to be avoided. She used humour which made everything less awkward.
She taught anatomy, safe sex and STDS, legal (like age, consent and child support), general safety stuff (like don't leave drinks unattended in bars though I'm not sure that was actually in the curriculum) and a little bit of relationship advice. She didn't really fear monger though she did tell us about some awful thing that happened to her/ her friends and mistakes she had made.

I don't know that I learnt much as I'd already been taught most of these thing but the school teaching was fine.

We did have to watch a shitty video with a pervy rubber duck thing that was blowing bubbles off adults to revel their genitals and symbolised sex with cats rubbing against each other and exploding. It was running joke in the class to pretend like we thought pulling out was an effective method of birth control to annoy the teacher.

 

[Muspelheim]

I'm Swedish. We were taught actual facts. Not all of them, but at least true ones.

Well... True. I remember the sex-ed being fine in a factual sense, but it rather left a few things to be desired. It could've been my district that dropped the ball, but I can only recall about two classes devoted to sex-ed in total. Some delightfully awkward "talk", a very rushed description of a condome and then we got to watch educational cartoons (a few battered VHS casettes) on the matter. They did at least cover the basics and some of the surrounding subjects.

Then we nipped off to the local youth health reception office, got a contraceptive crashcourse and that was it. I think both we and the teachers thought we knew more on the subject than we did. Sex and the matters thereof are complicated, and I don't think making the class watch weird sex-ed cartoons from the 80's in a cupboard is enough.

Some more talky-talk would've been nice. Other sexual orientations than hetero could've done with more than being barely admitted to exist, for one. A discussion about pornography (which both we and the teachers knew where our main source of "education") would've been nice. Particularly what it means and why you shouldn't take notes from it. It was just a bit too centered on how babbies are made, and how babbies are avoided until you're better suited to look after them. Certainly, it's the main point of sex-ed, but it influences so much else of a person's life that a wider overview would've been welcome. At least in my district.

They got the facts down, but there is a lot more to them that they never talked about, in brief.

(And I also worry that religious and cultural concerns might have undue influence over a child's right to sexual education in certain areas, but that is an entirely different discussion that I am not a bad enough dude to tangle with)

 

[Johnny Impact]

First, imagine a dried-up, uncharismatic sixty-year old woman delivering material she clearly finds highly distasteful by rote in a ponderous, agonizing monotone that sounds like a female Ben Stein.

Somehow it made everything so much funnier than it already was.

As far as I can recall we were taught factual and largely complete information. Anatomy, contraceptives and their varying levels of effectiveness, risk of disease, and so forth.

Of course, I had sex ed class almost thirty years ago. I think at that time it was the most complete and honest it's ever been (in America). Before, it was held back by prudishness, now it's held back by stupid, flat-out, la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you denial of the obvious. Seems like there was a sweet spot where sense held sway before the pendulum started swinging the other way. Maybe I just see stupidity more as I get older.

 

[Zhukov]

Um... wow.

My school sex-ed was nothing like that. I mean, it was a bit clinical and mostly focussed on safe sex and contraception, but there was nothing crazy in there. Any questions we had were answered well and as far as I can remember everything we were told was correct.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I barely remember my school's sex-ed beyond one rather hilarious class: the high school I went to had taken the trouble to procure some dildos from the local sex store for the purpose of teaching condom application. My god what a farce that afternoon turned out to be

 

[Queen Michael]

I'm Swedish. We were taught actual facts. Not all of them, but at least true ones.

Well... True. I remember the sex-ed being fine in a factual sense, but it rather left a few things to be desired. It could've been my district that dropped the ball, but I can only recall about two classes devoted to sex-ed in total. Some delightfully awkward "talk", a very rushed description of a condome and then we got to watch educational cartoons (a few battered VHS casettes) on the matter. They did at least cover the basics and some of the surrounding subjects.

Then we nipped off to the local youth health reception office, got a contraceptive crashcourse and that was it. I think both we and the teachers thought we knew more on the subject than we did. Sex and the matters thereof are complicated, and I don't think making the class watch weird sex-ed cartoons from the 80's in a cupboard is enough.

Some more talky-talk would've been nice. Other sexual orientations than hetero could've done with more than being barely admitted to exist, for one. A discussion about pornography (which both we and the teachers knew where our main source of "education") would've been nice. Particularly what it means and why you shouldn't take notes from it. It was just a bit too centered on how babbies are made, and how babbies are avoided until you're better suited to look after them. Certainly, it's the main point of sex-ed, but it influences so much else of a person's life that a wider overview would've been welcome. At least in my district.

They got the facts down, but there is a lot more to them that they never talked about, in brief.

(And I also worry that religious and cultural concerns might have undue influence over a child's right to sexual education in certain areas, but that is an entirely different discussion that I am not a bad enough dude to tangle with)

My district was pretty much the same. I remember those cartoons... The memories, the memories...

 

[DefunctTheory]

My sex ed course was called 'Health,' presumably so parents wouldn't throw a shit fit when we took it. The course was 2 1/2 months of looking at pictures of STD riddled genitalia, writng intricate reports on specific STDs, having to share them with the class, and watching videos of STD riddled genitalia. Basically, a shit ton of 60 foot tall, projected pus covered cock and vagina slides. When we got to the last week, we were told how to use a condom, the benefits and type of birth control medication, and all the appropriate (And correct) statistical data on STDs, unwanted births from unprotected sex, and how effective birth control was.

Besides the years of mental scarring it put on me, I have to say it was ok. It was honest, it was scary, but it did cover all the basics, and how to prevent disease.

 

[silver wolf009]

See, I disagree with that lady in the video. Barring a run in with a an Aids monkey dual wielding dirty syringes, two monogamous, STI free people would be hard pressed to contract an STI.

Monogamy is effective at stopping infection; a close circuit is a good system.

OT: Our sex ed was uneventful, but what we did have was a dating ed class. More of a, "Undo the damage done by the magazines" sort of deal, it tried to teach to have realistic expectations, and to define the expectations both genders had about one another. It was good spirited, but ill conceived, and didn't teach anyone much of anything. Mostly it was just giggling. Not too bad, and a good idea, but they fumbled.

 

[Lilani]

I've seen religious discussions on sex paint it in a pretty deplorable light, and contain some pretty disturbing subtexts. There are lots of comparisons used to explain to children (usually girls) why they should wait until marriage for sex. The speaker has all the children spit in a cup of water, and then asks if any wants to drink it. They do this to make the statement that to have sex with lots of different people makes you dirty and undesirable. That point is also made by giving some of the kids chew and spit out gum and then ask if any of them want somebody else's chewed piece. But the subtext is if having sex is like getting spat on or chewed up, then why would getting married make that okay? What could ever make getting spat on or chewed up okay? By making sex out to be something which is only dirty and only corrupts, that can cause some major anxiety when they're married and it's supposedly okay to have sex. [http://thoughtcatalog.com/samantha-pugsley/2014/08/i-waited-until-my-wedding-night-to-lose-my-virginity-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/]

The other troubling statement I've seen made is that when you have sex with lots of people, the value of sex depletes. This is demonstrated by getting a strip of duct tape, sticking it to one of the kid's arms, and then tearing it off. Then going down the line and doing this again and again until it doesn't stick to much of anything anymore. The troubling thing about this analogy is that it makes having multiple partners appear to be a problem which can never be fixed. Once duct tape isn't sticky anymore, it's like that for good. You can never get that original stickiness back. It's not exactly a comforting thought for anyone who has already had sex with a few people. That's not an image that's going to grant hope, that's just an image which tells them they're irrevocably corrupted and there's no use in trying to change anything now. It also raises the question of what happens if you divorce and marry a second time, or your first spouse dies and you marry another? Is the sex just not going to be as good with that second person, simply because they're the second person you've ever had sex with? What happens if your first spouse was abusive, is that really as good as your sex life will ever be?

 

[silver wolf009]

See, I disagree with that lady in the video. Barring a run in with a an Aids monkey, two monogamous, STI free people would be hard pressed to contract an STI.

Monogamy is effective at stopping infection; a close circuit is a good system.

She doesn't say monogamy. The bad sex ed example is "The true love of marriage will protect us from STI's".

So the only way to disagree with her is if you think marriage will protect you from an STI.

Anyway our sex ed was quite normal and I guess informative. Though this one time we did see a baby's head being squeezed out of a vagina. Thats.. A lot of people say childbirth is beautiful.. It's.. It's not beautiful..

I associated true love with monogamy. I didn't think that's a very big leap...

 

[drummond13]

My sex-ed classes were just fine.

But I've met a surprisingly large number of people who were never taught that the "pull-out" method doesn't work. I've seen shotgun marriages happen because of this. Which is disturbing to me.

 

[Lilani]

See, I disagree with that lady in the video. Barring a run in with a an Aids monkey dual wielding dirty syringes, two monogamous, STI free people would be hard pressed to contract an STI.

Monogamy is effective at stopping infection; a close circuit is a good system.

It is safe, but in reality very often doesn't happen. The problem with stressing marriage as an ideal form of preventing STIs is that, to hormonal teenagers who are likely going to get it on with several people before they settle down and get married, that advice is completely useless. It's worth mentioning, but the ones who are inclined to wait until marriage are not the ones who are in most need of education when it comes to sex, protection, and contraception.

 

[Tanis]

Ban?
HELL NO!

EXPAND IT!
Yes, very much yes.

BUT!
Have it taught/written by folks who don't think 'the slut deserved it' or 'sex is evil/immoral/etc'.

 

[silver wolf009]

See, I disagree with that lady in the video. Barring a run in with a an Aids monkey, two monogamous, STI free people would be hard pressed to contract an STI.

Monogamy is effective at stopping infection; a close circuit is a good system.

She doesn't say monogamy. The bad sex ed example is "The true love of marriage will protect us from STI's".

So the only way to disagree with her is if you think marriage will protect you from an STI.

Anyway our sex ed was quite normal and I guess informative. Though this one time we did see a baby's head being squeezed out of a vagina. Thats.. A lot of people say childbirth is beautiful.. It's.. It's not beautiful..

I associated true love with monogamy. I didn't think that's a very big leap...

You also apparently associated it with virginity and a lack of drugs.

Which is a big leap.

Never said anything about virginity, or drugs. I said they had to be infection free, not sexually inactive, and comically alluded to a situation that involved poor judgement on behalf of a drug user and his monkey.

Further, wouldn't an infect transmitted by needle not be classified as an STI?

See, I disagree with that lady in the video. Barring a run in with a an Aids monkey dual wielding dirty syringes, two monogamous, STI free people would be hard pressed to contract an STI.

Monogamy is effective at stopping infection; a close circuit is a good system.

It is safe, but in reality very often doesn't happen. The problem with stressing marriage as an ideal form of preventing STIs is that, to hormonal teenagers who are likely going to get it on with several people before they settle down and get married, that advice is completely useless. It's worth mentioning, but the ones who are inclined to wait until marriage are not the ones who are in most need of education when it comes to sex, protection, and contraception.

Oh, no, yeah, no, I'm not saying it should be lauded as the only way, I'm just saying the knee jerk reaction that saying monogamy makes STI's hard to catch is a negative one. It's a side effect, not a reason. At least, that's how it should be.