Response #6: "When the Cellphone Teaches Sex Education"

In The New York Time's article "When the Cellphone Teaches Sex Education," writer Jan Hoffman addresses the latests attempts to teach teenagers about sex, in this case, through texting questions to The Birds and Bees Text Line, a service that responds to inquiries sent by young people. The Birds and Bees directs its advertising to youths ages 14 to 19 via MySpace, and aims to help teenagers in North Carolina in particular, where the school teaches an abstinence-only curriculum, and the state has the ninth-highest pregnancy rate. Additionally, there has been an ongoing debate in North Carolina as to whether school officials should mention contraception in the classroom.

As a teacher, I believe it is the responsibility of teachers to educate young people about sex, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. Teenagers are getting pregnant at an alarming rate, and they are not in the position to take care of their babies, mentally, emotionally, or financially. As I enter the school building every morning, I see carriages in the lobby and babies crying. It is ridiculous that as a society, we have created a culture of shame, and we refuse to acknowledge teenage pregnancy as the problem that it really is. By saying that schools should not teach about contraception and that it is the "job of the parents," we are doing nothing; we are maintaining our denial by just leaving our hands clean of the situation. The truth is: parents aren't talking to their kids, and kids aren't talking to their parents, so we have to deal with the reality in front of us. Schools should be a safe place for teenagers, and they should feel free to discuss their problems and circumstances without fear or shame.

This article addresses a solution to the rise in teen pregnancy: the use of social networking sites such as Myspace and YouTube and other nontraditional mediums as a way of reaching out and educating teenagers. Hoffman also mentions websites that are providing similar services, such as TeenHealthFX.com. It is obvious that young people are in need of guidance, as many of the questions sent to The Birds and Bees line reveal; one teenager asked if he/she could contract AIDS from having intercourse with an infected individual the first time. Other young people are seeking support, claiming they have no one else to whom they can reach out. As sad as it is that our society is facing this problem, and as unbelievable as it is that young people have no one to talk to, that is where we are today, and I commend these sites and phone lines for doing something about it, rather than just being apathetic and claiming it's the job of the parents. This falls in line with what we were discussing last week in class regarding teachers getting too friendly with students. Much of what has become the job of today's teacher are things that should be the job of parents, but the truth is, parents are doing a shitty job: many teenagers can't read on grade level; pregnancy rates are rising, along with STD rates, and someone needs to do something because kids are growing up too fast, too soon.