NY Time Sex Ed Article Opinion?

I love it and I would be thrilled if there were such a curriculum taught at my sons' school.

I just did a speed read of the article and really thought that the teacher had a great attitude toward opening up a dialogue and getting the kids to talk. I especially liked this part:

"“What if our kids really believed we wanted them to have great sex?” Vernacchio asked near the end of an evening talk he gave in January primarily for parents of ninth graders who would attend his sex-ed minicourse. “What if they really believed that we want them to be so passionately in love with someone that they can’t keep their hands off them? What if they really believed we want them to know their own bodies?” "

I think this is a sort of focus that can include abstinence while also teaching teens to value themselves. Not 'well, if you have to have sex, here are the options to protect against STIs' , which is begrudging and closes down the conversation. I want my son to know his body, I'd love for him to have someone in his life who will talk about the feelings of both genders in regard to sexuality, and I think something like this could go hand-in-hand with our message to him, which will be "We love you, we think you have a lot of potential to do some wonderful things in your life, and when you wait to have sex, you preserve more options for yourself."

No one way of sex ed is going to be a 100% cure-all for teen pregnancy. But yes, I do find it hard to easy to believe that there would be significantly less 'accidental' pregnancies within the group profiled in the article. So much of the conversation actually helps them feel 'normal' at a time in one's life when it is so common to feel 'weird'.

I think this curriculum would be life-changing in a good way for teenagers. If they can be introduced to this kind of discussion in a way that allows them to be comfortable with the information (not ashamed or made to feel it's forbidden information), imagine how much better their decisions would be. I'm trying to imagine what it would have been like to head off to college with this knowledge and comfort level, rather than the abstinence-only classes we were taught (by nuns, no less!). It would have made a world of difference to me. I'm sure I don't have the guts to talk to my kids like this, but I'm just going to have to find a way!

Sex ed. is very important!! We are all human and none of us are perfect and we are going to make mistakes along the path of life. Knowledge is power!

Call me crazy. In theory, I love the class. I'd probably encourage my kids to take it. I'm on board with lots of the stuff. But just in my personal humble little opinion, I think it isn't necessary to coach teenagers how to be totally proficient at sex and enjoy it and focus on complex sexual relationships with each other. Imo, people let their kids focus on romantic relationships way too much way too early. I had no problem learning about all the details and complexities of sex in my first serious relationships, and they weren't while I was in high school. All you really need to know then is how to keep from getting pregnant or diseases imo, the rest seems sort of overkill to me for teens. I'm against abstinence only, but this is like the opposite extreme. I mean, it talks about how many of the kids felt more confident about their sexual performances and desires within relationships after taking the class, and barely any were abstaining..the one girl who, after feeling shy before the class, could now proudly announce she likes sex with no strings just like guys...?...Ok.... Most of the stuff I feel I will cover with my kids anyway regarding relationships and details, but if they get too "weirded out" talking to me by then it wouldn't hurt to hear it in school...I guess.... Again, I had none of that in depth teaching in high school and don't feel I needed it or missed out on anything valuable I didn't learn anyway.

I have not read it ... can you add a link to it in the "what happened" so I can read it ... Sex ed teachings greatly interest me, I would like to see changes made by the time my son goes to school if not sooner.

While I am against teaching abstinence only programs I have to say that this seems a bit extreme. There is NO REASON for a kid to watch a short film on female ejaculation. Sorry.
Yes,I think kids need to know more. Believe me, I knew nothing! My parents pulled me out of health class since they didn't want me taking sex ed! CRAZY! But, I also think there is a happy medium. This guy, while sounding sincere, just sounded TOO out there for me.
L.