Adventures in Sex Education
By Peter Barnes

Soon after signing on as a new fifth grade science teacher, my teammates asked me, "You know you'll be teaching Family Life this year, right?" The dreaded Family Life unit, often called Sex Education, is a two-week set of lessons taught in May. I think my teammates brought it up in September to make sure I wouldn't skip town before spring. I had reluctantly agreed to it and spent much of my first year worrying about how I would survive the experience.

Here goes nothing
When the time came I was ready, having spoken all the embarrassing words aloud in the hopes of avoiding a giggling fit in front of my students. I established a serious tone and threatened dire consequences for silly or inappropriate behavior. I explained that this unit was just like our other science topics except that it was about our own bodies.

After the introductory video about puberty and body development, I turned on the lights and asked for questions. This was the moment that I had dreaded for months. I expected snickering, silly questions and chaos. Instead I was met with silent looks of horror. Several students looked like they might be sick to their stomachs. Not one hand ventured upward to pose a question.

Luckily, I didn't panic. I reviewed some major points of the video and reassured the students that any and all serious questions were welcome.

Energetic curiosity
Finally, a girl in the back row raised her hand and asked a question about menstruation. I took a deep breath and answered the question as candidly as possible. Slowly, hands started to rise. Questions came from all over the room and the mood changed from uncomfortable tension to energetic curiosity.

Attempting to answer every question about the human body has its hazards. Some of the questions kids ask are real doozies. It takes all my energy not to laugh or look shocked when answering them. Sometimes I must deal with angry parents who feel their children aren't ready for so much information.

Most of the time, however, the Family Life unit is a positive experience. The students are eager learners. Topics like conjoined twins, growth spurts and heredity fascinate them and lead to endless follow-up questions. Most parents are very supportive. One mother happily reported overhearing her son discuss the stages of adolescence with a friend while they waited for the bus.

I no longer dread the month of May. Family Life is an adventure that makes teaching just a little more interesting.

Peter Barnes teaches fifth grade in New Albany, OH.