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the consequences built into the system are, and usually don't want to deal with them. Most teenagers tend to respect their teachers on some level, and may see them as a more objective source of information than their parents, so they may listen without the automatic "you-don't-know-what-you're-ta lking-about" reflex that tends to kick in when parents attempt to address a serious issue with their teenagers.

School, as an academic medium, can cover all sides of the issue of sex without (too much) awkwardness. The physical act and the possible consequences, from pregnancy to infection, are scientific. The emotional aspects of sex and its aftermath can also be explained as science - a chemical reaction in the brain to a social setting. Students can be taught how to put on a condom using a banana as a prop, and that simple instruction can go a long way toward making teenagers think about what that situation would really be like, and whether or not they're ready for it. Teachers can also impart the fact that sex is a personal, individual choice, and is never something anyone should be forced into doing before they're 100% ready, often better than parents can, because while parents may have to fight to get their teenagers to sit down and listen for five minutes, teachers have them as a captive audience for at least forty-five. That doesn't mean the students have to listen, but there's a good chance they will.

The truth is, the relationship between teenagers and their parents is volatile, and a well-meaning lesson from a parent can easily strike the wrong note with their teenager and send them off to do exactly what they were just warned against, merely because something in their parents' tone or expression rubbed them the wrong way at that moment. Not all teenagers respect or like their teachers, and they don't always listen to them either, but the structure of an academic setting makes learning about sex easier, because there's no pressure for a student to respond to their teachers about how the lesson made them feel or what it made them think, the way there is in a one-on-one conversation with a parent.

Teenagers are often stubborn, and are likely to do what they want or think they have to do, regardless, but if we can make sure that they know what they're getting into when they think about having sex, that they're aware of all the consequences and the fact that having sex is probably not the answer to all their problems, then we've done the best we can. Information is a safety net - it gives teenagers something they can be sure of in a world that is full of uncertainty for several years. Educating teenagers about sex in an informative way is the best way to ensure that they understand the seriousness of the decision to have sex, and the only way to make sure every teenager has this particular safety net of information is to provide them with it in school.

Learn more about this author, Jessalyn Pinneo.
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