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The Importance Of Sex Education

Decent Essays

With the end of World War II, not only did America see the rise of the teenager as a consumer category, as well as, an increase in films as educational tools in the classroom, but also a shift in sex education. This era demonstrates a transition from moral/ethical interpretations of sex education commonly taught within the home or church during the early 1900s toward more accurate, biological interpretations of sex taught within the mid-century classrooms. This is evident from an educational health circular from 1940: High Schools and Sex Education, which note that “as conditions change and as knowledge expands it becomes necessary for the school to assist the home more and more in its educational functions.” This health circular explains that WWII resulted in less time for mothers to devote toward educating their children and subsequently schools became vessels for home economics and sex education curricula.
Another trend in sex education of the 1940s, was a shift in focus that addressed not only educating children about the physical changes to their body, but the mental ones as well. Again, the Educational Health Circular No. 101 stated that “it is necessary to conceive of education in relation to sex as a phase of character education, or of the education of the personality – of the ‘whole child’.” This implies that lesson plans also needed to include the sexual activities/thoughts which came with puberty and thus, educators should assist youths in transitioning into

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