"Teens will continue having sex with, or without, education. With a strong educational program, at least the majority of teens will know that safe sex is their only chance for a healthy life. My proposed program is called S.A.F.E., standing for Sex Awareness and Family Education. S.A.F.E. would consist of three main topics: 1)sex- the dangers; 2) contraception; and 3) abstinence and virginity. The sex portion would deal with the diseases and the possibility of pregnancy involved in the process." Danielle Bngowatz, DeForest High School, DeForest, Wisconsin
"I know a lady who became pregnant when she was a senior in high school. Now she wishes she would have been told and taught how a child would change her life. Maybe if she would have been taught everything about sex, maybe it would have changed her decision about having sex." Jeanne Johnke, Centerville High, Centerville, South Dakota
"I also think marriage and parenting classes should be required in high schools today. Students are required to have so many credits in math, history, English, and science to graduate. Why shouldn't schools require some important classes that would be extremely useful for almost all students living in the world today? Maybe with classes such as that, parents would be more responsible and careful before doing something that may change their whole life." Tandi Vannatta, Froid High School, Froid, Montana"Important classes", eh? Many adults may be amused that Tandi implies "math, history, English and science" are possibly unimportant. We included the next three excerpts because they made us chuckle. The first bits of humor were due to typos, but we almost felt guilty laughing at Richard's plight:"I believe birth control should be more excess able to teenagers." Dawn Eddy, Iowa-Grant High School, Livingston, Wisconsin"More than out of a physical need, teens are having sex because they are uneducated, unloved, and unaware of society's moral coed." Ryana Severance, Danville High School, Danville, Kentucky "Condoms are expensive to constantly purchase, especially for a teenager making minimum wage. ... To stop sex is a task that is extremely difficult, so before trying to teach total abstinence, teach protection." Richard Cioll, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, PennsylvaniaUnfortunately the excerpts below are far from humorous:"I think that we should also try to start more sex education courses in schools that would also inform the students about the problems that can be associated with teen pregnancies such as : parents kicking their child out of the house once they find out that they are pregnant, the lack of money for doctor appointments, hospital bills, and raising the child, their boyfriend breaking up with them and refusing to help with the baby, and any medical problems that may occur during or after the pregnancy. I also think that the school counselor in each school should have group sessions where teenage girls can talk about pressure that they might have from their peers about having sexual intercourse and about the desire they might feel for having a baby so that they would feel needed. Ð I also think that all schools should have condom machines in the boy's and girl's bathrooms so that teenagers can get one whenever they may need one."Angella Carmen Pinson, LaCrosse High School, LaCrosse, Washington"To help today's young people to understand that the disease does affect them, I feel it should be mandatory for every high school classroom in the country, to either visit an Aids ward at a local hospital, or invite a teenager infected with the virus to talk to the class. This would truly bring the message home, that the virus can affect everyone." David Stucker, Hanover High School, Hanover, New Hampshire"Also schools don't like the idea of condoms being available in schools but this is very important. They should think about how many former students' names they will be reading in the obituaries because they [deceased students] contracted the Aids virus." Trisha Olson, DeForest High School, DeForest, WisconsinStudents did have a few proposals for education not directly related to sex ( just kidding ):"I propose that grade schools should include a section in care for the environment that goes along with the regular Earth Science course. A group of students could 'adopt' a stream or pond and maintain it throughout the school year. To raise any money they needed for the project, they could sponsor fishing derbies or tennis ball races in streams. Instead of just talking about the pH of fresh water, the students could go to a local stream or pond and measure it themselves. If the students realize how important our fresh water supply is, and learn some ways to maintain it now, then they will be less likely to pollute and waste it in their later years." Alexander S. Brown, South Kent High School, South Kent, Connecticut "When people educate themselves, they open doors to opportunity. Ð. Special schools should be provided for those who are older." Shelly Douglas, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, TexasIt's doubly hard for a drop out to return to school and sit among the younger kids in his own neighborhood. Minnesota has an incentive program which allows drop outs who want to have another go at education to attend a high school outside their district. In its first year (1987) close to 8,000 former drop outs enrolled. "When I asked my mother which she thought was more important, the parents or the teachers, she gave me a poem called Unity to read. The poem compared the parent and teacher as equal sculptors; one used books and art while the other used a loving heart. The last two lines put into perspective the importance and equality between the two.And each agreed they would have failedif each had worked alone,For behind the parent stood the school and behind the teacher, the home. --Author Unknown" Ryan L. Moore, Carbondale, ILAdvice for teachers:"I believe [the job of] teachers is to make their subject interesting and intriguing to the students in their classes. Ð How a teacher teaches can determine whether a child continues his/her education and the field or career they choose." Allecia Finley, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois"Finally I would make sure teachers send home flyers and letters of encouragement." Amy Fritsch, Iowa-Grant High School, Livingston, WisconsinAdvice for parents:"Teach your children to respect people. But to do this you must respect your children. Treat them as equal human beings when they become mature. Treat them as children only when they are children. Help your children to become independent. Do not just feed, bathe and house your children. Love them and teach them to love everything and everybody around them. The best way to teach these things to your children is through example. Show them through your own actions the right things." Troy Leroy Reed, Jr., Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois"If a five year old child fingerpaints on the wall, have them clean the wall. That would be a lesson of 'You mess it up, you clean it up!' I learned this lesson when I was young and now take care of my own messes. But parents must care and have patience, otherwise the children won't. Responsibility must begin in the home." Christina Smith, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania"Of students making mostly A's in high school, 75 percent reported talking with a parent nearly every day, compared to 45 percent among students making D'. This support and caring for a child's education needs to begin early in life, so that by the time the high school years come, the pattern is set... Education is the first building block for a young person's future as a responsible citizen. Educating today's youth has to be a team effort. Through cooperating and communicating, parents and teachers can make a difference." Michelle Proberts, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas"It is vital that a positive attitude toward learning be cultivated in young people. Parents can try to create a balance in their child's life and counteract his negative attitude about learning by getting involved in the academic and social community of the school. It is common for elementary schools to have programs for parental involvement. By junior high such programs do not exist. If one does not exist, get parents together and start one. Another way to get involved is to volunteer as a teacher's aide. For example, if a parent is a lawyer then he or she could organize a pretend trial to help students understand more about the law and the judicial system. By doing this a parent can lessen the effect of negative peer attitudes. In the absence of parental involvement, the peer group becomes all the more powerful. Parents need to take a bigger role in their child's education. All schools should set up a program for parents so that they can learn about what their children are doing. This way the parents could help the child at home. These programs should be offered at times when parents are off from work. The schools should keep in contact with the parents and vice-versa. If parents and schools can work together, then the child's education will be that much better. The teachers and parents both have a responsibility that is shared at school and home, which is the advancement of the children." Stephanie Renee French, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee"School can help children a lot, but without the parents' help and support, any school effort to help the kids won't be nearly as effective. This is why I think a big step should be to combine home life with school life in a way that includes parents. Every homework assignment or school activity should include something for parents to participate in, whether it is questions that require answers from both parents and students, or just a line at the bottom of worksheets for a signature from mom or dad." Leah Wilkerson, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania"Many still feel that school, family, and church should have equal responsibility in raising children, but the latter two have become weakened and schools have been expected to make up for that. Ð Mandatory parent-teacher conferences Ðwould be especially helpful at the high school level. Often...the only time a conference takes place is when the student has done something wrong and prior to graduation. Many parents do not know how or what their child is doing in school beyond looking at the report card. Parents aren't encouraged to stay involved in their child's life after flash cards. A solution would be to make parents meet with school officials at least twice a year. These meetings would serve as a time for parents to be informed on what would be covered during the school year. School officials could be notified of anything that might help the student's performance in school. The meeting could be a time where both the parents and the school officials could commend each other and express complaints. Appointments would be made directly with the parentsÐwho would again feel needed in their children's lives." Jenifer Roosevelt, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois"It is proven that parent involvement in school increases student success, thus making more productive citizens." Michael Hutchison, David Crockett High School, Austin, TexasJenifer (above) should be delighted to know that it will soon be easy to stay involved in a child's life "aft