It was a normal day in class when my student suddenly started talking about his private parts. He started talking about sex and how long it was and its similarities with his dad's. To be honest, I don't know which is more horrifying. The fact that most of the boys in class had joined in the conversation, or how awkward it would be to speak to his father the next time.
There are many ways of how to respond to this situation, but I asked my the boys to stay back after class. Instead of lecturing them on how inappropriate they were, I opened the floor for discussion. I promised them a safe space to answer all their questions, particularly, those related to sex.
It Was Awkward
The atmosphere in the class changed very quickly. What started off as something funny quickly became a rather awkward situation. The boys were still giggling when certain keywords on sex, including the mention of certain private parts. However, it became awkward because of certain things that I had to point out to the students.
I spoke to them that nothing of this was dirty nor funny. I explained that sex is part of life and it is only natural to be curious. It was at this point that some of them started asking about the birds and the bees. They wanted to know how babies were made. As I explained the process to them, the smiles faded and the laughter was all but gone. What remained was silence and a look of disbelief. I tried to keep things simple but some of them started feeling uneasy. I guess its normal when talking to teens about sex.
To be honest, it was awkward for me as well. It was so because I felt that it was not my place to speak about this. I felt that it was the role of their parents to do so. However, they mentioned that their parents have not spoke about this. Thus, I had to do the talk. I fear that they may get their information on sex from other sources that are less accurate.
The Role Of A Teacher
I believe that it is in such situations that teachers will complement the parents in such an important milestone of the child's development. I took it upon myself to speak to my students, albeit rather awkwardly because I want to offer them that support that they need to better understand about sex and their body.
I fear that if I do not do so, they may find out of it for themselves through other means. Thus, rather than leaving it to chance, I offer them a space to talk about things that may be too awkward to talk about, either with friends or even parents.
I think that as teachers, it is important to not be judgmental. This is because it may discourage them from trusting you. It could also cause them to consult the internet for such information. While Google is a great source of information, it does not synthesize the information to the level that young teen going through puberty needs. I mean, try typing in sex and see what you will find.
Conclusion
After answering some of their questions, the boys rather returned to their homework than to continue speaking with me. However, I gave each of them my personal phone number. I told that they are free to ask any questions about girls and other taboo topics. I promised them that I will not judge them.
They thanked me and left the class in an awkward and abrupt manner. As much as they left the class quickly, I believe that I will be getting some interesting questions very soon.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://alvinauh.vornix.blog/2018/08/20/the-sex-talk-i-had-with-my-students/