Sexual Education I

SOME IMPORTANT QUESTION & ANSWERS. 

Is it normal to experience pain on the first night?

Most women complain of pain on the first night. Some get worried on seeing a little blood on the bed. "This is because the hymen may have broken for the first time. The pain is minimal and the blood is very little. You can also experience pain because of less natural lubrication. The pain should subside after half an hour.

Are there any positions that ensure I won't get pregnant?

You know of those that definitely will get you pregnant and they are best avoided, at least now. "However, while a sexual position may influence the probability of semen flowing out of the vagina very quickly, it cannot be a guarantee for avoiding pregnancy. Any position has at least 20 per cent chances of getting you pregnant.

I don't get very wet, is that normal?

Even women ejaculate when they are turned on. This happens because the vagina has to be lubricated enough when he enters you to avoid discomfort because of dryness. Some people do not produce the same amount of lubrication. If you feel too dry, you can use a lubricant.

How different is sex with a man who's circumcised?

Circumcision is beneficial in maintaining good local hygiene as no debris collects under the foreskin. This can make you feel comfortable while indulging in oral sex. Besides, since there's no foreskin, there's no irritation. So, a circumcised male is less likely to suffer from premature ejaculation.

Myth #1: All penises should be straight when erect.

Fact: Most penises point in different directions when erect. Some point upward, some downward, some point to the left and others to the right -- it's completely normal.

Myth #2: Sperm can live in water and impregnate my girlfriend.

Fact: Although it's not impossible, the chances of your floating sperm impregnating your woman in the water are virtually nil. When sperm is exposed to oxygen (there's oxygen in water, hence H2O), they die in under a minute. But keep in mind that if you ejaculate inside of her whilst in a hot tub or the like, she can most definitely get pregnant.

Myth #3: Condoms prevent all STDs.

Fact: Non-curable infections like (oral and genital) herpes and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus - warts) are incurable and if your partner has such infections, she can pass them onto you with or without the use of condoms. Be careful.

Myth #4: Guys are always ready for sex.

Fact: Believe it or not, it's okay if you "aren't in the mood." It doesn't mean that something is wrong with you physically. Stress, fatigue, old age, and even being turned off are viable reasons for not wanting to have sex.

Myth #5: All men should be able to ejaculate at a great distance like the great Peter North.

Fact: Let go of the porn! Not all guys can ejaculate at a great velocity and distance. Although the PC muscle may be able to aid in ejaculating at a further distance, there are no guarantees

Myth #6: When women ejaculate, it's nothing more than urine.

Fact: While some women could very well be urinating on you, most are actually ejaculating a fluid that flows out of the urethra from what's called the Skene's glands. Researchers who performed a chemical analysis of female ejaculate revealed that the presence of high levels of prostatic acid phosphatase (a chemical secreted by the prostate gland and found in semen) would indicate that a woman's ejaculation is similar in composition to semen (only without the sperm, of course).

Myth #7: Masturbating aggressively and rigorously is harmless.

Fact: While masturbating is fine for the most part, if you masturbate often and at an aggressive and rigorous pace, no vagina or mouth will be able to mimic such speeds and thus there's a chance you won't be able to reach climax when with a partner. When you masturbate, do so softly and at a normal, rhythmic speed. This way, your penis will enjoy softer sensations.

Myth #8: A woman can't get pregnant if she's on her period.

Fact: Although the chances might be slimmer, there is still a chance that a woman could get pregnant during her period. Sperm can live inside a woman for up to five days and although most women ovulate between periods, there is a chance that they could ovulate sooner and get pregnant.

Myth #9: Men know when a woman is faking orgasm.

Fact: While some women are terrible at acting, others can win awards for their performances. It's not always their fault as some women think they are actually having orgasms. And there are those who opt to fool you into thinking they had an orgasm.

Myth #10: If your woman wants to use sex toys, then you're an inadequate lover.

Fact: A lot of the time, sex toys are brought into the bedroom to add some variation to your sex life and aren't an attack on your manhood. Don't take it personally (unless of course, all she wants to play with is the toys). Enjoy some variety with your partner.

Myth #11: If you masturbate or have sex every day, you'll run out of sperm.

Fact: Healthy adult men produce about 300 million sperm each day (give or take a couple). The first ejaculate of the day for a healthy male will release approximately 180 million sperm (some contain more); the following ejaculates will contain less sperm that day.

Puberty & The Reproductive System

Teaching Messages:

1.     Sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. Learning about sexuality involves learning about puberty and the human reproductive system. 

2.     Puberty is a period of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur when a person matures from being a child to becoming an adult.  Everyone matures at a different rate. 

3.     Hormones are directly or indirectly responsible for the changes that occur during puberty. The main hormones involved are estrogens in women and testosterone in men.

4.     The female reproductive system includes ovaries, Fallopian tube, uterus, and vagina.  The male reproductive system includes testes, prostate gland, and penis. Females produce ova in the ovaries and males produce sperm in the testes. 

5. It is the right and the choice of any individual to determine her or her own gender identity and gender role.

Teaching Tips

Both the teacher and students should be aware that alternate arrangements might be made for students whose parents do not wish them to participate in the sex education lessons.

Ground Rules

The establishment of ground rules at the beginning of a class makes it clear to students what type of language and behavior is considered acceptable. Students are more likely to behave appropriately when they know what is expected of them. Once ground rules have been clearly stated, the teacher can refer to them when dealing with difficult classroom situations. Also, ground rules help students feel more comfortable by making them aware of expectations and limitations on themselves, their peers, and the teacher.

Suggested Ground Rules:

·       For students, questions are encouraged. There is no such thing as a dumb question except that no personal questions are allowed to ask of the instructors.

·       Students are encouraged to submit written questions anonymously by putting them in the Question Box. Don’t ask any of the instructors any personal questions.

·       All points of view are valuable. No preaching or putting down someone else’s values or ideas.

·       For teachers: Try to use common or medical terms in class discussions so that everyone can understand. It’s okay to bring up slang terms, but make sure that everyone also knows the medical term. Be professional and honest.

It is O.K. for the teachers and students to blush, feel embarrassed, or not know the answers to all the questions. The teacher may choose not to answer a question in front of the entire class. Everyone has the right to “pass” on answering questions or participating in activities that make them feel uncomfortable.

Activity 1 – Puberty (20 mins)

The word “sex” is often used to catch people’s attention. Why does it catch our attention?  What makes it such an interesting word?

Start the lesson with an introduction on sexuality, addressing the basic definition of sexuality. Confirm to the students that sexuality can be an awkward and embarrassing subject to talk about at a young age, but that it is important that they learn about it. Then, go over some pertinent ground rules. Be sincere with your students, so that they will be comfortable coming to you for questions. At the same time, don’t feel obligated to answer all the questions that are posed.

Teaching Message #1: Sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. Learning about sexuality involves learning about social, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur throughout life. Human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. Sexuality refers to a whole set of issues. It is not only about biology and science, but also about social, emotional, and behavioral experiences that occur throughout life. Learning about sex involves learning about ALL of these things.

1.     Make a chart detailing the signs of puberty

Introduce puberty as the beginning sign of a child’s sexual development into an adult. Clarify to the students that it is something that almost all people of their age experience. Learning about it will help them deal with the changes that will occur in their physical, emotional, and behavioral states during puberty.

Ask students to list some changes that they think occur during puberty. Make a chart, with three columns headed “physical”, “emotional”, and “behavioral”. List the students’ responses in appropriate columns, while adding your own input.

Teaching Message #2: Puberty is a period of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur when a person matures from being a child to being an adult. Everyone matures at a different rate. What is puberty? Puberty is a stage in adolescence during which our body changes physically and mentally from being that of a child to that of an adult. Our reproductive organs begin to work as those of an adult.  We start to look, think, and feel in new and different ways.  The years of adolescence and puberty are a time of various gradual changes. It takes many years to complete the process. A child is not going to wake up one morning and suddenly discover that he/she has become an adult overnight. Everyone goes through these changes in his/her life; some experience the changes earlier in life, others later. Some of the physical, emotional, and behavior changes children experience throughout puberty include: · Physical: Growth spurt, pubic hair growth, underarm hair growth, voice deepens; Girls: breasts develop, hips widen, mentruation begins; Boys: testicles and penis enlarge, facial hair growth, voice deepens, body hair increases, shoulders broaden, muscles develop. · Emotional: Relationship with parents may become more challenging; relationships with peers change as we try to figure out who our real friends are and whom we want to associate with; romantic relationships begin to develop; peer pressure; approval from others. · Behavioral: Ability to think and learn about new topics; ability to debate about issues in a more sophisticated way; trying to form an identity and express it; dating; hanging out in peer groups including the opposite sex; more responsibilities; driving; sense of responsibilities for one’s own actions and how they affect others. Scientists think that the teenage brain is immature and the ability to make sound judgment is not fully developed.  Consequently, the teenagers are at a risk of behavior impulsively and take on risk behaviors.  It is also thought that the brain of teenage girls matures a number of years earlier than that of teenage boys.  The teenage boy brain matures in the early 20’s. Although most people tend to hit puberty around the ages of 11-14, many people have it earlier or later. Girls tend to go through puberty a little earlier (8-13 years old) than boys (10-14 years old). But even among girls, some develop sooner, and some later. The same holds for boys. What is important to keep in mind is that everyone grows at different rates, and that eventually, everyone will become an adult physically. As it is seen from this list, all sorts of changes happen in our teenage years, not only with our body, but also with the way our mind works, and the way we interact with other people. It is important to remember that puberty and sexuality are not just physical; they are related to other parts of who we are as well. It is a period of excitement yet also a period of problems or struggles. How we deal with it is extremely important in what we will become as adults.

2.     Introduce hormones

Explain the difference between testosterone and estrogen, and the fact that the varying levels of these hormones in our bodies regulate the changes that occur during puberty.

Teaching Message #3: Hormones are directly or indirectly responsible for the changes that occur during puberty. The main hormones involved are estrogens in women and testosterone in men. Hormones are chemicals in our body that travel in the blood. Different parts of the body can communicate with one another by releasing hormones into the blood, telling other parts of the body to do something in particular. There are different types of hormones regulating different organs. For instance, we release stress hormones when we are scared. For the reproductive system, the hormones are often referred to as the sex hormones.  Puberty starts when the brain sends hormones to the ovaries or the testicles. These hormones tell the testicles to begin making testosterone, the male hormone, and the ovaries to make the female hormones, called estrogens. These sex hormones send messages to certain parts of your body to tell them to grow and change during puberty. Hormones also indirectly affect the way we feel and thus how we behave; however, how this happens it is not well understood.

Activity 2 – The Reproductive System (20mins)

1.     Show Slide 2 and Slide 3 of “Sex Education” PowerPoint.

Have the students flip to the “Reproductive Systems” worksheet in their student packet to work through the anatomy. Give them a few moments to fill in as many blanks as possible.

Discuss the basic anatomical structures of the male and female reproductive systems. Mention that pregnancy can result from the male and female reproductive systems interacting with one another, but the specifics will be taught in the following lesson of sex education. Instead, focus on the fact that these structures, like the rest of the body, will undergo changes during puberty in order to prepare for sexual reproduction.

Teaching Message #4: The female reproductive system includes ovaries, fallopian tube, uterus, and vagina. The male reproductive system includes testes, prostate gland, and penis. Females produce ova in the ovaries, and males produce sperm in the testes. Female reproductive system:  Females have two ovaries, one on each side. The ovaries are where egg cells (ovum, ova) are made and stored. Females are born with all the ova they have during their lifetime, mostly. In other words, no or very few new ova are produced after birth. This is very different from sperm production. The eggs in the ovaries are mostly immature. It takes specific hormones to cause them to mature. In general, one egg matures each month and, if not fertilized, is discharged from the body during the menstrual period. Male reproductive system:   One of the major physiological changes with puberty in males is their capacity to produce sperm, i.e., the ability to impregnate a woman.  The two testes or testicles sit in a pouch of skin, called the scrotum, on the outside of the male’s body, and are the organs that produce sperm cells. How many sperm do you think a man produces in one day? The testicles produce about 200 million sperm in one day! As sperm cells travel down to the penis, a milky fluid is added by the prostate gland to provide nutrition and motility for the sperm. Together, this fluid is called semen. The semen then travels through a tube in the penis. The penis is usually soft, but can become firm when there is increased blood flow to the organ, such as in response to sexual excitement. When the semen is released from the body, this is called ejaculation.

Teaching Message #6: It is the right and the choice of any individual to determine her or her own gender identity and gender role. So far, we have discussed how biology defines male vs. female. However, how we feel and how we behave as males or females go beyond the sexual anatomy. It involves emotional, social, and behavioral aspects. Gender identity is how we identify ourselves as male or female. Gender role is how we behave as male or female. It is important to recognize that it is the right and the choice of any individual to decide her/his own identity and role. Gender identity: Biology is the biggest factor that defines gender identity. However, there are people who feel female in spite of having a male anatomy and those who feel male in spite of having a female anatomy. Why this is so is not well understood at this time. There is also an issue of sexual orientation as to whether a person feels straight or gay. Again, we do not yet understand why. There are suggestions that biology may play an important part in addition to social and environmental factors. Research is being done to shed more light on these issues. It is important that we keep an open mind and are not judgmental about its being right or wrong.  Gender role: How do you define your role in society as a male or as a female? Aggressive vs. docile Leader vs. follower Wage earning vs. taking care of home Role of father vs. mother Job selection and restriction Many of the roles and behaviors assigned to females and males in the old days no longer hold today.

Activity 3 – Small Group Discussion (15mins)

1.     Divide the class into boys and girls for small group discussion.

Have the male teacher(s) head the discussion amongst the boys, and the female teacher(s) the discussion amongst the girls. This is to create a comfortable environment where the students can ask any gender-specific questions they may have. Let the students know that they should feel free to ask any questions. It may be a good idea to start off the discussion by asking for questions. Refer to “Sexual Education I – Narrative Notes” for discussion topics.