Program evaluation is much more than a good idea: It is vital! Education is all about data-based decision-making, and sex education is no different. When schools allocate precious instructional time, they want to make sure that time is used wisely. So, if sex education takes place in schools, we need to evaluate whether it gets the results it promises. If it does, great! Keep on doing what is working. If it doesn’t, why are we doing it? Let’s look at…
NEW! Online Training Course Available So, you’ve been asked to teach sex education. Okay, maybe you were told, not asked. Either way, you will be teaching a topic that you probably didn’t study in college…awkward! No worries! The Puberty Lady has your back. I’ve developed an online course that will help you feel more comfortable and confident about teaching sex education whether you’re a teacher, school nurse, or community educator. The course will prepare you with the skills and…
Sex Education in India How can I describe my trip to India? Words can’t possibly capture the overload on my senses, the warmth and curiosity of the people, the richness of the culture and traditions, the perplexity about the way systems work (or don’t), and the feelings evoked by all this and more. Let me focus on what I learned about schools and sex education in the parts of India I visited. Education in Indian Primary and Middle Schools…
Gender-Inclusive Puberty and Health Education: Life-Affirming for All, Life-Saving for Some A fifth-grade student walks into their first-ever puberty education class. They look around the room: maybe they feel like everyone else has already developed in ways they haven’t. Maybe they wonder why they already have characteristics a person of their gender isn’t “supposed” to have for a few more years. Or maybe they feel like they just can’t identify with lessons that should be giving them vital information…
Teaching Consent: Lessons for Young Children “You want me to teach what? Consent?” “My child is too young to hear about sex!” “My students are too young to learn about sex!” Wait a minute… We can teach young children about consent without talking about sex. And it’s vital that we start now. Consent Is a Vital Topic to Teach Education Week recently published their special report “10 BIG Ideas in Education” to identify the most pressing challenges facing education. Consent…
Social Justice and Sex Education: Are They Related? What is social justice anyway? Merriam-Webster defines social justice as “a state or doctrine of egalitarianism.”[1] Wikipedia defines social justice as “a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity, and social privileges.”[2] Social justice asserts that all people deserve and should have access to the same rights and resources, no matter who they are. The challenge is how to achieve…
Welcoming New Year 2019 No, I don’t make New Year resolutions. However, I’m a big fan of looking back to find the lessons learned and celebrate the accomplishments. I’m also a believer in setting intentions for the new year. Ready? Here are some highlights. Celebrating 2018 People often ask me how I’m enjoying retirement since I left my “day job” a couple years ago. Well, I simply laugh and say, “I’m anything but retired.” Instead, I’m re-fired! During 2018, I…
Baby, It’s Cold Outside… But Discussions Are Getting Heated! A favorite part of the winter holiday season is hearing the annual sounds of beloved Christmas songs and other holiday melodies. This year, a new sound has emerged: discussions about Baby, It’s Cold Outside and whether it deserves to remain on the holiday playlist. Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard people objecting to the song because it promotes rape culture, sexism, and patriarchy. Others object to the objections by…
Federal Funding Changes Impact Sex Education Since its inception, the federal government has had an interest in funding the prevention of issues that negatively impact public health. Two of these issues have been teen pregnancy and HIV infection among youth. These two issues are connected to sex education since both are the result of unprotected sexual activity. In addition, evidence-based comprehensive sex education has been proven to result in these outcomes, which lead to lower rates of teen pregnancy and…
Amaze Parents Interview About Consent Amaze Parents asked The Puberty Lady for an interview to talk about ways parents and other trusted adults can talk to their younger children about consent without bringing up the topic of sex. You can watch the interview or read the transcript below. Christine Koh interviewed Wendy L. Sellers on Facebook Live October 19, 2018. Christine Koh: Hello everyone and welcome to Amaze Live. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve done one of these,…
Sexual Development in Late Childhood: What to Expect? As the school year starts to become more routine than new, children begin feeling more confident and comfortable in their surroundings. Peer relationships develop, and signs of mild or overt sexual behavior may appear. Children in late childhood – 9 to 12 years old – sometimes begin to hide sexual behavior from their families. At this stage, children have learned that some words and behaviors aren’t socially acceptable or welcomed by their families,…
Look at the Constellation! Sex, Eating Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders If you want to break multiple taboos, start talking about sex and drugs! Then, toss in the subject of eating disorders for some extra shock value. As a person who has worked as a Certified Prevention Consultant and sex educator for many years, I am used to raising controversial subjects. The most common reactions I get—once people get over the initial shock—is relief and story-telling. People want to talk…
“Puberty: The Wonder Years doesn’t just stick to puberty. The curriculum also includes lessons on topics that I think are necessary, such as bullying and social-emotional components. There’s also a lot of scripting for really good conversation and prompts for the teachers.”
Wendy receives her award from the American School Health Association
