Join me in a brief walk down memory lane… reflecting on all the amazing events and people included in the Puberty: The Wonder Years herstory.
Herstory Begins
2002: The first edition of Puberty: The Wonder Years is created by Wendy Sellers, the Puberty Lady, to fill a national gap in puberty education for grades 4, 5, and 6. The Educational Materials Center (EMC) at Central Michigan University (CMU) published, sold, and distributed it. This edition wouldn’t have been possible without these amazing supporters:
- John Frisch and Paula Nettleton at the Educational Materials Center at CMU agreed to publish and sell the curriculum.
- Lori Block created the graphics and formatting.
- Mary Ann George mentored me then and continues today.
- Laurie Bechhofer believed in the vital importance of sex education and the curriculum.
- Gail Anderson believed in me more than I believed in myself.
- Hundreds of students and teachers taught me so much about the need and the way to do puberty education.
Making Good Progress Until…
2005: Puberty: The Wonder Years is updated and revised by Wendy and published by the EMC.
2010: Puberty: The Wonder Years is updated and revised again by Wendy and published by the EMC. The student and family resources are provided on a DVD included with the curriculum guide.
2014: Puberty: The Wonder Years has been sold to schools in 26 states, with sales in Michigan accounting for 60% of the sales between 2002 and 2014.
2014: The EMC closed, so Wendy must decide whether to let Puberty: The Wonder Years fade away or figure out another way to keep it going.
Crisis Overcome
2015: Puberty: The Wonder Years is completely revised and published by Wendy Sellers. The digital student and family resources are housed on the new website. This edition wouldn’t have been possible without these amazing supporters:
- Kirby Milton first suggested a Kickstarter campaign and provided a video production studio at Michigan Virtual University.
- 85 backers of a Kickstarter campaign: You know who you are.
- Matt Provoast, Matthew Provoast Photography, created a marketing video.
- Laurie Bechhofer, Val Smith, and Dave “Beagle” Grost applied their talents in the video.
- Nan Pearson voiced the tagline, “Less Shame More Wonder.”
- Fran Russell developed the branding for the new PWY.
- Ann Siegle, Marketing Acuity, developed the website, online store, and taught Wendy how to make it work.
- Natalie Chupil created the new covers, illustrations, and formatting for the curriculum.
- Dave Campbell, BRD Printing, printed, stored, and shipped the curriculum.
- Bill Knapp provided business development expertise and endless moral support.
2016: The first Puberty: The Wonder Years newsletter is sent out to 345 subscribers.
2017: Puberty: The Wonder Years undergoes minor revisions and expands sales to an international market.
2019: The Online Training Courses are created to provide self-paced, virtual training for teachers who want to increase their comfort and competence for teaching puberty education.
2020: Preparing Parents for Puberty, the online course for parents, is launched to equip parents and other trusted adults to talk to children about puberty. Take a look.
2021: Puberty: The Wonder Years undergoes major revisions and is available by subscription in an all-digital format. The lessons are aligned to the National Sex Education Standards, 2nd ed. Take a look.
2022: The Online Training Courses are updated to align with the current edition of Puberty: The Wonder Years. Take a look.
Making Herstory
2023: Puberty: The Wonder Years herstory highlights include the following:
- Schools in 41 states and Washington DC in the U.S. have purchased curriculum…. and in 11 other countries around the globe.
- 780 educators are enrolled the Online Training Courses.
- 5,295 newsletter subscribers and over 1,000 Insty fans enjoy getting information from Puberty: The Wonder Years.
- 126 blog posts have been published.
- 261 educators participate in 12 free Teachers Talk Puberty webinars.
