COMMON SENSE AND CONDOM SENSE seldom accompany each other these days. The mere mention of condom education is enough to raise moral, political, and religious issues guaranteed to get people emotionally charged up and vocal.
Meanwhile, statistics leave little doubt that American teenagers are sexually active and at risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. But, as many teachers know all too well, death seems so remote to most young people that even the threat of AIDS is not strong enough to deter them from having sex.
What, then, are classroom teachers to do as they try to wrestle with the sensitive issues involved with condom education? Here, gleaned from my experiences in training some 30,000 educators nationwide, are seven pieces of advice for those considering condom education. These are suggestions not from the “experts,’' but from teachers actually teaching about condoms and their use.
- Schools can’t do it alone. Involve the community, especially the parents. National surveys show that a large majority of parents want condom education taught in schools as part of AIDS education. But if the school teaches one message and the community another, condom education won’t be effective. Successful programs start with community meetings that enlist the views and support of a wide range of people outside the school, including community leaders and medical experts.
What many schools do can be described simply as the ABCs of sex education: Abstinence, Be monogamous, and Condoms. Monogamy is taught as refraining from sexual activity until as adults you are ready to establish a mutually faithful relationship. But, since lots of high school students are already sexually active, many schools teach about condoms with the message that they reduce, but do not eliminate, the risk of disease or pregnancy.
Facts alone, however, are not enough. Students need to be taught life skills, so programs should stress behavioral strategies to empower students to avoid risky sexual behaviors.