We were all too embarrassed to meet eyes with anyone else. I was unbelievably nervous and actually began to shake as the film progressed. I was so happy to be sitting in the back of the room and especially thankful for having girls on either side of me. After the film ended, the teacher got up in front of the class and asked for any questions. Well naturally, everyone was too self-conscious to ask anything. And one thing I will always remember about this-the teacher got really mad. He said, "Do you think you know everything about this?" This shook me up more because it instilled guilt feelings in me.
We were then
dismissed early. For the majority of the kids, this was their first
factual indoctrination into the human sexual body and its
functions. Up to this time, the girls had been informed about
menstruation, but only while segregated from the boys. In our
school system this took place in the sixth grade, just one year
prior to this film. You can't all of a sudden throw the rest of the
information at kids under a mixed environment, which they
thought should be segregated. The impact of the film was very
great on me for the rest of that day, and I was a bit apprehensive
about class the next day. Would we have to talk about it again or
not? Would he be mad again? This film had really shook me up
talking about such a hush-hush subject.
Many adolescents are dissatisfied with the sex education received in the school.
They also object to some of the school's Victorian posture toward out-of-school
activities, as the following two cases illustrate, one from a public school and the
other from a private girls' school.
One afternoon in senior high, my boyfriend and I were outside. We
were leaning against a sign. He was holding my hand. He casually
reached over and gave me a kiss. A teacher approached us and
asked us to come with him to the office. No explanation was made
as to the why. Upon reaching the office the teacher proceeded to
explain to the principal how we were acting sexually indecent on
the lawn.
The principal asked us what we were doing, we told him.
He then proceeded to give each of us two weeks of detention. After
this experience I talked to one of my teachers about what had
happened. He explained the general attitude of the faculty was that
of zero sexual experience, including holding of hands. It seemed as
if the faculty was afraid of our potential as sexual beings.
When we at the military academy went to a neighboring girls' school
for a weekend, we had to pay our own transportation, and the girls
paid for our room and board for two days and nights. Dances at the
girls' school were very strictly watched. In a 30 by 60 room, there
were at least fourteen old maid chaperones watching so that we
would not dance too close, close our eyes while dancing, or kiss our
date on the dance floor or anywhere else. If the girl was a senior, you
were allowed to walk back to the dorm, with chaperones. If one was
lucky one could sneak a kiss behind their backs.
There are adult-sponsored organizations besides the church and the school that
offer some sex education. Such organizations include the YMCA, the YWCA, and Boy
and Girl Scouts, for instance.
It wasn't until I was fourteen years old that I went to a YMCA sex
instruction course to find out the true picture of life and sex. But
this was a little too late.