21st Century Learning & Development

Teachers in the Intermediate/Senior area of the education system are faced with complex challenges that differ from the issues that primary/junior teachers face. One of these challenges is the sexual development that occurs in the lives of our students.  Sexual development is intricate and involves not only the student’s physiological changes but also their psychological changes (Laffier, 2015c). These changes are both recognizable and hidden, and this poses a challenge that teachers need to face, head on, in order for student success.

 

One of the most important things teachers need to be mindful of is the LGBTQ presence in our schools. Adolescents going through a transition in their lives, and it is hard enough being heterosexual so when the added pressured of being lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or queer, it can be disastrous. Teachers should be unbiased, regardless of their personal feelings on the situation. We need to be a pillar of support for all of our students, regardless of their sexual orientation and give them the resources necessary to succeed in all aspects of their lives.

 

There is a multitude of transformations that contribute to the sexual development of students. The physiological changes include the development of breasts and onset of menarche for adolescent girls, and the onset of spermenarche and enlargement of testes, for adolescent males (Laffier, 2015c). There is an opportunity for mental health issues when adolescents reach puberty early because although their bodies are reaching maturity, their cognitive and emotional maturation might not be in equilibrium with their physical maturity. There are mental issues that can arise as a result of the imbalance. An article that was recently published in TIME magazine addressed the issue of adolescent girls reaching the onset of puberty at an earlier age of their lives. This is concerning for countless reasons, one of the most alarming being the attention that these young girls are receiving from older males (Lemonick, 2000). An article written by Daniel Romer (2010) suggests that adolescents are more impulsive and willing to engage in risky behavior. When you add the attention from older males with the impulsive behaviour, dangerous outcomes become an issue (Laffier, 2015c). Without support, young females become vulnerable to dangers associated with reaching puberty early. However, regardless of when then adolescents go through puberty, with support, these dangers associated with puberty can be avoided.

 

The reasons behind adolescent females reaching menarche earlier are still unknown. One of the more prominent theories is a higher amount of fat in the diet (Lemonick, 2000). Another idea is the “MTV effect” and this takes into account young people being exposed to environments that offer more mature stimuli (Laffier, 2015c). With these ideas in mind, it is important for teachers to actively stay involved in student’s lives. Teachers need to provide support for students and if they are naïve to the events going on in the student’s life, it is next to impossible to gauge why a student may be demonstrating disruptive or attention seeking behaviour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Being in a society that is so focused on the Internet and technology, adolescents that are impulsive and can’t yet reason can be vulnerable to predators online. One of the most important things that we, as teachers, can do is teach them how to be a smart digital citizen. Each time your students use the Internet, stress the importance of being safe and careful on the internet.

2. Being informed about sex, STIs, pregnancy and other aspects of being sexually active is really important for adolescents that are interested in sex. Realistically, if they’re interested in sex, they are going to experiment (coming back to the impulsive behaivour) and it’s better for them to know the precautions and warnings. However, incorporating this information in a classroom could be misconstrued as an educator promoting teenage sex, so it is going to be difficult.

3. Reaching menarche can be scary, so as a teacher we think it’s important to be supportive of girls reaching this stage of their lives. It can be embarrassing and talking about it can be hard, so leveling with the girls and letting them know that we’re there to help might be a comfort for them. Being mature when talking about this topic and ensuring that the students are mature when talking about it is important.

4. Have an open door policy for your students. Let them know you support them and that you will do everything you can to help them in their issues, especially those regarding sexual development. Although it might not be appropriate to talk to them about all of their sexual history, but be willing to figure out someone they can talk to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. We’ve found a website that has https://www.commonsensemedia.org/gender one video in particular that I found applicable to students in high school was Ally’s Story: https://d1pmarobgdhgjx.cloudfront.net/education/ED_allys-story.mp4

2. Another website that we found is http://www.itsyoursexlife.com. It is American, but it is quite educational for the students.

3. When girls first start their period, it can be scary. This website keeps girls informed and reminds them they aren’t alone http://youngwomenshealth.org/2012/09/27/tampons/