“What the heck does ‘menstrual cycle’ mean?” my guy friend asked me one day in high school. I laughed and proceeded to explain to him that the menstrual cycle is just another word for a girl’s period. He then made all the typical boy noises of moaning and groaning and twisted and contorted his face to communicate disgust. “Oh yeah, I know what a period is,” he said. “Never mind, forget I asked.”
At the time, I attended a public high school in Michigan, where we were told that taking a health class was a requirement to graduate. This health class is dictated by, which emphasizes “Critical Health Content Areas” including violence prevention, prevention of sexual behavior leading to HIV and STIs, and prevention of the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs — you get the idea. A whole lot of prevention.
However, what is most notable about Michigan’s high school health curriculum is that while it places a great deal of weight on the school districts to provide adequate sex education, whether or not this responsibility is fulfilled is ultimately up to the district itself. In the fine print, the state law specifies that offering sexuality education is a decision left up to the local district’s discretion and such a class is considered an elective.
the_fbomb YES, definitely! LET'S DO IT!