Sex education has always been amazing at Cleveland, but this year it’s getting even better as our incredible health teachers dive deeper into a variety of aspects of sexual health. From basic anatomy to societal gender roles, they are covering things like never before. We are extremely fortunate to attend a school that provides safe and open environments for the types of conversations our health classes are having. Extensive sexual education is necessary when you’re in this crucial time in your life, where your body and mind are developing as much as they are.

      What our health teachers want you to know is that you deserve to have accurate information of how your body works and how you can use it safely. Learning about sex, relationships, self esteem, societal pressure, influences, and how they all connect is so important at this age as we start to explore ourselves and the world around us. Our health teachers are providing us with the tools to explore safely while still being able to enjoy ourselves.

      Health teacher Gaye Chapman said, “We are all born sexual beings and I feel like we are taught to keep it quiet. We’re taught to be ashamed of our bodies, to be ashamed of what’s naturally going on inside of our body, and that all contributes to a lot of different things. There’s implications of unhealthy relationships when you’re older, hating your body and having low self esteem. And then just having healthy communication in relationships and talking about what your needs are, what your wants are, what your hopes are is all healthy and we don’t even talk about it. So how are we supposed to have healthy relationships in our future if we’re not talking about any of it? That’s why it’s important.”

      “We are made up of curiosity [and] love, and life is about experiencing all of those dynamics. I feel that it is important for everyone to have a handful of knowledge instead of going through trial and error experiences without having any knowledge. It’s a risk to fall in love, it’s a risk to be sexually active, so I would prefer people knew how to protect, communicate, and love effectively in a healthy manner,” said health teacher Camille Adana.

      Sex and the relationships we have play major roles in our lives. Being able to understand those things now, analyze them, and treat them with love is something that will benefit us in the long run. It all comes down to self-love, taking care of ourselves, and having the tools to do so.

      “I want [students] to feel empowered in themselves, empowered with their bodies, empowered with being able to be in healthy relationships in their future and feel like they are good enough and wonderful enough, which we all are,” said Chapman. “I feel like teaching all of this empowers individuals to embrace love for themselves and love for others.”