Ever imagined teaching a class full of dropped jaws and peering eyes? Well, something pretty close to this happens whenever someone opts to educate pupils pricking puberty. Being a teacher is a tough task because one has to be constantly up on one's feet and check up on every person in the class for better communication, understanding or even comfort. Sex education is one such essential yet sensitive topic in India that is mostly avoided. However, some absolutely bold teachers (and kudos to them) choose to educate the masses about sex ascending above any sense of taboo.
Sex education not only includes the better understanding of sex, but also a plenty of information about menstruation, contraceptives, sexuality, identity, sex-related emotions, etc.
Mostly people choose to spread awareness about the physical changes happening to them at the moment and then move on to more complicated matters. That is where, you see, it all starts getting awkward for the students, and eventually, they might make it awkward for the teacher. Talking about breasts and vaginas and penises is as normal as talking about hair and arms and legs.
Since, most teachers start educating their pupils when they're transitioning, they can relate to it better, but it also makes them a bit dysphoric due to the lack of acceptance. Be it the menstruating or the nightfall population, it's very hard and horrifying to undergo these changes before having known about them. Hence, choosing a time to spread knowledge on this realm is extremely critical. Often adolescents transition in different age and not all of them would be mentally prepared to accept an abrupt wave of knowledge. So, it is also essential to prepare them for such a conversation. It is needed that the masses come up to the teachers with every bit of their curiosity and learn the right thing about them. Structures of vaginas and penises should be talked about without making a big deal about it.
There are not many teachers who choose to educate their masses on sex and reproductive health because of a lot of issues, but one must know that it is inevitably necessary for them to know. Some parents don't talk about sex to their children at all. Such behavior should be avoided and sex education should be made a dinner table conversation to make it sound how it should be - normal. Teachers and parents who have cared to curb the curiosity of adolescents have been right in their decisions and I believe that it has shaped minds better.