Will Okun is a Chicago school teacher who traveled with Nick Kristof in June to central Africa, on the win-a-trip contest. He blogged and vlogged as he went, and you can see his reports at www.nytimes.com/twofortheroad. He teaches English and photography in a Chicago school with many students from low-income and minority homes.  Not much excites my sleepy 1st period high school class before the 9 a.m. hour. However, a newspaper article about the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study elicited a collective âdamn.â According to the study, nearly half of all black teenage girls in America have at least one sexually transmitted disease. Of course, the jerk in the back row gleefully taunted, âHalf these hoes are carrying heat. Thatâs like eight of yâall.â Chaos ensued; the security guard was fetched; and finally a classroom discussion began.  Do teenagers know to use protection every time they have sex? Yes. So why donât they? Some of their written replies: âGuys donât want to wear condoms because we want to feel everything.â  âGirls think they need to have unprotected sex in order to keep their man.â  âUnprotected sex means that you are taking the relationship to the next level, and everyone wants that serious adult relationship.â  âNo one is planning ahead so when it is time to have sex there is no condom. But they go ahead and do it because they are thinking about right then and not about tomorrow. â  âKids are having sex younger and younger trying to be grown. You canât tell these kids anything — they are not going to listen to anything that an adult is trying to tell them about safe sex.â  âSome kids only hear about sex ed in their classes and those classes are terrible.â  âUnprotected sex means that you trust your man. Girls want to believe that their man is only with them so they have unprotected sex as a way of proving their loyalty.â  âThey think that if their sex partner looks clean that they donât have a disease and there is no reason to wear a rubber.â  âThey think they are invincible, that they are too healthy to catch a STD.â  âTeenagers that donât use condoms every time just donât care about themselves. They are not thinking about their future because they donât have a future. Me, I got big plans so Iâm always going to be wearing a condom.â  âIf a kid doesnât have love at home, theyâre going to find it somewhere else. For a boy that means a gang. For a girl, that means sex with a boy and a baby.”  Almost every student in my 1st period had a sex education class in elementary, middle or high school. Obviously the classes and programs varied in quality and content but the students concluded that most teenagers know the dangers of STDâs and the importance of abstinence and protected sex. But as the CDC study indicates, there is a glaring disconnect between the sexual knowledge and the sexual practice among teenagers.  What can be done to bridge this gap?  I agree with Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, that the ânational policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure, and teenage girls are paying the real price.â Richards is also correct in arguing that the CDC report proves âthe need for real comprehensive sex educationâ programs in the schools.  However, I also believe the best way to reduce STDs among teenagers is for parents to reclaim the responsibility of educating their children about relationships and sexual health. I do not understand why society and parents rely on our much criticized, overcrowded and under-funded schools to teach children about such important issues as abstinence and safe sex? Can we continue to blame the schoolsâ faulty sex education programs for our own childrenâs unsafe sexual practices?  Judging from the studentsâ observations from 1st period, I am not convinced that even the most comprehensive sex education programs can sufficiently address the multitude of reasons why young people have unprotected sex despite the inherent risks. More than simply a lack of knowledge, these teenagers are struggling with ideas of love, trust, loyalty, morals, dating, maturity, abstinence, relationships and self-worth. Shouldnât parents, rather than schools, teach their children about these personal issues? Furthermore, can the words, lessons, actions and values of a teacher even begin to compare in importance with those of a parent?  I assume that sex education is taught in the schools because governmental and educational leaders believe that some parents cannot or will not teach their children about sexual relationships and safe sex. If this is indeed the case, why do we trust these same parents with the responsibility of ensuring that their children are regularly tested for sexual diseases?  Until parents are ready to assume a larger responsibility in the sex education and sexual practices of their children, sex education must be taught in our schools. At this point, however, comprehensive sex education programs are not sufficient. If the schools are responsible for the sex education of children, perhaps the schools should also be responsible for providing mandatory screening, testing and other preventative measures for sexually transmitted diseases. As Dr. John Douglass, who directs the CDCâs division of STD prevention, states, âhigh STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk.â  Other than more parental involvement in the lives and education of their own children, what is your solution to reducing the sickening rate of STD infection among our youth, especially African-American teenagers?  On a related note, during a recent campaign speech in Texas, Barack Obama scolded parents for many childrenâs obesity and poor performance in school.  âWe canât keep on feeding our children junk all day long, giving them no exercise. They are overweight by the time they are 4 or 5 years old and then we are surprised when they get sick,â Obama told the predominately black crowd. âI know itâs hard to get kids to eat properly. But I also know that if folks letting our children drink eight sodas a day, which some parents do, or, you know, eat a bag of potato chips for lunch, or Popeyes for breakfast â¦. You canât do that.â  âIt’s not good enough for you to say to your child, ‘Do good in school,’ and then when that child comes home, you got the TV set on, you got the radio on, you don’t check their homework, there is not a book in the house, you’ve got the video game playing,” Obama lectured. âSo turn off the TV set, put the video game awayâ¦ Watch them do their homework â¦. Make them go to bed at a reasonable time. Keep them off the streets. Give them some breakfast. Come on â¦. You know I am right.â  I credit Obama for holding parentsâ feet to the fire of their childrenâs actions. His words are brave one, especially in an election year.  Note: Will’s last post about guns was overwhelmed by the Spitzer news. If you get the chance, give it a read.
Nicholas D. Kristof addresses readers' comments and posts frequently on his trips and the issues that shape his perspective.