Throughout my very short two years of teaching in Mexico, I’ve noticed a topic that has piqued the interest of my middle school girls. “Teacher” they would call me. I’d respond and over my shoulder there would be, not one, two but five or six girls nervous to ask me a rather shocking question. They would wait for all the students to leave for their next class and especially for their male teacher, my compañero, to move onto his next teaching session. They would then crowd over me and begin to stutter in their broken English.
“Dime in español chicas. ¿Qué pasa?” I would say.
[Tell me in Spanish girls. What happened?]
“Bueno, no sé maestra. Es que queríamos preguntarle sobre el… el tiempo en el mes,” one of my girls would say.
[Well, I don’t know teacher. It is that we wanted to ask you about the… the time of the month.]
In moments like this, I knew they were talking about a woman’s menstruation cycle. Yes amigo, we have periods. I say this, because in the minds of my 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old boys, bleeding on a monthly basis doesn’t exist. This kind of question is just one of the countless questions I get from my students. Some would be worried about what is going on with their bodies, while others would be scared to ask why they missed their period or why it’s late with the automatic assumption that they are pregnant without having sex. These kinds of situations trouble me. What are these girls learning in school, if not, what are they not learning?
The lack of sex education in Mexican public schools is shocking to my American-self, but rather normal to Mexican students. I tried conducting a class session once talking about the importance of safe sex and menstruation cycles. Most of my girls were interested and giggled while my boys where “disgusted and grossed out” they say. One even complained to the principal of the school and I was sent to a sit down with her regarding the acceptable curriculum to teach in class. What is most interesting to me is the prioritization of teaching subjects. When I have career development sessions in my English classes to get my students thinking about their future, teachers and administrator love it. But something as important as the health of students is degraded and frowned upon in the schools of Mexico.
As teenage pregnancy is increasing in numbers over the years, we can conclude this is related to the absence of good sex education classes and discussions in Mexico’s education system. In this inverse relationship, the lack of sex education results in an increase in teen pregnancy. According to a 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey, “51.9 percent of sexually active females aged 12 to 19 have become pregnant in their teens or younger” (Baral). Furthermore, 1 in 3 girls are mother before turning age 20. As the Global Health Public Relations states, the reason behind this rate is directly correlated to Mexico’s education system:
“In Mexico there is a lack of information about contraceptive methods and how to use the effectively. Almost 25 percent of teenagers surveyed do not know how to use contraceptive methods, while 35 percent responded they haven’t received information about contraception. If so, they still have many doubts. As teenagers continue with their active sex lives, 40 percent do not use contraceptive methods or use them just occasionally. Almost 20 percent of them didn’t plan to have sexual relations, but did anyway.” (Baral)
Though the Mexican federal government claims they are providing students with the proper skills and information they need to succeed in the realm of having a family, students of the system testify otherwise.
“I didn’t know what safe sex was until I was pregnant, and my doctor told me about it,” said one of my students.
The other would comment, “they don’t teach us about it.”
A particularly sad case, “I didn’t know you could get sick from having sex and now I have an STD.”
Lastly, one student shared, “I got pregnant by my boyfriend and he claimed the baby wasn’t his. I was so depressed, I miscarried. I didn’t know depression could do that and my mother died when I was young, and my father is an alcoholic; no one helped me.”
I hope these comments bring a better understanding to the situation for young girls here in Mexico and the lack of a quality education they so deserve. And for those who are teachers, I encourage you to inform your female and male students about the life of sexual activity, that follows it can be very beautiful things and a very difficult road.
Works Cited
Baral, Susmita. “Teen Pregnancy Rates In Mexico: One In Three Pregnant Women In Mexico Are Under 20, New Study Finds.” Latin Times. Newsweek Media Group, 21 July 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2018.