Today is our National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Check out http://www.stayteen.org/ for a quiz for high school students. Many teens might say the quiz is "silly." But...it opens the door for the more important activity of starting a conversation. A delicate conversation topic as a teacher! But...having a class where 2 of my students were pregnant the following year, I regret not having those conversations. Providing information about local health departments, information on how many students are NOT having sex, and role playing situations may make a difference in your student's life. Don't be afraid to open the door, many students don't have anyone else to talk to and appreciate the opportunity for dialogue.
In spirit of the day, here are a few facts about teen pregnancy from the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage & Unplanned Pregnancy:
*Three out of ten teenage girls in the United States get pregnant at least one before age 20 -- Shocking right?
*The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world -- twice as high as in England or Canada and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan.
*Almost 50% of teens have never considered how a pregnancy would affect their lives. That is why it is important to talk!
*Parenthood is the leading reason why teen girls drop out of school. Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than two percent earn a college degree by age 30.
*Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those born to older parents -- they are 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade, are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers, and have lower performance on standardized tests.
*Two-thirds of families begun by a young unmarried mother are poor. More than half of all mothers on welfare had their first child as a teenager.
*Eight out of ten fathers don't marry the mother of their child. These absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support, often because they are poor themselves. Children who live apart from their fathers are also five times more likely to be poor than children with both parents at home. The cycle of poverty goes on and on....
*The daughters of young teen mothers are three times more likely to become teen mothers themselves
*The sons of teen mothers are twice as likely to end up in prison.
In spirit of the day, here are a few facts about teen pregnancy from the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage & Unplanned Pregnancy:
*Three out of ten teenage girls in the United States get pregnant at least one before age 20 -- Shocking right?
*The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world -- twice as high as in England or Canada and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan.
*Almost 50% of teens have never considered how a pregnancy would affect their lives. That is why it is important to talk!
*Parenthood is the leading reason why teen girls drop out of school. Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than two percent earn a college degree by age 30.
*Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those born to older parents -- they are 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade, are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers, and have lower performance on standardized tests.
*Two-thirds of families begun by a young unmarried mother are poor. More than half of all mothers on welfare had their first child as a teenager.
*Eight out of ten fathers don't marry the mother of their child. These absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support, often because they are poor themselves. Children who live apart from their fathers are also five times more likely to be poor than children with both parents at home. The cycle of poverty goes on and on....
*The daughters of young teen mothers are three times more likely to become teen mothers themselves
*The sons of teen mothers are twice as likely to end up in prison.
Can you open the door?
1st Listen. To yourself, that is.
