I understand it goes on (I taught HS in a small town, and in fact taught Health—so these topics came up). I always had at least one incoming freshman with a child and sometimes one with a child who was now pregnant with baby #2. I know this is going on. But it doesn’t have to. When I was growing up it was the rare girl who was having sex in the early teen years, and the rare girl who got pregnant. Clearly something has happened in our culture. And it has been a disaster for everyone involved. We need to focus on the kids who do the right thing. Sex is one of those things, it will always be an are fraught with trouble. But it doesn’t help when the culture says go for it, damned the cosequences! :)
And man, I’m sure your job is depressing! My last teaching assignment was 4th grade at a Christian school. At least none of my charges ever had babies!
If you’ve taught high school, you’re definitely aware of what’s happening out there with the kids.
These young people are getting caught up in their emotions - and their hormones, of course. And then, with modern medicine being what it is, not to mention their parents giving the okay, they can escape a lot of the consequences that other generations had to deal with if they crossed those boundaries.
Problem is, the emotional consequences go unseen and have to be dealt with sooner or later.
And yes, my job absolutely could get the best of me, and it has at times, especially when a patient is being seen for obvious child or elder abuse/neglect. I think that’s the worst! The docs are outraged, of course, and detail everything in their report, and they contact authorities, but I’m sitting here so badly wanting to wring necks!