Edutopia - April/May 2008 - (Page 54)

Oakland, California. “They’re not sure what they can and cannot say in the classroom. They veer toward giving scienti⇒c information. It’s factually correct but not socially relevant.” And so, while a huge ideological gulf separates the sex-ed camps, the fundamental message isn’t altogether different. ISIS recently sponsored a contest asking young people to make digital videos about their sex-ed experience in school, and from seventy entrants, two themes emerged: First, if schools teach anything, it’s that “Sex equals death.” Students know that’s not true, so the approach tends to discredit the teacher and the class. Second, students want information to guide them, not just warnings about pregnancy and infections. They also want to learn about relationships, communication, and the body’s responses. Of course, unlike earlier generations, today’s teens can use a laptop or a cell phone to inundate themselves with carnal knowledge. But this poses obvious problems, and many kids are sophisticated enough to understand that. “We hear over and over from young people that they go to Google, Yahoo, MySpace, YouTube, but they don’t know how to sift through it,’’ Levine says. “There’s so much out there, and they don’t know what’s valid, what’s accurate, what’s helpful.” Educators, public health of⇒cials, and several teen groups are beginning to use interactive technology, such as chat, text messaging, and computer games, to disseminate accurate, reliable information in ways kids can relate to, and to answer their questions. The folks at Midwest didn’t set out to make an educational vehicle, but their videos perform that role for many teens. As a self-described “would-be ⇒lmmaker with no money,” Clark spent several frustrating years searching for a producer to bankroll his talents before he got the idea of taping comedic vignettes about sex and posting them online. He asked Nikol Hasler (pictured below), a high school friend and mother of three, to cowrite and host the show. Through Craigslist.org, they found Britney Barber, a twenty-five-year-old aspiring comedian who plays a cornucopia of characters, from the gyrating blonde in a corn⇒eld featured in Midwest’s opening credits to a ditzy, gum-snapping teen in love with an older guy. Clark, Hasler, and Barber work day jobs and ⇒lm on weekends. The show is put together with a handheld Panasonic HD camera, a three-year-old iMac, Ikea lights duct-taped to the ceiling, and Barber’s impressive stash of wigs and costumes. Midwest has no nudity, “dirty” words or, for that matter, sexual displays—television’s Grey’s Anatomy is steamier. Hasler’s deadpan narration combines with Barber’s wacky personae to give the show a mix of fact and gleeful parody—think South Park with adolescent hormones. The message, to teens and adults alike, is “Lighten up—but be smart.” “Sex is fun,” Clark says. “It doesn’t have to be a scary thing.” Nor, the show suggests, does it have to be scary to discuss sex with teens. Almost from the day it began, the show received dozens of emails daily, with questions, fears, and worrisome misconceptions. If the show’s creators didn’t expect anyone to watch, once they realized they’d struck a nerve, they, too, started talking— earnestly and seriously—to young people and parents. Hasler answers every email, and she and Clark research each show and vet facts with medical experts. In January, Hasler and Clark attended SexTech, in San Francisco, billed as the ⇒rst conference to examine ways to use Web tools and mobile technology to educate teens about sex. Needless to say, Midwest has detractors. “It is appalling that anyone would think these videos useful to properly educating children about the purpose and place of sex in a well-adjusted person’s life,” a viewer commented on the show’s Web site. In a video he made and posted on YouTube, a young man named Hal Chaffee objected to the show’s treatment of abstinence and TALK BACK presented an eloquent pitch Comment on this article at www.edutopia.org/midwest for waiting until the wedding night, as he said he and his wife had done. With Chaffee’s permission, the Midwest crew posted the video on the show’s site and invited response. For a growing number of people, “Midwest” is a must-watch. A parent who recently stumbled across the show couldn’t wait to share the discovery. “I have a ⇒fteen-year-old daughter and I just told her, I see no negatives about this site, only a positive way to open up discussions.” And that may be the program’s contribution. “Midwest” isn’t everything everyone should know about sex—but it is a conversation starter in a medium students are comfortable with. By taking an edgy approach, the program takes some of the edge off a subject that makes young people—and the adults who are supposed to educate them—squirm. “Midwest” reminds us that it’s not only silly to plug ⇒ngers in your ears and block out kids’ questions, it’s dangerous. And they offer this option: Stick in earbuds instead, watch a podcast on sex, and let the conversation begin. e Fran Smith is a contributing writer to Edutopia. “Teachers are not sure what they can and cannot say in the classroom.” 54 EDUTOPIA APRIL/MAY 2008 http://www.edutopia.org/midwest http://craigslist.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Edutopia - April 2008

Edutopia - April 2008 Contents Up Front Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of the Class Cool Schools Design Reinventing the Big test The Daring Dozen Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Jack Prelutsky

Edutopia - April 2008

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