ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the content and form of knowledge about sexuality and gender relations as selected and presented by Mrs. Warren to her second-period students. It sets forth several verbatim accounts of classroom interaction and begins to document the dynamic process by which such knowledge is jointly constructed by teacher and students. The chapter suggests that criticism of Mrs. Warren's teaching strategies is not the major issue or intent. Sex education was the last and shortest classroom unit of study in the health course, with less than six hours of time spent on it. Like respondents in large survey research samples, Mrs. Warren spent most time on the least controversial sexuality education topics: sexually transmitted diseases, consequences of teenage pregnancy, adolescent body changes, and reproductive anatomy and physiology. Like respondents in all these surveys who reported they less frequently covered sexual response/pleasure, masturbation, abortion, and homosexuality, Mrs. Warren barely mentioned these more controversial topics.
