Watch a teacher's crafty solution to Mississippi's draconian sex ed laws

Abstinence-only means not teaching students about condoms. It doesn't mean not teaching them how to put on "socks"

Published January 23, 2015 4:24PM (EST)

  (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-91127p1.html'>Stephen VanHorn</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
(Stephen VanHorn via Shutterstock)

Mississippi, which has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, is one of the many states where abstinence-only sex education dominates public school curricula. Teachers are required to teach that "a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse," and are prohibited from demonstrating how to use any form of contraception -- specifically, condoms.

This is no help to the Mississippi teens who become sexually active in high school (a vast majority) or to the thousands of young mothers (50 per 1,000) who will give birth between the ages of 15 and 19. So, to circumvent the draconian law, one teacher got a little crafty.

Noting that he can't teach students how to use condoms, Sanford Johnson posted a YouTube video showing students the importance of proper sock use anytime they engage in an activity that might require socks -- whether it's wearing sneakers or dress shoes. (Feet, shoes and socks work much better as a metaphor than corn and forks.)

Watch Johnson's tutorial below:

(h/t Mother Jones)


By Jenny Kutner

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Abstinence-only Sex Education Condoms Contraception Mississippi Sex Ed Sex Education Socks Video