My Opinions on the HIV/AIDS Unit

Every year we have the lessons about HIV and AIDS and we are taught about the dangers of unprotected sex and sharing needles, and every year we learn about abstinence and protection. A lot of people complain about having to go through the same lessons and talking about the immune system and having really awkward conversations with our teachers and classmates. There are a lot of giggles and lots of really funny moments after teachers read out the names of body parts and bodily fluids when everybody just cracks up because of the awkwardness of the situation. But I think that it is important that the topics are reinforced each year. As the teams in HIV/AIDS Awareness Jeopardy proved yesterday, it's really easy to forget everything we learn every year, and in a society like ours with all of the media and peer pressure, it is important to know your stuff, especially if you find yourself in situations where you need to protect yourself the right way. Each year, as we mature, they tell us a little more about the risks and the measures we need to go to to stay safe in an environment where there may be exposure to things like drugs, alcohol, and sex. It's important as we go out into the world to be aware of the risks and how to protect ourselves. I think at this point people should just accept the HIV/AIDS unit to be an eventuality and just get through it and absorb the information instead of complaining because someday it could come in handy. This year was actually the least awkward of the HIV/AIDS units at since I've been at this school, maybe because of the way that it was taught, or because all of the friends were able to keep the environment from getting too uncomfortable.