When Devin Davis became a teen parent at 16, he thought parenting would be fun – until his son was born and reality hit. Two years later, this high school senior has dedicated his final project to helping classmates make more informed decisions regarding sexual activity. By writing curriculum that features infant simulators, Davis hopes to give his peers a taste of what being a teen parent is really like, and reduce the amount of teen pregnancies at Ticonderoga High School, which has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Essex County, New York.
“I’ve seen a lot of my peers getting pregnant, and I have the sense that they’re doing it on purpose,” said Davis. “It frustrates me, because they don’t want children; they just want to show them off. But they don’t realize you still have to take care of them. I want my senior project to show the reality and consequences of having a baby.”
With May being National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Davis’ project comes at a time when the nation is being actively reminded that although teen births in the US are at the lowest level ever recorded, the rate remains higher than that of any other industrialized country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s April Vital Signs issue, more than 86,000 teens ages 15 to 17 gave birth in 2012, and nearly 1,700 teens ages 15 to 17 give birth every week.
“What are these teenagers thinking?” said Davis. “I can tell you: We are naïve. You watch all these adults around you try to have babies and they struggle, and you think it’s not going to happen to me. That’s the exact attitude I had – I thought that stuff only happened in the movies.”
Davis began dating his son’s mother, who is two years older, as a ninth-grader. When they realized she was pregnant, their affection for each other overshadowed any realities they might have considered.
“I was excited. I never considered school or money or responsibilities, because we were in love. We were going to have a little family,” said Davis. “Reality hit as our relationship fell apart, and our son’s early needs became apparent.”
According to Davis, his son’s first days home from the hospital were a wake-up call. Although he and his son’s mother were still together, balancing their infant’s needs with their own needs began to take a toll. Their relationship ended shortly after their son was born, and it took intervention from family court to determine a custody arrangement that suited them both.
Davis now shares custody of his 2-year-old son while finishing high school, working part-time and preparing for college, and someday law school. It’s a future he strives for not only for himself, but for his child. As Davis explains, keeping one’s child in mind when making decisions about the future is a responsibility of parenting he suspects his peers are not ready for.
“Teens haven’t experienced life to have the ability to make wise choices for themselves, and then with a child you’re making choices for someone else,” said Davis. “Yes, it’s fun to play with children and babies, but there is way more to it than playing. You have to nurture and support… Your child depends solely on you.”
After suspecting multiple peers of getting pregnant on purpose, Davis decided that he needed to communicate the lessons that being a teen parent has taught him.
“I was annoyed with students using their children as accessories,” said Davis. “They just want the attention and it ultimately deprives the child. I want students to understand the reality of being a teen parent so they don’t have children at this age.”
Under New York State guidelines, Ticonderoga High School requires all students to take a half-credit health class before they graduate. That abstinence-based class currently covers birth control, reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases. By convincing his school administrators to adopt the curriculum he is writing, Davis hopes to shift the course’s focus to pregnancy prevention and the consequences of being sexually active. He also wants the course to be made a mandatory requirement of freshman year.
“I want to shift focus to the consequences that having sex can have,” said Davis. “We need to make teenagers more aware of pregnancy, since most teens in my high school think it will be ‘fun’ if they were to have a child.”
Ticonderoga High School Health Teacher James Decker supports Davis’ efforts.
“I think it’s outstanding,” said Decker, who has taught health for 17 years. “I’d like to expand the curriculum on pregnancy prevention to include more hands-on experience but due to financial constraints, it has never been a feasible option to explore. I commend Devin for wanting to improve the program.”
Devin’s desire to improve their program led him to the discovery of Realityworks’ RealCare Baby program. These infant simulators cry for care throughout the day and night, requiring the caregiver to determine whether they need rocking, changing, burping or feeding. Wireless monitors track their care and handling, holding caregivers accountable. When paired with a comprehensive curriculum, this evidence-based program has proven to open parent-teen communication on issues like teen pregnancy.
Davis will present his curriculum and the simulators to the Ticonderoga Central School District Board of Education on May 29. Although Realityworks has donated a package that includes one infant simulator, Davis wants to raise enough money to purchase up to 30. He hopes the board meeting will show members how his curriculum can teach Ticonderoga students the lessons he learned in real life.
“Right now, all my peers are going off to college hours away, and nothing is holding them back, but I have to make sure that every decision I make is in the best interest of my son,” said Davis. “It’s not just about diaper changes and crying and feeding; it’s so much more than that. I want my classmates to see what will happen if they become parents.”
Author’s Note: The entire Realityworks team is thrilled with the interest this article has generated! We have reached out to Devin and his health teacher to acquire a copy of his school project that we can share here on the blog. Stay tuned for a post that includes that as well as a follow-up regarding his presentation at the May 29 school board meeting.
Has a curriculum been designed if so can you send me a link. It could be very useful in the Compton Unified School District where I work.
Thanks
Mr. McGill
Health Science Teacher
C.U.S.D.
Wonderful concept, much needed even at the middle school where I teach. Unfortunately we’ve made it too socially acceptable but the realities are not conveyed clearly enough for young children to comprehend. We need to protect the students from themselves.
I have been looking for information on Teen Dads. I would also like to see the curriculum because my school is bringing back child development this fall.
It is important to hear from the young fathers. So many times the dads are out of school and the
focus is on the young mothers. I teach a Child Development course and use the Real Care simulators and find them pretty effective. I applaud Devin’s determination to make a difference. I am
also interested in seeing his curriculum.
What a wonderful idea for a senior project. So many times kids complain about doing them and this is one of the reasons why educators are proponents of it. I too would love to have a copy of the curriculum.
I think that it is a travesty that so many insignificant courses are required for students to graduate, yet a parenting and child development course is not.
A copy of his entire project should be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education and be made a graduation requirement for ALL students who are attending both private and public educational institutions. Maybe that is where his law degree will come in handy 🙂
Assuming that parents are teaching their children about this topic is assuming that parents are also teaching their children how to prepare their own taxes and change the oil in their car!
I think what Devin is doing is outstanding! Often times, students don’t listen when we teachers try to warn them but they will listen to a peer. His curriculum has the potential to effect teens across the country. I would be very interested in it as well. The school where I teach has no longer offers Child Development to high schoolers. Teaching pregnancy issues supported by the real-life simulators in Health classes will still give the opportunity to experience what having a baby entails. Thank you, Devin!!!
I would love to know more information about Devin’s project and curriculum. I see far too many of my students becoming teenage mothers and fathers.
I teach a parenting course and already use the Real Care Baby Simulators. I would like to see the curriculum for Davis’s senior project. I’m sure he has some insight that would be more interesting to my students.
This is so awesome that this teenager is stepping up to the plate and using his own experience to try to better the lives of his peers. He is to be commended. I pray that his school board and administration get on board and try to make this happen for his school. He is absolutely right when he says the kids don’t think it will happen to them. I teach Child Development and Parenting and use the infant simulators; they are great products and do help students to learn that there is more to having a child than just dressing them cute and showing them off.
I would like to see his finished project, also. I think my students need to see this issue from the dad’s perspective as well.
Thank you!
I, too, would be interested in viewing the contents of the curriculum. It would be great if this young man would create a video segment describing life as a young father and make it available through Youtube,or Schooltube for example.
Is Davis willing to share his curriculum after he presents it to the board? I would potentially be interested in adopting it for my health classes.
Great question, Laura! We are happy to put you in touch with Devin’s health teacher so you can learn just how they are considering the incorporation of Devin’s curriculum and what it entails. Please keep an eye on your email! 🙂