People often ask Wendy how Puberty: The Wonder Year began.
Well, that story starts when my children were young and began going to school… a school that did not teach any sex education. I wanted to ensure that my kids received a better sex education than I did, so I volunteered to teach sex education for the 5th and 6th grades. Since I’m a registered nurse, the school welcomed my offer. I thought that I would model how to teach puberty education and the classroom teachers would become comfortable enough that they would take over the instruction before my children reached those grades.
Well, that didn’t happen. I ended up teaching sex education for many years and many students, including my own kids and their friends. The students would greet me in the school hallways with a cheery, “Hello, Puberty Lady!”
At the same time, I was co-authoring the Michigan Model for Health™, an evidence-based comprehensive school health education curriculum. Because of state politics at that time, the Michigan Model did not include any sex education or puberty education in the K-6 curriculum. I decided to fill that gap by creating a puberty education curriculum for grades 4, 5, and 6. With support, encouragement, assistance, and feedback from many people, Puberty: The Wonder Years was first published in 2002. Since that time, it has been revised and updated many times. The 2015 edition was a complete overhaul because the original publisher closed shop, requiring me to redo everything and creating an opportunity to make Puberty: The Wonder Years better than ever. Newly released, the 2021 edition is all digital, allowing educators to access the lessons and teaching resources whether teaching virtually, in-person, or hybrid.
I love what I do and am committed to trying to change the world! Ignorance never helped anyone, so I want to ensure that every young person and their family get the skills and knowledge they need to have a positive puberty experience. If you want to help, let’s talk!About Wendy Sellers
Wendy L. Sellers is the author of Puberty: The Wonder Years. She is also one of the distinguished writers of the Michigan Model for Health and the American School Health Association‘s 2014 Health Coordinator of the Year. Learn more about Wendy by watching this video.
Wendy has been a passionate advocate for health promotion for students for more than 30 years. Wendy L. Sellers is a national author, trainer, and the founder of Health4Hire, Inc. As the author of Puberty: The Wonder Years, Wendy advocates for skills-based, comprehensive, sexuality education that starts early, involves parents, and meets students’ needs. Among her favorite activities are answering students’ questions about sexuality and equipping others to be “ask-able” adults.
Originally educated as a registered nurse, she quickly shifted her focus to prevention, became a Certified Prevention Consultant, and earned her master’s in Family and Consumer Sciences. Collaborating with stakeholders, Wendy has advanced coordinated school health through networking, communication, and data-based decision-making. Through these collaborations, Wendy has written proposals to successfully receive funding totaling over $3 million to support coordinated school health in her region. She also co-authored the nationally-recognized, evidence-based Michigan Model for Health, and has trained hundreds of educators across the country in its use.
Wendy has served as president of the Michigan School Health Coordinators’ Association and advocated for programs and policies to improve the health of students through her role as their Legislative Committee Chair for 10 years. Wendy was named 2014 National Health Coordinator of the Year by the American School Health Association (ASHA). She served on the ASHA Board of Directors and chaired their Advocacy & Coalitions Committee during 2017-18. She was named an ASHA Fellow in 2019, joining a group of passionate school health advocates. Wendy is currently on the Board of Directors of the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education.
With these credentials and her dynamic presentation style, Wendy is a sought-after presenter on school health and advocacy at state and national conferences. Contact the Puberty: The Wonder Years team via the contact page or by calling UGH-PUBERTY (844-782-3789).
More about evaluation of Puberty: The Wonder Years
Between January and April 2017, a large, urban school district participated in an evaluation of Puberty: The Wonder Years, their puberty education programming for grades 4, 5, and 6. The goal was to learn if the curriculum helped students increase knowledge, develop positive attitudes, and practice the skills needed to navigate puberty in a positive manner.
Do you have questions?
If you have a question you’d like the Puberty Lady to answer, let us know!