Familiarize yourself with the rules and expectations of your school district. Read any guidelines or expectations that your faculty provides for your class. Discuss any issues or questions that you have with the head of your department and your school counselor. For instance, your school may have specific rules for how it wants you to address issues like safe sex and substance abuse.
Inform your students that they can talk to your about any private issues during the semester. Set aside a time for them to meet with you. Keep the guidelines for your school district in mind when you speak to your students outside of the classroom. Remember that it is your responsibility to represent your school district and its vision for how you should direct your health class. As an example, if a student asks you about contraception, make sure that you understand your school's guidelines for addressing this topic and be as helpful and informative to your student as you can.
Prepare a comprehensive lesson plan that includes plenty of time for class discussion. Use your class discussions to instruct your class in the issues and situations that most affect their lives. Invite them to ask questions about the things that they are interested in as they pertain to your lesson. Answer their questions honestly, clearly and respectfully, even when those questions are uncomfortable. Remember that your students rely on your teaching for clarity, and they should be able to trust your teaching.
Direct your lessons towards the specific needs of your students once you have seen enough class discussion to understand what your students are interested in. For instance, if, during a class discussion you discover that your students have some understanding about nutrition, you can adjust your lesson plans to omit some of the more basic information and expand from the knowledge they already have. Use contextual information from your students' lives, such as discussing nutrition in regards to some of the restaurants in your town or the meals in your cafeteria.