"Let Them Pray. . ."
Judy Yeager (jscout@HOTMAIL.COM)
Sun, 30 May 1999 23:09:34 PDT
Gary A. Musselman wrote:
<snip> I believe that the difficulties we face today result from the
abbrogation of parental responsibility to the schools, the media, and
whoever else parents get to do their job. NOT from prayer bans at the hands
of the ALCU. <end snip>
Although I do not believe all the difficulties we face today are a result of
prayer bans, neither do I believe that you can lay it all at the feet of the
parents. I must object to the phrase ". . . abbrogation of parental
responsibility to the schools . . ."
We have two children, both boys. We have tried to raise them in a Christian
environment and teach them good ethical values through guidance and example.
And I must admit that parenting is, by far, the most difficult task I have
even undertaken.
We have been involved with the same school district for 17 years, a school
district which is touted as one of the top 10 school districts in the
country. One of the biggest frustrations I have encountered as a parent is
that the schools do not support the values that we have tried so hard to
instill in our children. We began this journey with the attitude that
teachers were special people who deserved our respect; however, time and
again, we have been proven wrong.
I have never expected the schools to assume my parental responsibilities,
but is it too much to expect that we form a mutually supportive atmosphere
in which to raise children? It has been our experience that children are no
longer taught such simple things as common courtesy, respect of the property
of others, expectation of good use of one's talents, etc.
It would seem that teachers no longer consider teaching a profession, but
rather it is just a job. When I was a teacher, in another lifetime, I felt
that my success as a teacher was completely dependent upon the success of my
students--if they didn't learn, then I had failed to teach. I don't see
that in most of the teachers that we have dealt with. I also felt that the
student who was the hardest to love was probably the one who needed it the
most. I don't see that today either. In our area, we have a system that
tries to make every student a round peg to fit in the round hole and those
who don't fit are disposed of. We have created throw-away kids.
I know that sounds very harsh, but my youngest was just given an assignment
to write an essay on his attitude toward school for his English teacher.
Basically, he wrote a journal of his experiences in school for the past 11
years. It is a saga that no one would wish on any adult, much less a child.
In light of our struggles, I cannot agree that responsibility for the
difficulties we are experiencing with the youth of today can be laid solely
at the feet of the parents. Between the ages of 5 and 18, school personnel
spend more hours per day with our children than we do and we basically have
no control over what goes on during those hours. So, if we are placing
blame, I think it HAS to be a shared responsibility.
We do not have to make school a religious experience to teach kids basic
values. If the schools would just incorporate the 12 points of the Scout
Law into their environment, it would be a much better world.
Hopefully, your experience does differ!
YiS,
Judy Yeager
. . .and a good ole' Bobwhite, too. . .
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