Are parents so busy with work that we are forgetting to teach our kids the most important life lessons? And if so, do schools need to step in because parents aren't doing their jobs at home?
I have read a series of newspaper articles that make me wonder if schools should teach a mandatory class on integrity and anger management in middle school because parents are too busy or too stupid to do it themselves. I am totally sickened by the story of 15-year-old Josie Ratley, a Deerfield Beach girl brutally kicked in the head seven times by a 15-year-old boy wearing steel-toed boots because of something she texted him that enraged him. The girl is hospitalized in a coma. The 15-year-old boy, whose father has been in and out of jail, seems bewildered that his actions have resulted in public outrage and an arrest on attempted murder. A new term is being bounced about called text rage. If texting triggers a kid into text rage, he or she needs some anger management help before they even get to high school.
The sad story of 15-year-old Micheal Brewer doused in rubbing alcohol and set on fire only a few months ago by a group of teen boys is another example of complete disregard by high schoolers for the repercussions of their actions. Brewer survived burns on more than two-thirds of his body.
I have kids and I realize that they often don't always think before they act. The filter just isn't there. Even more, I read another article that said kids are using high-tech devices to cheat in the classroom in greater numbers than ever before. Let's see, today's teens are suffering from a loss of integrity and increased violent behavior and a complete incomprehension of the results of their actions. Where are the parents? Are we not present in our kids' lives? Are we so exhausted or preoccupied that we are not trying hard enough to teach them right from wrong?
I say yes to both. Maybe some anger management skills early on would help cut back on campus violence and workplace violence, both on the increase. If you're a parent, struggling with work life balance, when is the last time you were present, really present, to teach your child how to deal with unwieldy anger?
Do you agree with me that schools need to step in?
There should be zero tolerance for violence at schools. But I'm not sure how you went from your question on whether parents are present to the role of schools. Is it true that schools need to "step in"? Or is it more true that parents need to step up? I think there's a lot already thrown at our teachers and administrators...maybe it's time for parents to stop being "friends" and start adding discipline and role modeling into the parental toolkit.
Posted by: JB | March 22, 2010 at 03:08 PM
I grew up in a time where the word "timeout" was only used on the basketball court -- not as a way to discipline your kid.
Posted by: JA | March 22, 2010 at 05:54 PM