Influence Of Role Models
We as a society need to have more positive role models enabling our youth to grow with understanding and determination. Many of todays young people have a difficult time seeing any moral dimension to their actions(Kilpatrick A23). We need to find out why and how we might be able to understand and deal with ongoing problem. We need to reach out to our future youth and guide them in the right direction. The improvement to our schools could be instrumental to the future of this country.
Zinsmeister said, Schools are the primary public institution in the lives of children. If dangerous disorder is allowed to exist there, children will get a powerfully negative impression of societys interest in protecting them (61). A child must feel safe in his or her environment, whether it be at home or at school. If we can find a way to protect our children, teach them to respect themselves and others, then we will be able to have students willing to go to continue with school and ultimately attain higher levels of self-esteem. All these things can not be thought of as merely school problems and thus left to the school system to solve. It goes much deeper than the school. We have to address the ones causing the problems such as the gang members, drug dealers and, in some cases, the parents. We need to get students more involved in sports and other extra-curricular after-school activities to keep kids out of gangs and off of drug dealers door steps.
We, as a society, need to better educate our youth about drugs. We also need to get parents more involved with their childrens lives. The issue needs to be addressed early while the child is still young before the gangs and drugs approach them. Statistics show that parents are the most influential people in a childs life. About a third of all American babies are born to unwed mothers (Touch 32-33). Thomas Touch also stated that Broken homes and two income families leave an estimated 1 in 5 students home alone after school. Too often such statistics translate into neglect, abuse and troubles kids: Fully 70% of juvenile court cases involve children from single-parent families (33). Perhaps if parents would set an example to their children at home on how to successfully get along, then children would follow. The Polyannaish assumption behind this method is that students will arrive at good moral conclusions if only they were given a chance (Kilpatrick A23). I believe that a child only naturally reacts and turns to violence if that is what he or she has seen all of their life. How is a child supposed to turn away from violent tendencies if the child is not raised with good morals. Children very often mimick how their parents act.
We need to examine this country very closely especially when it comes to our schools. If we dont have school systems that help children grow and understand like mature adults, then we are doomed to mayhem. We need to teach our children what is right and what is wrong and teach them to get along with one another. If we do these things, we might be able to keep this country at number one. Our children is the only future that we have.
