September 28, 2007 Parental Guidance & The Literate Teenager
Were you aware that many of our teenagers still can’t read well enough to function as productive citizens. Parents or other “adults must provide the guidance and direction for young people”. (ERS Spectrum, Spring 1997). Though written in 1997, the statement’s validity has not changed.
Parental management of socialization and the education of children all ages at home, at school, and within the community is a major link to academic achievement for both high and low achieving students. A parent’s role is to emphasize the importance of education, recognizing their value in ensuring the success of their child. It is a parent’s role to have consistent interaction with school and community in behalf of their children. Parents in underprivileged areas have to be extremely creative in competently seeking out resources for their children. Because these parents have many other responsibilities trying to make ends meet they may ignore opportunities to encourage their children. Many are overcome by these responsibilities.
Stressful living, hectic work schedules, and unpleasant conditions often overburden them. Even though they may not have time or energy to deal with the management of many of their children’s activities either at home, at school, or within the community ; it is imperative that someone in the family is motivated to do so. “Parents of high achievers frequently initiated contact with their children’s school in order to check on their children’s progress and to maintain positive relationships with school officials. In contrast, parents of low achievers rarely visited their children’s school except in response to the school’s requests precipitated by their children’s poor work or misbehavior.” (The Urban Review, March 2000)
Consequently, it is not yet time for parents to make the mistake that many parents have made in the past, that is withdraw involvement in the personal and academic life of their teenagers while continuing their own empowerment. Parents and family play a major role in ensuring literacy as well as proper civic and social behavior.
Click on blogtalkradio, look for the show recorded on September 27, 2007 at 12 p.m. “Finding and Following Your Passion” with guest, author and educator Michelle Yisrael. and discover how to find your passion while helping your children discover theirs as well.
One sure fire way to combat negative behavior in disruptive and at-risk youngsters is to help them find their passion. The thing within them that drives them, that they are enthused about, that thing which gives them joy, and confidence. It could be theater, singing, baseball, academics, writing, or even helping others.
Spend time with your children and watch them. This will give you the information you need to steer them towards their passion and away from trouble.
Passion is a person’s inner desire. Psalm 37 tells us not to fret. This advice tells us not to be nervous about what others do or think, rather trust in God, delight in Him, commit everything we do to Him, to that which is good be honest and walk in integrity, Then he will give us the desires of our hearts.
What is passion? What are desires? They are those good and righteous things that we are enthused about, the good things that bring excitement to our hearts, the good things that excite our minds, our hearts, our tongues, and our actions. Your passion is the thing that you would be content doing on any day, at any time of day. A child’s passion, and ours as well, causes an outburst of joy within us. Passion is following your heart. In other words our desires and our passion are in fact one in the same.
Our children are in trouble! We are all responsible for coming to their aide.
Have you done anything to help one of y’our’ young people in trouble yet? You can start right within your family, a son, daughter, nephew, niece, cousin or other distant relative. Then extend outside of ‘home’ to your church family, to our friends, and your neighbors. We are our brothers keeper and these are y’our’ children.
Don’t give up on them. It is never too late no matter how lost they may appear. They need your love and your compassion.
This is a very touching slide show of the march for injustice that took place in Jena Louisiana on September 20, 2007.
There is music so if you are work, lower your volume or put in your ear piece. It is a bit lengthy but well worth a look-see.
If you believe in this country; if you believe that this is a great nation where all men are created equal and injustices are rarely tolerated, then the well-known case which occured in Jena Louisiana, is a frightening and outrageous atrocity. You are probably already familiar with the story. Here is a brief synopsis.
Six African American teenagers, ages 15-17 at the time, were jailed for attempted murder, accused of beating a white classmate, the result of a blatant crime stemming from racial incidents occuring on local high school grounds in August of 2006. The accused teens sat under a tree that was commonly known to be a place where white students usually gathered. As a result, White students reacted by hanging three nooses in the tree. Racial tensions then escalated. Fought broke out out between the black and white students, all being roughed up. Initially no one was seriously injured until the six African American teenagers allegedly beat their White classmate and were arrested. Local authorities, who are white, handled the white offenders with a “boys will be boys” attitude - a few brief school suspensions, basically. Black offenders were expelled from school, arrested and charged as adults with felony offenses, including attempted murder.
“Punishment of some sort may be in order for the six defendants, but the justice system isn’t applied the same to all crimes and all people,” stated Martin Luther King III at a rally in Jena organized to support the six teens. Mychael Bell is the only teen who still remains incarcerated facing a possible 22 years imprisonment for his purported role in the incident. No witnesses were called to speak on his behalf at the recent bond hearing, yet there was conflicting witness accounts previously. His bail has been denied again. His parents will journey to Washington in order to appeal his case. The Jena 6 case marks a new era of Jim Crow.
The civil rights of all minority citizens is being riveted by apparent and overt blemishes in the system. Some say that this generation of youngsters who take everything for granted, no doubt needed to experience the “real America” first hand. I say we must teach our children before they have to learn from others.
Thank God for Black radio, without it, this case would have been successfully tucked away under piles of petitions, files, injunction, requisitions, and benched judicial recommendations. Again, Black radio has proven itself to be a viable medium for the African American community. It has lived up to its historical design and role.
I received this email this week and felt compelled to post it on our website. If you though you were helpless to help the Jena 6, think again. Sign on to the Color of Change Campaign. Send letters to legislation ad send donations to help free these young boys at-risk.
“Dear friend,
I just learned about a case of segregation-era oppression happening today in Jena, Louisiana. I signed onto ColorOfChange.org’s campaign for justice in Jena, and wanted to invite you to do the same.
Last fall in Jena, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the “white tree” on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a “prank,” more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town’s police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, “I can be your best friend or your worst enemy… I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen.”
The horrifying information contained this article sets the nation back to the Jim Crow era in our history. We cannot allow such a setback. This article linked to this post details further information that the nation’s youth are in trouble. It is further evidence that trouble comes in may forms.
Think about it! What are these White children being taught by this issue? What are the Black children being taught? What are other children of other nationationalities being taught? Do you think any of our children are safe, physically, emotionally, and spiritually? What are the solutions? Why can’t something be done? Why has it taken so long for resolve? Why is this a source of a nation at-risk yet justice does not prevail? Why?
View this youtube and then sign the petition (site at the end of the recording).
Adolescence is duly noted as a time of extreme stress and turmoil for the youngster as well as their parents. It is a time when these young people need ample direction from parents even though they may object to it. Many parents look on this time as the rebellious stage because the youngster displays more individuality. This individuality or temporary rebellion is natural. It allows them the opportunity to be comfortable with themselves while making them comfortable with taking risks.
Because of the biological process-taking place within them, they are essentially out of control. The tumult and contradiction brought about by these major changes often causes anxiety. Severe and sudden mood swings are a result of powerful hormonal changes. Almost everything regarding a teenager’s demeanor point to their seemingly to create a separation from family. They are working out independent relationships with peers. Many times these friendships take time usually spent with family. They have a great need for privacy. They now think they know it all. Parents may now embarrass teens.
They seek the approval of peers more than parents. Their academics become their personal business. They often resent parental involvement. They think they have to rebel, that it is expected of them. However, parents should not take this behavior so personally that they withdraw from actively involving themselves in the lives of their teenagers.
Good parents don’t take this time in their adolescents’ life offensively. Teens can’t handle this turmoil alone even though it appears they want to. It may even appear that they are able to deal with this chaos alone. In short young people need adult supervision in all areas of their lives. They need adult direction.
The term literacy has become a favorite topic for educators and politicians. “Literacy is an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English; compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society; to achieve one’s goals and develop one’s knowledge and potential.” (NIFL, April 2000) Close to thirty percent of the American population over age sixteen have profound literacy deficiencies. This means millions of people lack adequate reading, writing, and critical thinking skills necessary for proper survival.
According to the National Institute for Literacy, poverty and literacy are directly linked. Statistics show that more lower income level students drop out of school than students of higher income levels. Additionally, the reading and writing levels of young people is closely related to the educational levels of parents. Literacy has also been linked to increased civil behavior and the inability to formulate higher levels of thought in problem solving skills and knowledge that creates resources necessary for civil obedience. It is 2007, and nothing has changed. As a matter of fact when you read the news and examine grades and tests scores of our youth people, it seems as though it has gotten worse.
High school dropouts of families who have not endeavored to improve their economic status are typically children of parents who dropped out as well. It is conceivable that these families were key in creating inadequate literate behavior in their children. Without further education and training these parents become rooted in their own deficiencies and poverty stricken lifestyle that they are not able to address the growing needs of their children. Therefore the cycle of illiteracy is more difficult to break. Adolescence is a terrible time to get become trapped in hopelessness.
According to a 2005 drop out report, in the state of Illinois alone, approximately 12,871 students between the ages of 13-21 dropped out of school. We clearly have a problem! All of us!
The solution is simple, families must encourage reading in the home and school administrations must allow teachers to encourage reading in the classroom instead of tests, tests, and more tests.
The NIFL responds to the findings of the Reading Literacy Study, highlighting the importance of parents’ education to children’s school achievement. National Institute for Literacy. Government Printing Office. April 2000. http:..www.nifl.gov.cgullion@nifl.gov
Regardless of where they live, as a whole, our schools are not preparing our children for adult life. They don’t have adequate job skills, they can’t communicate orally or written. Our schools are not strong educational institutions. Most have skills so limited, I fear for them as they are pushed in the adult world.
Yes, some children excel, but upon a close examination, how many succeed compare to those that don’t. I spent several years assisting college students write basic compositions and simple research papers. It made me cringe when I read some of those papers. As I think of some and write this blog, I am shaking my head. Those young people were not ready to produce in college. It surprised me as I witnessed the number of remedial courses that crept into the schedule each semester.
I still work with some of these students our of my home, tutoring them in private. These are adults, not able to adequately pronounce words my 13 year old son read fluently three or four years ago. These are adults unable to make inferences because they don’t comprehend what they read. These are adults who can’t say they read at least one book each year. These are adults who are in jobs paying low wages and with little hope of advancement. These are adults who have been trying feverishly to finish a two year college program, and still trying after 4 or 5 years. I fear for these adults who were once children, not that long ago. These are products of our public school system.
