Comments (0) | |

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Solutions, part II

Last week, CNN’s Don Lemon interviewed Gen. Colin Powell. After all, it marked the one-year anniversary of the election of President Barack Obama. What he said was the most crucial part of any solution for reaching our troubled youth: “If I could snap my finger and do one thing, I would make sure that every young American boy or girl, but especially African-American (children), have a responsible, caring adult in their lives.

“Hopefully, it’s their parents, even if it’s a single parent. ... then we need Boys and Girls Clubs. We need Big Brothers and Big Sisters. We need mentors. Otherwise, these kids will find bad adults to copy from, and we’re going to lose them.”

He’s right, you know. Obama has spoken out for the need for fathers to step up and be fathers, Powell reiterated, “Every child has a father, and some of those fathers don’t want to live up to the responsibility of being a father. Whether it’s a father in a marriage or a father in a good home, that father is a father and owes that child financial support, owes that child companionship, owes that child an example in life.”

Many sperm donors are dead or in jail or caught up in activity that will lead to one or the other. That leaves the responsibility of raising their children up to single mothers and institutions, like churches and schools.

Churches could start opening the doors of their family centers to the neighborhood. Many do. Who knows, that just might lead them to the Lord. And yes, a little Jesus never hurt anyone. Deacons need to get out of their special pews and walk the streets around their churches and become fishers of children.

The school board must do three things. First, children and teachers have to feel safe. If schools are going into lockdown, like Southwest did on Oct. 30 and Howard did on Thursday, something’s wrong. When a third-grader in Houston County comes to school with a weapon and a Mount de Sales student threatens to kill another on his Facebook page something’s gone haywire in our society and something we are doing isn’t working.

After safety, the school system should develop a course of instruction at all levels that instills a moral compass in children. They don’t have to invent it, there are several established programs to borrow. And, if the school board had the guts, it would begin the process of introducing some discipline by instituting uniforms at the high school level.

I can’t take credit for that idea. It’s been around for ages. In Bibb County, former Superintendent Gene Buinger tried to implement a uniform policy and was rebuffed.

A strict uniform policy would cut down on sagging and the repeated calls from teachers and administrators to, “Pull up your pants,” and, “young lady, that dress is too short.”

Why uniforms? The dress code isn’t working. Again, I can’t claim the following axiom as original thought, but Dick Morris, a reader, called and reminded me of an old adage his mother drilled into his head — that the better you dress, the better you behave. He would include blazers. Not a bad idea. We all wear some sort of uniform, even if we work at a fast-food restaurant. Why shouldn’t high school students?

Some parents may want to sue. Let them. They will only look foolish. I have a gut feeling that current events have parents willing to try anything. The school year is just into its fourth month and Bibb has had two high-profile gun incidents with children 15 or under.

If we don’t solve what’s happening to our youth now, the movie, “Escape From New York,” will become our reality.

Charles E. Richardson is the Telegraph’s editorial page editor. He can be reached at (478) 744-4342 or via e-mail at crichardson@macon.com.