Traditional societal problems used to be addressed by the community, churches and families. Today’s challenges are being placed in schools. Problems such as teaching young people to say “no” to sex and drugs, teaching driver’s education and swimming, teaching students to prevent suicide, etc. are being placed in school curricula where schools are already being overburdened by the demands of high stakes testing and No Child Left Behind.
First, schools do not have the time to include these subjects. Nor in the case of drug, alcohol, suicide prevention, have most of us had the training to deal with these societal problems.
In a report from the Partnership/MetLife Foundation, 34% of fathers and 22% of mothers agree that it is the parents’ main responsibility to teach teenagers about drug use.
Whose responsibility do you think these problems are?