1994-1995 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Should Government Intervene To Help Children and Teens in Trouble: If so, How? If Not Government, Who or What Entity Should Offer What Type of Assistance?

Teacher: Jill Davis

Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

  1st Audrey Myers 2nd Janelle Dunkleberger     3rd Sarah Henry

"The breakdown of the family is a big cause for most of the problems the younger generation is having. Because young people turn to gangs, the other young people not in gangs start carrying guns because they need to protect themselves."
Deborah Sollenberger Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

"What is this saying for our families if eight year old children are getting pulled into gangs? Where are their parents? I think if adults are going to have children, they need to be willing to take care of their children. They need to understand that children need someone to be there for them and someone to tell them they are loved. Children do not understand that mommy has to do this or daddy has to do that. All they want is their mommy or daddy...If the parents are not ready or able to take responsibility, they may want to think about adoption or foster care. Even though they may not be able to take care of their children and offer them something in life, maybe someone else could. Sometimes the toughest decisions in life are the most important and loving ones a person has to make."
Deborah Sollenberger , Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

"In my opinion, the perception of drugs to a gang is this: drugs equal money, money equals guns and guns equal power. Every gang is primarily trying to gain more power. This blind power-struggle is no respecter of persons. It doesn't matter who may fall during the struggle, as long as the gang is on top when everything ends. They don't take into consideration the six and seven year old lives that are taken in drive-by shootings, or the lives wasted by drug abuse after being supplied by gang sources. None of these things matter. Innocent observers are taken, used and then cast aside. When human life has no value, it is obvious that something is not right."
Thomas Lohr, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Not many readers would agree with Tsiphuneah and David, below:
"Children are born with the knowledge of how to be bad; they don't have to be taught how to lie or steal. Until our government realizes that juvenile murderers need to be punished as if they were adults, our country will continue to be plagued by the horrific crimes of such murderers as the Menendez brothers, or the eight year old boy who swung an infant around a room, bashing his head repeatedly into the floor."
Tsiphuneah Grosso, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The laws on juvenile offenders should be a lot more strict. No longer should we allow a teenage murderer to go to juvenile hall. Make him pay the time in an adult prison. Isn't murder an adult crime to begin with? Children need to learn that for every action, there is a consequence involved."
David Anderson, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Remember what Naomi said in our second excerpt, "Given the opportunity, children would choose to be good and learn." On the other hand:
"It is obvious that the current process of dealing with teen crimes is not working effectively. Teen criminals are still committing crimes and not being punished for their actions. These offenders know that if they commit a crime, they will be treated as children and given a slap on the wrist. This is not acceptable. The teen justice system is primarily based on fear. Teens are supposed to fear the actions that could be taken against them, but there is no fear, because there has been no action taken to evoke fear. As a result of this, teens are still committing crimes, knowing that even if they are caught, they will escape without any severe punishment."
Thomas Lohr, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

But does punishment deter?
"Kids sometimes purposely go over the limit and break rules to make themselves feel cool. For example, when some teens get their driver's license, they tend to go very fast. This is usually used as an attempt to impress someone. Although, they think they are cool, they are actually putting themselves in danger, running the risk of wrecking the car they are driving, along with other vehicles, and injuring themselves or others severely, if not worse."
Corey Schaeffler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Our nation's children are crying for help. Are we just going to sit back and pretend we don't hear them? Everyone needs to care. It's everyone's business. After all, it's true that one person can dial a hotline, but it takes everyone to care enough to answer the call....Abuse, neglect, pain, anger, gangs, drugs, violence, guns and sex are just a few of the things our children are faced with and forced to deal with every day. Like it or not, these issues are no longer restricted to older teenagers and adults, they are now affecting kids as young as five years old. ...We are allowing our children to grow up on the streets, in homes where they are subject to abuse and neglect while we sit on our hands saying: 'There is no way I can help.'"
Lori Weller, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"If a child is brought into this world, then he/she deserves every chance to succeed in it. Children weren't given a choice on whether or not to come into it. Will you be the one to crush the chance, or will you rise to the occasion and give children the help they need?"
David Anderson, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"I ask you. In this the land of the free and home of the brave, now that the land is strewn with troubled and abused teens, where are all the brave people now, when they are needed most?"
Nick Snyder, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Where should the responsibility lie?
"A bad, gang-infested neighborhood will not guarantee a criminal juvenile. In his heart, if he wants to better himself, he can. A girl does not have to get pregnant to prove herself a woman and a boy does not have to kill someone to prove himself a man. Fate often does not work in favor of the poor, however, and the easy, slacker life in a bad neighborhood may be non escapable. Schools in these neighborhoods are often not very advanced. Hopefully, a positive role model or dream for the future will be in a child's life so he can escape the corruption of his world. On the other hand, children born in the richest, nicest, safest neighborhoods can have evil minds too. Despite good schools and good role models, the child may just want to be a juvenile delinquent. Case in point; people are different. Taking all children out of corrupt environments will not automatically shape them up. Some minors may need to live a poor life so they can see that it is not what they want for them[selves] and their [own] children."
Erin Negley, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

If not parents---who then?
"These kids rarely have had someone home to give them the guidance they need. As my English teacher said: 'For every one of you fortunate teens, there are five out there less fortunate than you.' I'm one of the 'fortunate' ones. My parents were home and cared about me enough to give me guidance. They took me places and spent time getting to know me. What about the kids who didn't have parents there, though? Can we really blame them for not knowing how to act? Lack of parental and peer support leads to a greater need for community support."
Nick Snyder, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

'Lack of parental and peer support leads to a greater need for community support." Isn't this what Hillary Rodham-Clinton meant when she claimed It Takes A Village To Raise A Child?

Thomas, below, is concerned about the media's influence:
"There are many strong influences on teens' lives today. One of the strongest influences is the media. Teens are primarily exposed to these common forms: newspapers, books, magazines, music and, perhaps the strongest of them all, television. Teens are pelted with news articles of rape, murder and violence. Television programs focus on sex and violence...[Is it any wonder] they crumble under the pressure?"
Thomas Lohr, Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

Role Models:
"We need to give our kids more positive role models. Children without someone to look up to will undoubtedly look to their peers. Perhaps this is the reason the homicide rate among 18 to 24 year olds has increased to 62 percent from 1986 to 1991. Let's face it, if kids don't have positive role models at home, most likely they aren't going to find them at school. Big Brother/Big Sister gives kids a role model. The organization teams kids up with an older teen or young adult who has the same interests. The two spend time together doing the things they like. This offers two things; one, it gets the kids off the street, and two, it gives them someone to look up to and help them through their problems."
Lori Weller, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"In Baltimore, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, has found her own way to help. On the weekends, she keeps a brother and sister from Baltimore's toughest housing projects with her and to top that off, she personally pays for their education at a private school including their transportation."
Nick Snyder, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"It would also help if millions of people like Patricia Fernandez-Kelly were to start showing up everywhere to help less fortunate children realize that there are alternatives to living in ignorance and poverty. Fernandez-Kelly has taken on the problems and joys of two children from one of Baltimore's toughest housing projects, to show them that there are opportunities beyond what they see every day in the ghetto. Although not many people could handle the responsibility which she chose to take, every bit counts and if everyone would start to make a little effort to ensure a brighter future for our struggling youth, we might make one of the biggest turnarounds in history."
Michael Spencer, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters can be good for kids in trouble. They need people to help them with their problems who will be their friend and let them know that they matter."
Daniel Leaman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"One example of positive role models for young children are the high school students who are involved in Elementary Interaction programs, such as the one here at Big Spring. These activities not only help the younger kids, but also improve the self-esteem of the older students."
Julie Zimmerman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Sometimes kids are the best role models for other kids:
"There are also those kids that when it seems that everything is against them, they rise above it and make something of themselves. These are the people that everyone should look up to, these are the kind of role models that kids need. Some professional athletes say that they shouldn't be role models, but some of them, like Alonzo Mourning, deserve to be. He, along with many other athletes, has worked hard to get where he is today, and he hasn't forgotten where he came from, or what it's like to be there. He takes the time to help others who are in the place he was such a short time ago. He is the kind of role model everyone needs."
Janet Dunkleberger, Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

Nowhere was the contrast so apparent between the views of Boys Town students and others as it was concerning foster care:
"Foster care is preferable to orphanages, for many reasons. Foster care provides children with a more family-oriented structure which focuses on parent-child interaction. Orphanages provide needs for a group of children, not an individual. The average child in an orphanage finds himself lacking highly effective one-on-one parental involvement. Orphanages seem to be a catch all for children who have no other place to go."
Jody Manweiler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"I'm sure you're sitting there saying: 'I'm only one person, what can I do?' What can you do? You can become a foster parent or help a foster parent. You can sit on an independent foster care review board. Most importantly, we need to realize that taking kids from bad homes and putting them in another one that isn't much better, just won't work."
Lori Weller, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Young, defenseless children are not the only ones who are being torn, in a sense, from happiness and love, by the government and its laws. After living with a mother who abused her, one 14 year old girl was placed in foster care. She claims that the six months in the care of another family was 'the happiest time in my life.' When she was threatened by the authorities planning to send her back to her abusive birth mother, she ran away. She is now fighting for the right to live with the mother whom she loves, her foster mother. A child of 14 is old enough to recognize whom she loves as a parent and that she would rather live without physical and emotional abuse from a mother whose only claim to the name is the act of giving birth."
Kelly Junk, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Of course there were students outside of Boys Town who were aware that major problems are connected to foster care:
"One concern about foster care is that troubled children may have complications finding a suitable residence. In some cases, they move about constantly in search of a home. These children should be placed in orphanages to escape the pain of instability."
Jody Manweiler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Most of the orphanages are described as prisons and foster homes are described as institutions. The children get moved out of an area, but not out of their problem. In 1969, children who ran away were tried as delinquents because they tried to run away from placement. Placement is not the answer."
Kelley Stevens, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Most students were wise enough to realize that when it comes to providing an environment where young humans thrive, that there is no single best answer:
"For some children, an orphanage or foster home can provide more warmth and a better family environment than their biological family can. So we are faced with a major decision: should a government have the power to take children away from their home to provide what the government assumes is an improvement, or should children be allowed to live in a potentially harmful environment with parents who are poor influences? The big problem is that the case is different for each child; some children will thrive under the care of strangers, but some will not. There is a home somewhere for everyone. Finding that home is the key. Whether it be an orphanage, or a foster home, or living with a relative, the home is out there...Foster care, as well as adoption, can leave a person who is deprived of a fair chance, the opportunity to succeed."
Tobias Myers, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Teens need to know that people care and they need to be taken off the street, out of abusive homes, and taught how to deal with life in a respectful manner...Of all the time and money that the government can put into programs and support groups for teens, I think it is very crucial that the community also becomes involved. Kids that have irresponsible parents need some type of parental figure or friend in their lives, and community members can give them just that. They are people [kids] can relate to, talk to, and who are nearby when needed."
Nick Snyder, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Not everything the government does is bad. Most of what it does could be really great, it just needs to be reexamined and updated. We need to put the people who really care into positions where they can help the most. We need more programs like the ones that work, such as the Youth line and the Boys Club, and we need to change the ones that don't, such as juvenile hall."
Janelle Dunkleberger, Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

Some students relegated a God-like role to government:
"Although the government shouldn't have to intervene at all, it has to, since there seems to be no alternative. Once the government steps in, and hopefully takes control of the problem, it shouldn't have to stay involved. It should clean up today's problems, teach people how to prevent tomorrow's problems, and then step out, letting the educated generation teach the next generation how to stay out of trouble. Then, hopefully this cycle of education and knowledge will continue, making future generations thrive."
Brian Lehman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Julie recognized that the government does not have unlimited resources:
"The United States government should offer financial help to those who need assistance, but this aid has to be limited or our country is going to sink further into a pit of debt and despair."
Julie Zimmerman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Audrey, below, suggests a compromise—Helping Others Help Themselves:
"Many children in our country remain helpless to defend themselves against the ravages of poverty and abuse. But we avoid getting involved because we like to think that the government can and will help all those in need. Although the government does need to play a part in the plan to help children, it cannot possibly meet the needs of the nearly 500,000 kids who live below the poverty line alone. Others have to get involved starting programs or working for already existing programs to help families break the cycle they have been in for generations...to help those involved realize that they must take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

Although not all families are poor because of out-of-wedlock births, the prevalence of them is the main reason people stay poor. The answer to the problem seems simple enough: convince unmarried teenagers to wait to have children. This would cut down on the amount of children that need the help of the government and others. Many people say that cutting off welfare to teenage mothers who continue to have children would solve the increasing number of poor children. In some cases, young mothers said they would find a way to stop having more children if this plan were instituted. But if they are having children for a different reason than receiving a welfare check, this plan would only hurt the children more. Girls get pregnant for a variety of powerful, psychological reasons that have little to do with rational economics. Many low-income teens view having a baby as the fastest way to respectability. A 14 year old without a child is a teenager: one with a child is a mother. When children are born to these mothers, the absence of a welfare check may mean the child is exposed to even greater harm and poverty.

A plan that seems more likely to be successful is the creation of 'second-chance' homes where teen mothers on welfare could take responsibility for their children and live in a supportive environment that would allow them to leave behind abusive or unstable situations. Another possibility is offering incentives for good behavior instead of just punishment for bad. Giving teens the promise of long-term financial help if they stay in school and do not become parents may be the biggest incentive. Whatever programs are used, the solution to the problem starts by helping young mothers or would-be mothers realize that having children only allows the cycle of poverty that they are trying to escape, continue.

No matter how many programs we have to stop teenagers from having children, it will not stop the inevitable. Some children will be born to mothers too young to handle the pressures of raising kids. They either will not be able to afford the child or they will break under the pressure and abuse them. In the past we have considered one or two options to help these children: orphanages or foster care. Foster care is said to be able to meet the individual needs of the children better, but it does not always work out and sometimes children are moved from home to home, unable to find stability in their lives. Orphanages, while a constant place to stay, are costly to operate. But if these options do not work, what are we supposed to do? What about fixing the existing family instead of removing the children to another home or family. Of families raised by single mothers, 46 percent live in poverty, compared with eight percent of families with two parents. More than virtually any other factor, a biological father's presence in the family will determine a child's success and happiness...The absence of fathers is linked to most social nightmares—from boys with guns to girls with babies.

If a father's presence influences children so greatly, we must find a way to make fathers take responsibility for their kids. In Cleveland's inner-city, Charles Ballard has run the Ballard's Institute for Responsible Fatherhood and Family Revitalization since 1982. He has referred over 2,000 absent fathers to the usual parenting classes, drug abuse programs, and GED programs. But Ballard does not believe that to be a good father you must have a job. 'Convince young men first of the importance of being good fathers and they are then motivated to finish school and find work.' Of the fathers Ballard has worked with, 97 percent provided financial support and 71 percent did not have any more children. Through successful programs such as this, we can allow children the chance to have a meaningful relationship with both parents and a less likely chance of experiencing abuse.

The children who still lack the support of a father usually turn to gangs to learn discipline and what it means to be a man. These are lessons children that age should not have to learn. So someone else must take responsibility and provide alternate role-models for children with an absent father. Programs such as Big Brother/Big Sister get kids on the right track. These programs, designed to prevent crime, are less costly and more successful than cracking down on children after they have become criminals. One Milwaukee gang member who has been convicted of two crimes in a three-strike state, says the law does not bother him. 'The law don't make no difference to me because I ain't gonna get caught.' So while kids like him, who are unafraid of the justice system, are still committing crimes, kids who have benefited from a positive role-model will never start.

Solving the problem of child abuse and poverty is a huge undertaking. But through small contributions in the personas of shelter volunteers, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Charles Ballard, we can work together with the government to chip away at the number of children subjected to living a life without a future. By helping one family take control of their future and experience a brighter tomorrow, we can send a message of hope to them all."
Audrey Myers, Big Spring High School Newville, Pennsylvania

Teen Pregnancy:
"In my opinion, the solution to the problem of teenage pregnancy should start at home. Children need to be taught values from the beginning. Other solutions such as birth control, adoption, and most importantly, abstinence, would also be effective. Too many times children are neglected and left to raise themselves. If parents are good healthy role models, hopefully their children will follow in their footsteps. Too often children of teenage parents suffer the consequences of their parents' mistakes. If you are willing to have sex, you should be willing to pay the consequences...I would not give all teenage mothers equal benefits. Those mothers who stayed in school would receive bonuses over those who quit. This would promote staying in school. By staying in school, they would be able to further their educations, consequently finding better jobs in the work field."
Laura Farrell, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Don't just tell the kids the problems of pregnancy, show them the negative results of it as well. Tell them the hardships of having to pay for the child. Also make sure not to leave out the special nurturing involved as well. This will have a greater effect on their very impressionable minds. In no way do I condone the free distribution of condoms in our schools. The way I see it, that only encourages our students to have sex. How does that control pregnancy?"
David Anderson, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Young adults are sometimes given more credit than they deserve. I am not saying that they should not receive respect or trust; I am saying that too often it is assumed that children and teenagers are educated or naturally aware on certain issues, when in fact they are quite naive. A myth in the United States these days is that sex education is handled in the schools. It is assumed that kids know better than to take risks in their actions. What is being overlooked is that not everyone receives this information and many do not understand the full impact of becoming a teenage parent or contracting an STD....This becomes the problem of the general public when babies born to teenagers wind up in single-parent households without much financial income being brought in for them to support themselves."
Julie Zimmerman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Some students urged government to encourage adoptions:
"In 1980 the US Congress passed legislation to provide foster families with maintenance payments and Medicaid if they adopt their foster children. Previously these payments had been cut off after the adoption process was complete. Congress, however, decided that if these payments were continued it might encourage more adoption. They were trying to let the foster children become more exposed to the 'natural' family and stop shifting them from family to family. I think that this was a good action to take; it gives the kids a chance to have at least a seminormal life while giving the parents some financial help for taking on such a great burden. I feel that foster care is a great idea, however, I think that adoption would be a better option for younger children and foster care should be reserved for older teenagers..."
Melissa Gornik, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"In an Illinois courtroom, the government stepped into a custody battle between a child's biological parents and adoptive parents...The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that 'the rights of Baby Richard's biological father must be considered before the interests of the child or his adoptive parents...If the rights of the adoptive parents to have a child of their own are not going to be upheld, then the entire system for adoption should be not only reviewed, but changed."
Tobias Myers, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The government could ... offer a grant to teens who choose to put their child up for adoption instead of enrolling on welfare. Because education is thought to be the answer to poverty, the grant could go solely towards college or business school."
Tsiphuneah Grosso, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A college grant in exchange for a baby? Tsiphuneah, wouldn't this reward, if not directly encourage, teen pregnancy? Melissa, below might think so:
"There should be limitations set on the amount of time one can spend on welfare, and those who are not physically impaired should be forced to seek employment as soon as possible. Also, young mothers should not feel that they are being rewarded for having children. They should be required to attain at least a high school diploma and after that to work if at all possible."
Melissa Gornik, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A few students opted to minimize government's role:
"The great fear I have is that the government will become too involved in our family lives, controlling things that it should not. The government [may] become like the Pied Piper; jumping and taking control of our youth to gain power that it has lost elsewhere, just like the Pied Piper taking the children for payment when he didn't get paid for ridding Hamlin of mice."
Sarah Henry, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

There were ideas concerning government's role:
"If you do not know what is going on in your child's life it can be considered negligence. I think that under the supervision of the government that social services should step in when negligence is involved, because that is a form of child abuse....The only involvement the government should have would be to prosecute the offenders in social services cases. This should be handled by the state government not the [federal] government. I do believe, though, that the department of social services could do a better job. I believe more money should be given to this department so they could hire more caseworkers to handle complaints."
Summer Bell, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Another type of child that needs help is one who suffers from child abuse and neglect. The American Humane Association said that there were over 2 million reported cases of abuse last year and the average age of the child was seven. It was also reported that approximately half of the families involved were on public assistance. This is because there is more pressure placed on these parents and they sometimes take it out on their children because they can't fight back."
Daniel Leaman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"If I was a child living in an abusive home and had the opportunity to get out by using an attorney, getting a divorce from my parents, I would. Why let myself be beaten down literally, as well as opportunity-wise, when I have a way to get out. The big downside is that this right would be abused by teens who want to get back at their mommy and daddy for lowering their allowance or grounding them for a week."
Sarah Henry, Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

Students in Pennsylvania also expect government to stop the abuse:
"The most important treasure that America has is its children....and the government should do everything in its power to protect [them]."
Dan Nimmon, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Our society is becoming increasingly corrupt because of child pornographers, child abusers, and child molesters. I cannot fathom all of the pain and suffering that these children go through and how exploited their lives must be. However, I can fathom that there could be less children forced to deal with such blasphemies if the government would lend more resources. The government arrests criminals for murder, burglary, and various other crimes so why can't they do something to prevent our children from having to go through such agony? Our government is allowing these pornographers, abusers, and molesters to get away with crimes, which in some cases, may end and do end in murder."
Erin Weldon, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The government, in trying to help troubled teens today, spends too much time playing catch-up. If the government is to take a leadership role in this problem-child and troubled teen dilemma, it must perceive it as an emergency and not just a problem. Can we as a people afford to support thousands of unwed moms, teens that commit horrible crimes and thousands of welfare abusers? If the proverbial 'ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'—it's time to get out the weights of reason, determination and action and begin immediately!"
Tsiphuneah Grosso, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"If people are poor and uneducated, as they are in the ghettos, just giving them money will only make the problem worse. Give someone who has nothing a whole lot of money and watch the greed and self-centeredness begin."
Sarah Henry, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Instead of such a long-term welfare system, people should receive aid [for] short periods of time. And if they do nothing to improve their situation over time, they would receive nothing. This would force people to find a job and earn a living."
Andrew Wonders, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

The following recommendations are based on Erin's personal experience:
"Some senators say that children should not be on welfare. They will be taken away from their welfare-receiving parents. Some of the strictest senators are thinking of stopping all welfare programs. They need to research the process before they drastically change [people's] lives. As a former welfare child, I fully oppose cuts on welfare. My mother was put in a difficult situation by her pregnancy and two years on welfare possibly saved me from death by abortion. She swallowed her pride and became a statistic in the Welfare Department. I admire my mother because, after two years, she raised herself out of the confines of welfare by going back into the work force. She is proud that she got out while she could, therefore, not starting a vicious welfare cycle that many families fall into...I was born out of wedlock. It was not considered the norm in 1977. My mother does not regret the fact of not marrying, which would have ended in a divorce eventually. So she has a good job, a nice car, and a home, while she started out her adult life living on welfare with an illegitimate baby. My mother and I were a real life Hester and Pearl Prynne. I, formerly an illegitimate child who drank WIC milk, am now on the honor roll. I have a job, I'm going to college, and I'm happy. We are living proof of the fact that not all welfare-illegitimate people are mooching, lazy, high school dropouts...Drop the generalizations and find out the real facts. Interview every welfare recipient, illegitimate family and regular family. The only way to help children and teens is with knowledge. Knowledge of abuse, neglect and apathy towards children is what the government needs to know and intervene before it is too late and another life slips through the cracks of all this bureaucracy nonsense. Our future doesn't look good. We have to save our children."
Erin Negley, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Most agree that poor parenting is a major cause of our current problems:
"Many problems start at home. The world of drugs, gangs, and violence are often faced by children whose parents or guardians are not good role models. Children whose parents aren't home a lot of the time and don't have proper discipline, often face the same fates. Better family lives are needed."
Brian Lehman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"If we want this problem to end, the parents must take back control of their children. Spending more time with their children, helping them with their homework, as well as [addressing] their concerns, fears, misunderstandings, and social pressures, will greatly improve our society's family infrastructure."
Sarah Henry, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"All parents are artists in the rawest form. A child is a direct expression of the joining of two people...children, without a good frame to support them, give way to the pressures of the world; childhood deteriorates and they turn to crime as a way to feel important. As with any good artwork, a good finished product is produced through patience, hard work, and adaptation when a need for change arises...Having a child is not a one-day event, but a lifetime project. It is the parents' responsibility to create children capable of functioning in society. Only when children lack key survival elements and/or parental guidance, should the government be expected to step forward to intervene."
Jody Manweiler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Students recognized that there are many kinds of families:
"The traditional family is changing from having a mother and father, to having one or the other and now, to having two mothers or two fathers. Homosexual married couples are discovering that they want to be parents. Many find success within the parenting part of their lives. It doesn't always take a mother and a father for a complete and happy family, as one couple who used artificial insemination in order to conceive a child learned firsthand...Regardless of sexual preference, it takes a lot more to be a parent than just being a biological parent to a child. A parent is someone who is loving and who is around to help when he or she is needed. Sometimes being a biological parent doesn't always mean that he or she and the child should be together. Adoptive parents and foster parents sometimes are better than the child's real parents. Ninety percent of parenting is just being there and showing up!"
Kelly Junk, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Our children are no longer growing up in the happy, model home. They are no longer growing up with a dog and two parents in their late 20s. More often today, the 'norm' when it comes to parents is one, if any. The parents are no longer in their late 20s. Today we are lucky if they are even in their late teens."
Lori Weller, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Families...are sadly turning into a place of hatred and rejection."
Thomas Lohr, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Society believes that because children are supervised by only one parent that they will be able to do as they please. In some cases this is true, but not in all. After a divorce, children now have two sets of parents, instead of just one. They may spend more time with the parent they don't live with, taking away time for drugs and violence. Some also live with step-parents, which means they can have up to four parents at one time, putting them at even less risk."
Shannon Wilson, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Students came up with a variety of proposals:
"I think that a solution is to lower the age of the Child Labor laws. If teens have their parents' consent and are willing to work, I don't see a problem with it. Of course, some of you may say, education is more important than a job. Wake up! If [teens] are desperate enough for money they will join a gang and their grades will drop anyway. But, however, this is the beauty of my whole plan: to have a job, they must stay in school and keep their grades at a C or above. We could have a weekly eligibility too. If their grades are not passing, they do not work until they are eligible again. I think that this is a great idea and ask the government to support the kids while they earn and learn."
Diana Coulson, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Another solution is the Alternative High School. This is program which is being used in some major cities. AHS provides dropouts with a way to attain a high school diploma. For every twenty dropouts, [the program] provides a licensed teacher. AHS gives students a great deal of personal attention and the same basic classes as a normal high school. It is a good way for high-school dropouts to get back on their feet again."
Daniel Leaman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Educating the young to recognize what is wrong, to know what to avoid, and to have the ambition to improve themselves, their lives, and the people around them would go a long way toward a better future for many people. Preventing out-of-wedlock and teen pregnancies, creating better paying jobs and living conditions, and upgrading education will promote better family lives....It may sound simple but a lot of hard work and sacrifice from most everyone will get this difficult burden off the shoulders of society."
Brian Lehman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"A community center in my own town has, within the past few years, evolved into a place where kids can go to play basketball, volleyball, video games, shoot pool and do other activities with adults and their peers. This kind of atmosphere supplies kids with a fun place to go."
Michael Spencer, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

They had criticism and suggestions for schools:
"I thought a school was supposed to be a place where children get an education, not where they worry if they are going to get jumped in the hall. How are children supposed to learn to make something of themselves under these conditions?"
Deborah Sollenberger Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Do you know too much of death? If not, Alicia Brown can give you some pointers. In two years, she has dealt with the killings of six friends. She plans to transfer to a different school district to try to steer clear of this violence. Does this not point something out to people of the United States if children have to change schools, just to stay alive? But two thumbs-up can be given to President Clinton for the commercial he taped with Miss Brown. In it, he urges people to call for a brochure of information on how to cut violence in neighborhoods. This is, of course, a push in the right direction, but still millions have not gotten the message yet. Government help, perhaps more TV spots from the President, is still desperately needed. Kids have been and are still killing kids."
Megan Markley, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The school...should try to help its students out in...times of trouble. Whether it be student tutoring or teachers staying after school to help someone, something should be done. Teachers along with parents need to put out 110 percent and then some extra to help the student, who also has to put up 110 percent and then some, to move smoothly throughout the year. However, if the student does not want to learn, and wants to goof-off, the teacher should not rack his or her brain over the situation. One thing the teachers can do, is to try to make their classes interesting and fun for the teens. This will help them pay attention, causing them to do better on tests and quizzes."
Corey Schaeffler, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"City Year, a Boston-based community service program...renovated a building for homeless, tutored school children, reclaimed a community garden from drug dealers, and brought together a community street-cleaning day. They took seriously the words from President Clinton's inaugural address. I challenge a new generation of young Americans to a season of service to act on your idealism by helping troubled children, keeping company with those in need, reconnecting our torn communities. There is so much to be done."
Caron Zell, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"Teenagers and Tough Decisions is a program of the United Way's Emergency Outreach Service. Qualifications include being sensitive to the problems of others and being compassionate."
Caron Zell, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The Oregon Student Safety On the Move and Oregon Together groups have combined to clean up a local park strewn with crime and filth. These kids are learning responsibility and helping the community become a nicer place."
Nick Snyder, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Community involvement as the best means to effective change:
"We must all find the appropriate things that need to be done in each of our communities and volunteer as much as possible."
Andrew Wonders, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

"The only way that the problem can be beaten is if younger and older citizens join together and unite as one."
Thomas Lohr, Big Spring High, Newville, Pennsylvania

Young people are eager and willing to work for a solution to what they feel is a top priority problem:
"One solution is to turn our backs and believe that the problem does not exist. This is the easier solution, but we can't always believe the song by Louis Armstrong titled 'What a Wonderful World' that the world is filled with green trees, red roses, and friends shaking hands. Why not face the problem head on and target on specific areas such as welfare, and alternative means of education for these children funded by the government? Possibly even interview each welfare recipient to see progress or force progress. If the problem stays the way it is will it really be such a wonderful world?"
Joey Long, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Some Sample Questions & Answers

Q - What is your opinion of the New York City Youthline? Can you see yourself participating in such a program?

(From a class in Newville, Pennsylvania)
A - "I like the idea of the New York City Youthline, but I think they should involve old people also and call it Call-line. I think I'd really like to participate."
Kelly Stevens, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I think the idea of having teens answer hotlines is effective. It helps the callers to open up for someone who will understand better. I think it would be an eye opener to work for such a program."
Jody Mamviller, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "The New York City Youthline sounds like an excellent program that lets kids know they have someone to turn to. I can definitely see myself participating in such a program, and I think I will try to get involved in some form of youth peer counseling in the future."
Julie Zimmerman, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "The New York City Youthline seems like a good idea. It helps people let things off their mind and it gives people someone to talk to. I cannot see myself participating in such a program because I have enough of my own problems to deal with much less someone else's."
Corey Schreffler, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I think the New York City Youthline is a very great idea. I believe that parents should be there to help their children with problems but many children in New York City don't have this privilege. Plus, some kids would rather talk to people their own age instead of adults about their problems. I think it's also important that there are adults there to help when things get out of control. I would enjoy helping with a program like this because it would be very satisfying to help others."
Audrey Myers, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Discuss the pros and cons of persons under 18 having his/her own lawyer.

A - "Most children really don't need a lawyer except maybe in most extreme cases such as child abuse or when the child's needs and/or wishes are not being met. I do not believe that children would abuse their right to have a lawyer but the possibility still exists. It think that adults are more likely to abuse this right, not only for financial reasons, but because adults simply feel that they have more rights."
Jennifer Goyt, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "A judge is more apt to listen to someone with a lawyer over someone standing alone--especially a child standing alone. On the other hand, if people are suing their parents over something stupid, such as living arrangements, something should be worked out between the judge, the parents, and the child. The lawyer doesn't always know what's best for someone. I feel limitations should be put on hiring a lawyer. If you are responsible enough to hire a lawyer, then you should be able to face the consequences of whatever happens, and pay for the services."
Shannon Wilson, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "Somehow I don't think that a child's ability to hire a lawyer will in any way solve the problems facing our nation's children. They may try to bring petty grievances to court, and the child may not know what is best for their own welfare. Lawyers may help some child get out of a sticky home situation, but suing your parents definitely can cause hard feelings."
T. Grasso, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "The pros of a person under 18 having a lawyer are that they can escape bad situations at home in an organized and independent fashion, children's rights will be recognized and may get out of abusive situations. The cons are that it may sever the heartlines between child and parent forever, it creates an adult situation for a child, and children may sue for frivolous reasons."
Michael Spencer, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "A child being allowed to have his/her own lawyer, is really good because it shows people that children do have rights and they are not just their parents' property. Now they can have their views and feelings represented. However, they need to make sure they have lawyers who care. The bad side is that some people think they'll bring up stupid cases."
Janelle Dunkelberger, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - What is meant by the term "political child abuse"?

A - "Government cannot tell us how a family should be run. The government is trying to help by making tax cuts, but it is not helping, only hurting the children in the process."
Deb Sollenberger, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "Political child abuse is a term to reflect that government, although it tries, can really do nothing to strengthen family structures. All the money in the world can't buy an abused child happiness."
Sarah Henry, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "The manipulation of pro-family themes promote political handouts that have nothing to do with family."
Dan Niemmon, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Do you think Alice Thompson has a legitimate point when she attempts to equate neglect with poverty? Why or why not?

A - "I totally disagree with Thompson; neglect is abuse! I also think that neglect and poverty are not related. Even the richest people neglect their children. They stick them with nannies and nurses while they are running their 24 hour businesses."
Diana Cowson, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I think that neglect is abuse, so the children are being taken away from abuse. I also believe that neglect doesn't have to come with poverty because if parents really love their child, they won't neglect it."
Katie Lewis, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "Often times people living in poverty neglect their children because they don't have enough money. But sometimes people with plenty of money neglect their children by ignoring them. Not all poverty-stricken people neglect their children, but it does make it more common."
Andrew Wonders, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I agree with the statement because less parental involvement with kids is causing problems. Kids are exposed to drugs, violence, sex etc. I agree with Ms. Thomas because when kids are neglected, they tend to turn from their family."
Caron Zell, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - In Part C of the Republican's Contract With America, what choices are given to states receiving federal grant funds for illegitimate children? Which of the enumerated choices would you choose? Explain.

A - "I would choose to promote adoption because many parents who can't have children would like to. They would provide a much better home for the children than the unwed mother who may not even care."
Joey Lang, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I would promote programs to reduce premarital pregnancy because this would prevent the problem to begin with."
Laura Fawell, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - What year did abused children first receive legal recognition and what was the reasoning used to persuade the court to recognize the problem?

A - "1874, when the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals argued in court that children are covered under laws barring inhumane treatment of animals, they decided that children should not have to stay with abusive parents. It was argued that if animals were legally protected from cruelty--children deserve no less."

A - "Children were first recognized in court in 1967. The reason for this was that children were put at an unfair disadvantage to their parents simply because of their age."
Thomas Lohr, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "In 1874. Many believed that children's rights were covered under the laws protecting animals from barbaric treatment."
Joey Long, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Mr. Thomas suggests that the goal of preventing corruption of youth was a noble one in 1865 and might be worth pursuing today. In your opinion, what age would a child have to be to escape corruption from his surrounding since the 1990s? Explain.

A - "There is no exact age where a child can escape from corruption. Even as a toddler, a kid can be a troublemaker or parental abuse might mentally scar the child."
Erin Negley, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "If corruption is prevented, then there won't be so much violence. As soon as possible, they should be exposed to it to know what it's like, but should know it's wrong."
Brian Lehman, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - How do you feel about the statement made by Mr. Wilson? Do you agree that these conditions are responsible for the spread of juvenile delinquency? Why or why not?

A - "Most of what Mr. Wilson says [is that] parents not being home leads to more opportunities for drug and alcohol [abuse], teenage sex, gangs and delinquency involvement. But most of it is due to peer pressure. I've seen kids who go out and do things like throwing parties or getting into drugs because they feel it's their responsibility as young adults to do those things while their parents are away. Nowadays parents cannot be blamed for everything that their children do. I feel that children get these ideas from so many places that we would have to take apart our society to get at the root of the problem."
Jennifer Goyt, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I'm somewhat in between on this view. These conditions could be prevalent in this situation, but the outcome I believe relies on the decision of the juvenile. Yes, in order to escape poverty, parents must work a lot which in turn removes quality time with the children causing neglect."
Dave Anderson, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I feel that Mr. Wilson's view on the effects of single-parent homes is at least partially correct. The fact that having only one parent means that there will be more time for the child to be unsupervised than if he/she was in a two-parent household. This will result in more time to be on the streets and more time to be in trouble. Also in most single-parent situations, the adult doesn't want to displease or upset the child, so the parent tries to do things to make the child happy and not cause friction."
Melissa Gornik, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Why is respect so important to Richard? What do you think about the four rules Richard may pass on to his own son?

A - "Respect is important to Richard because it seems to be the only thing that stops his anger. If you respect him, he has nothing against you. I think his four rules are the only things in life he has learned. Those rules are the only world Richard knows."
Megan Markley, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "Richard never got any respect when he was younger. I think he needs to learn what life is like in a different area."
Kelley Stevens, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "To Richard, gaining someone's respect shows him that they care. I can't really say much for those rules, but I found out that sometimes adults--even though they may not want to--pass on to their children what they were taught as children."
Jennifer Goyt, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Discuss the unusual relationship Fernandez-Kelly has with two children.

A - "I believe that what Fernandez-Kelly has done was good for the two children. Unfortunately, not every young child has the opportunities which Fernandez-Kelly gave. I don't see any way that I could have benefited the way Sherise and Earl have."
Kelly Junk, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I think it is good because it gives them time away from the projects, good schooling and time to be with each other since they don't live together. They have clean fun and they're happy so that's all that matters. I had a good family upbringing and a good neighborhood so I don't think I needed that. I was around others but my parents raised me."
Erin Welden, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I think that Dr. Kelly is giving Sherise and Earl a terrific chance to succeed and go farther in life than they ever dreamed was possible."
Thomas Lohr, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - What is red ribbon week?

A - "Red ribbon week was a week when students put on workshops to heighten their peers' awareness of drug abuse."
Dan Leaman, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "Students passed out red ribbons, pencils and stickers stamped 'proud to be drug free' and participated in workshops and discussions to arouse student awareness of AOD abuse."
Lori Weller, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I feel that the people who need the help don't really care about the message we are trying to get across and the people who actually listen aren't going to get involved with drugs and alcohol anyway."
Melissa Gornik, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - What does Cylenna Terry consider to be the most important thing Omega offers young people? Agree or disagree? Explain.

A - "She considers a conscience to be the most important because without a conscience there would be more heartless, prejudiced people."
Kelly Stevens, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "She thinks that the most important thing at Omega is the feeling that you get of yourself. The idea that you are special and you can do anything that you want. I agree that it is very key component toward leaving the slums to achieve a better self."
Tobias Myers, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "She feels the Omega Boys Club offers people a family. I think that group could definitely help offer security to those who need it."
Julie Zimmerman, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

Q - Comment any way you choose on the following quote: "Both of the boys arrested had criminal records. Both said their fathers are in prison...One of the boys had been arrested five times since March on charges including theft, aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon."

A - "I guess it is rather obvious why the kids were arrested. I mean they had such great fathers to look up to. It is understandable to see why they did it, because that is what they were around all the time with their fathers."
Corey Schreffler, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I truly believe that kids without fathers or with criminal associated fathers, tend to show up on the streets or in jail. It definitely shows that kids need guidance from parents or they get it from their friends."
Nick Snyder, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

A - "I feel that someone should have stepped in and controlled those two boys more. Those two saw what and how their fathers did. They learned violence is the answer, plus I feel they were too young and uneducated to understand death. If we, as a society, don't start changing things, it'll only get worse."
Sarah Henry, Big Springs High School, Newville, Pennsylvania

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