RESPONSIBILITY: Who Has It
and Who Doesn't and What That Means To The Nation

Responsibility! Where does it come from? Why is it important? What makes it work? Why do some have it? What is its purpose? As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. We must know how or how not to live in order to be responsible for our own effectiveness and happiness and ultimately, for most of our own circumstances. However, to do this requires that we possess a personal standard of responsible behavior that grows out of realizing there are boundaries and knowing how and when to make appropriate choices.

Students Define Responsibility:
"What does responsibility mean to me? This word means having to work hard, [being] trusted by others to do jobs, and it means being able to take charge [when] doing something on your own."
Tom Moore, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Everyone, generally speaking, is looking for a shortcut to find the quickest way out of doing [his or her] job in life. Responsibility takes a lot of conscious effort; it takes the ability to discipline oneself. Being [responsible] makes others feel secure knowing they can rely on you for anything."
Jessica Jones, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Being responsible takes high moral standards and self-discipline."
Matt Nelson, Luck Public School, Luck, Wisconsin

"Responsibility is the ability to meet obligations or to act without superior authority or guidance."
Alyssa Lemoine, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Having respect for yourself and others is a large part of having responsibility."
Melissa Fox, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"To be a responsible person, you have to know the difference between right and wrong and do the thing you [think] is best." Joe Ward, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"A responsible person is able to distinguish between right and wrong and to think and act rationally…Being responsible is being mature."
Janae Buchanan, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Responsibility is the quality of being reliable and trustworthy."
Jolleen Erickson, Luck Public School, Luck, Wisconsin

"Responsibility means several different things to me. Being responsible means that you will get your work done at home, at school, or on a job. It also means that you keep your promises and that people can count on you to be on time and to get the job done."
Adam Williamson, Centerville High , Centerville, South Dakota

"Being responsible means helping out…Responsibility takes an attitude of caring for what happens in our society and having the initiative to take action when a problem develops. Without these qualities, responsibility would not exist. Awareness of groups less fortunate, requires action with compassion. There is always opportunity to help others."
Clint Stevenson, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

Responsibility is tricky:
"Responsibility. It is a word that can be used in many ways.… There is a difference between being responsible for our actions and taking responsibility for them."
Neysa Baker, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Responsibility is difficult to achieve:
"Taking responsibility is not always the easy or most popular thing to do. It is sometimes hard to own up to something that you have done to cause harm or trouble to another person."
Sarah Elizabeth Spancs, Camden Central High, Camden, Tennessee

"Heather Schaller has shown her responsibility through her job. She wanted to go on the school sponsored ski trip in March. She also wanted to be a lifeguard at the pool this summer, which required her to take a life-saving course offered only on the weekend of the ski trip. Heather decided to stay and take the course.…she decided a good summer job was more important than the ski trip."
Erin Wohlwab, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Responsibility is [demonstrated] daily and is a very important part of becoming an adult. As life gets harder, people try to find ways to make it less stressful. Sometimes, they leave out important [principles] in accomplishing this and the most common one left out is responsibility."
John Valentine, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"The responsibility it takes for a graduate of high school to make a life-determining decision on what to do with the life ahead of him/her is unbelievable."
Katie Yocum, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"Responsibility is the moral, legal, or mental accountability of a person. Being responsible is not something you receive, it is something you have to work at."
Joni Partin, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

Responsibility has to be learned:

"Responsibility must be taught and learned. It is not a trait that we are born with."
Sarah Elizabeth Spancs, Camden Central High, Camden, Tennessee

"No one is born with the notion of how to be responsible. This is taught from the time a person is a child and it is a lesson that is never ending. Even adults learn new lessons in responsibility. [It is] more or less, a promise that a man or woman will do his or her duty."
Kenneth Moreau, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"A program called PREP (Personal Responsibility Education Partnership) is aimed at teaching responsibility to teens. Staff members work in conjunction with elective classes to teach moral development by addressing such problems as drug abuse, teen pregnancy, absenteeism, gang violence, and poor academic performance."
Sara Robertson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Every day of our lives we are faced with the chance to do or not to do something. Making this decision involves weighing the positives and negatives, using common sense, and taking responsibility [for our decisions]. People make good or bad decisions constantly, but taking responsibility for those decisions is much less common."
Tom Feldman, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"Another irresponsible behavior is having sex before marriage. I'm afraid that I'm at fault with this one. At any time I could end up pregnant and ruin everything that I have planned, such as going to college to make my life better."
Leslie Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"We started the local S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions), formerly known as Students Against Driving Drunk program at a local high school to encourage students against destructive decisions. This has helped others and myself out a great deal. It gives us an opportunity to come together and talk about issues without feeling uncomfortable."
Mandi Barnes, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"Everyone has to take responsibility…There is no one in this world who can give responsibility away; it has to be…learned…A person… needs to be responsible to live a full and happy life."
Chad Douglas, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The best way to pass this responsibility on to others is to teach it to our children and siblings at an early age. No one can be responsible all the time. There will always be an exception, even with some of the most responsible people in the world. But, if everyone sets a good example on a daily basis, we can help to keep the responsibilities and morals of future generations strong."
Eric Wemhoener, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

And as Mitch says, below:
"Nothing teaches…responsibility faster than getting out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to be on time to work."
Mitch Melohn, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

Students evaluate life in terms of responsibility and irresponsibility

As young people begin to make sense of the meaning of responsibility, they also begin to see the correlation between the freedom to act and the consequences of those actions.
"When you are responsible, you are accountable for your acts, you are able to fulfill your obligations, and you are liable for what you do in all situations. Everyone in society has some type of responsibility, whether it is towards parents, friends, teachers, co-workers, or others in the community."
Brenda Stevens, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

Some of those consequences are good:
"Susan Haas plays guitar for her church's folk singing group. One day Haas leaned her guitar against a wall during a break in her performance; it fell and broke. She could not afford to buy a new one. Two years later, a church member handed Haas an envelope that had been left for her after mass. Inside the envelope was a two-hundred-dollar gift certificate from a local music shop and a card that read, 'Thank you for the years of joy your music has given to so many people.'"
Edward Couvillion, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Some of those consequences are bad:
"One example of irresponsibility happened when we took our horse to get it broken so it could be ridden…The man had starved [our horse] to the point where most of its bones were showing. He did not take the responsibility of feeding the horse while breaking it. To make matters worse, the horse still was not broken."
Josh Nichols, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

"Poaching of wild game. Poachers are a threat to organized hunting. Hunting is a good experience for people who like the outdoors, but if poachers keep taking game illegally, they will limit the game for hunters who have licenses. Poaching raises the price of licenses and limits the amount of licenses that are handed out."
John Westra, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Oprah Winfrey said that people should not eat beef because of Mad Cow disease. After she said this, the cattle prices dropped really low. This affected the cattlemen…All of a sudden, they couldn't even get the same value for their cattle. So I think that the irresponsibility falls on Oprah Winfrey's shoulders because Oprah Winfrey is not a cattle disease specialist and she shouldn't say things on national television that she doesn't know for sure."
Phillip Eide, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"An obvious lack of responsibility occurred when three former Northwest Airline pilots, while intoxicated, flew a Boeing 727 from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The pilots, Norman Prouse, Robert Kirchner, and Joseph Balzer, were convicted and sentenced August 20, 1996. These pilots violated strict FAA and company regulations and put the lives of 91 passengers in jeopardy. This is a clear example of three men in an important position who acted irresponsibly."
Matt Nelson, Luck High School, Luck Wisconsin

"I live across the road from a bar and grill called the River Side Station. When a new owner came, he fixed the place up, inside and out. I thought it was a good thing. Then I found out that he was a drug dealer. He was selling his drugs across the street from my house. He got greedy and had his friend start the place on fire. The first time we called it in, the building was just smoke-damaged. About an hour later, we had to call the fire department again. The fire fighters thought it just restarted and so they soaked the whole place down to make sure it did not start again. There was little damage to the building at this time. The third time we had to call that night it was too late to save the bar. We later found out that he did it deliberately for the insurance money. He went to jail for selling drugs and insurance fraud."
Eric Adamson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Recently a California television star and her boyfriend were followed home from their shopping trip and later robbed in their own driveway. This irresponsible act just proves that it is easier to steal from others than to feel the pride of working for what you want. A person who steals will never feel that pride because they are only thinking of themselves and not the overall consequence of their actions."
Erica Keller, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"Many children do not understand consequences. A Vancouver woman wrote a letter to a newspaper telling the story of a thirteen-year-old girl who trespassed, forced entry, and stole to obtain explosives. After the girl obtained them, she accidentally blew her hand off."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

"Many times people are late for appointments or engagements because they 'just couldn't get away.' Do these people not realize that they are throwing everyone else's schedule off when they are late? For example, when a person is late to a doctor's appointment, the doctor's schedule is thrown off and he is made late for the parent-teacher conference he had in the afternoon. Then the teacher is late, and so on."
Jennifer Nicole Wilhelm, Camden High, Camden, Tennessee

"A teen-aged couple decide to engage in sexual activity, but do not consider the dangers. The couple disregards the importance of birth control, and end up having an unwanted and unexpected baby.
    In 1997, a college student attends a fraternity party, where he is killed…binge drinking, the new and irresponsible fad of attaining a fast buzz that has become popular.
    Christian Davila, 14, and Maryling Flores, 13, were sweethearts who were forbidden by Flores' mother to see each other. In November, 1995, the couple met one last time standing at the edge of a Florida canal, where they joined hands and plummeted to their deaths 15 feet into the cold, murky water...Teenage suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers. Every one hour and forty-five minutes, a teen commits suicide...There are many 24-hour hotlines that those who are confused and contemplating suicide can call. Many times, talking to someone who knows how he/she is feeling can make the person feel that he/she is not alone in the world. They can be informed that whatever the problems they are facing, they can be worked out, and there are always people out there who are willing to help one in need.
   Baby April was found on the riverbank stuffed in a plastic bag. Her mother decided she had no choice but to throw her baby out like trash. Maybe she was too young and could not face her parents. Or, maybe she had nothing in the world and did not want to bring her baby into it. Whatever the reason, she [had other] choices. There are many couples unable to have their own children who would have adopted Baby April and loved her. Instead, she was just a nameless body in a bag on a riverbank. She was loved after she died and given the name Baby April and a place to rest by saddened community members."
Chala Mills, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"Responsibility [is needed] in the workplace… The following is a situation in which a person didn't do his job correctly. An employee…was told to call a company and double check to see if he had ordered the right size of equipment…He didn't call [and] the next day the piece of equipment came in and it was the wrong size…It cost the company time and money."
Nathan Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"A firefighter named Ceradus Saint is about 60 pounds overweight. This is very irresponsible because his job is to save people from fires and he cannot do this to his highest ability while he is so obese. He stated that he would feel better about his job if he were lighter. He should take responsibility and try to lose weight."
Scott Jenkins, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

As Marcy suggests, below, we need all the people we can get-young and old-to weigh consequences:
"Not enough people consider the consequences of their actions. If people would stop and think of the consequences to their actions, there would be fewer irresponsible actions taking place."
Marcy Gauthier, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

But taking positive action sometimes results in negative consequences. Does this mean then, that taking a lackadaisical attitude toward responsibility is okay? Kathleen and Derek don't think so:
"It is even worse when bad things happen to people trying to do a good deed. A radio station went bankrupt so nineteen listeners scraped up enough money to buy the station. They volunteered their time to keep the station on the air. When the government found out that they weren't receiving minimum wage, they were threatened with large fines. They explained that the station wasn't making a profit, and the matter was finally dropped. Their reward for volunteering was nothing more than a great deal of stress. Kim was driving home when she saw a house engulfed in flames and noticed a woman dangling a child from a second-story window. Kim left her car to help the woman. She caught the girl and held her until the mother jumped down. Kim received enough gratitude from the mother's hug, kiss and many thanks, but had another reward waiting at her car. While she was helping the woman, her purse had been stolen."
Kathleen Kies, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"In 1989, a Blazer with ten teens traveled along sharp curves after midnight. All of the teens were drunk except Jason Rausch, the designated driver. Rausch lost control of the car, skidded, and flipped. Only the driver and one passenger were wearing their seat belts. One person died and two others suffered brain damage. The parents of the passengers are suing the driver, even though the others were drunk and not wearing their seat belts. The only responsible teen is being sued by the irresponsible teens' families."
Rebecca Petrek, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

"Bob is a popular Christian student. His friends invited him to a party. He knew there would be alcohol, and many of his non-Christian friends would be there. He thought it could be an excellent opportunity to witness to them. He went, thinking he was being responsible by not drinking and telling his friends that it's wrong; however, he lost his influence on his friends. The fact that he was there showed his friends that he condoned drinking, which made him look like a hypocrite. Some were so drunk that they couldn't verify that he wasn't drinking. Although Bob thought he was being responsible, he seems irresponsible to others."
Julie Anderson, Salem Senior High School, Salem, Missouri

"Two young teenage girls spot an adult stealing merchandise in a department store. When one of the young girls tells a manager what is going on, he does not believe her. Later, he realizes that something was stolen and [that] the two young girls were trying to help…the manager should have given them a gift certificate [and admitted] his poor judgment.
   A teenage girl sees bruises on a child that she is baby-sitting. She thinks the parents are beating this child. She calls social services to make a report. When the parents were investigated, it was shown that they did not beat their child. He had a disease that caused bruises or busted veins [that] appeared on his body. This had been undetected. The parents then sued the teenager for the accusation even through she was trying to help. Even though the girl was trying to help another person's life, she made a bad choice. I understand that she could have been punished but not as strict as the family took it.
   Two young men attend a local high school party. They are having a great time until they are offered marijuana. They refuse the marijuana but went home with the smell of it on their clothes. The parents unjustly accused them of having smoked it themselves, even though they didn't touch the stuff. These children knew the difference from right and wrong, yet were still fussed at for making the right decision. A child's word should mean a little more than that.
   A young teenage boy wrecks into the rear-end of another car. He takes full responsibility for the accident. He offers to pay for damages, hospital costs, etc. However, the man wants to 'milk' the teenager and his parents for more financial benefits. The child is trying to be honest and take full responsibility for a problem that he knew he caused."
Derek J. Veade, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Such responses by adults clearly discourage the good inclinations of young people. Hypocritical and unethical examples contribute to the confusion:
"A father preaches to and warns his children not to smoke. Yet, while he preaches, he starts coughing and he lights another cigarette. He always complains about lack of breath and chest pain, yet he continues to smoke and set a terrible example to his youngsters. This, in a way, could be responsible or irresponsible. It is being responsible because he is showing his kids what harm it causes to your health, yet he does not try to quit. This is setting a bad example. This is irresponsible behavior because he is contributing to killing himself and the second-hand smoke hurts his family."
Travis Bordelon, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"An…example of irresponsible behavior is that of a man who is more dedicated to his job than he is to his family. A 29-year-old corporate lawyer arrives home from work at 2 a.m. His wife and children have long since been asleep, but he has been at the office doing some late work on one of his cases, as usual. His son has tried to reach him at the office all afternoon. He wanted to tell his dad about his home run in the Little League game. He also wanted to ask his dad why he wasn't there to watch. The young boy receives a message from his father's secretary that his father is very busy right now and that he should call back later. The boy hangs up. He has heard this many times before and has no intention of calling back this time. He'll tell his dad about the game this weekend, hopefully. The son knows that his father's job is very important to him. The father is acting very irresponsibly by not showing his family that they are more important to him than any job."
Danielle Soldani, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Even though students are irresponsible sometimes, adults sometimes are worse. In New York, a man gets up and gets ready for work. His wife gets up and makes him his favorite breakfast. The man eats all of the food his wife made and grabs his briefcase and kisses her good-bye and tells her that he loves her. Later that night, the guy calls his wife to tell her that he has to work tonight and tells her not to wait up for him. She understands and tells him not to work too hard and that she loves him. As the guy hangs up the phone, he turns to his secretary and gives her a kiss and the two of them head out of the office and to the secretary's house, where there will be no office work done. Cheating on someone is the most irresponsible thing anybody could ever do. When a person marries someone, they both receive the responsibility to be loyal to one another and, too often, that responsibility is not carried out."
Josh Maske, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

Unfortunately, Heather, below, may be correct:
"It is believed that when one gets married, divorce is always a way out. That is an irresponsible behavior by itself."
Heather Schaller, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

Also unfortunately, Adam speaks from experience:
"One needs to stay true to their spouse, and this is the most difficult task it seems...I know from personal experience, coming from two broken homes, because my father and stepfather could not stay faithful to my mother. As a result, I have had somewhat of a traumatic life; growing up primarily without my biological father, and then having my stepfather do the exact same thing, only worse. In many cases, some people don't grow up as stable as I have...In fact, younger children think that they are the reason for mommy and daddy getting a divorce. However, they are just too young to realize that their parents weren't very responsible regarding marriage...To anyone who does get married, be responsible...and, once married, be honest with one another, let each one in on everything, because deviation and deception can corrupt anything. But one doesn't need to take my word for it, just ask someone from a broken home how they like growing up without one parent or with their parents always fighting because one wasn't responsible with his or her own actions. At that point, it might hit a little closer to home than one would like, and one might see just how important responsibility in a marriage is."
Adam Lough, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

Thank goodness for the optimism and determination of the students whose excerpts follow:

"Society believes that marriage is based upon love. Love does not imply the monogamy of marriage, its permanence, nor the difficulty and pain involved in a divorce. Marriage is the only way sexual relationships are accepted by society and, until recently, has been limited to adult heterosexuals. Love has no limits. It has, in the past, been illegal for two people of different races to be married. Love has never complied with this boundary either. Therefore, love is only one small aspect of a healthy marriage. Trust, dedication, loyalty and friendship combine with love to make a strong marriage.
   Families require a sense of responsibility that many people today no longer possess. Our society has become a permissive one that allows infidelity and divorce. Due to this non-caring attitude projected by society, it is not as difficult for people to stop caring and forget about their families, resulting in divorce. Years ago, such problems did not exist. Change is inevitable, but not irreversible."
Andrew Deering, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"I believe that once two people are married, it should be forever, and the thought of divorce should never enter the mind. I believe that divorce is morally wrong. A responsible marriage leads to a good life."
Melissa Halbrook, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"I believe hotlines should be set up to help couples work out their problems. I also believe free marriage counseling by trained professionals should be established. Many people who have marital problems cannot afford to pay a counselor. If these programs were established, I believe the divorce rate would decline."
Ross Hawkins, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"An example of irresponsibility was stated earlier in which a father, who is also a corporate lawyer, neglected his family in order to excel at his job. Several steps could be taken by the father to show his family that they mean more to him than his job does… The father could start by committing himself to being home to have dinner with his family at least three nights a week…then, work up to being home for dinner four or five nights a week. He could also make it a point to write down in his daily planner all of his son's baseball games…and make an agreement with his son that he…attend as many of his son's baseball games as…possible..."
Danielle Soldani, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"The Promise Keepers is a Christian-based group that stresses the responsibility of men in all aspects of his life, especially for his family. It encourages men to look beyond themselves to God in search of meaning in their lives. It urges men to stand up for what they truly believe in and to give them an extra encouragement to go out there and actually be a more responsible person…The number of attendants has grown from around four thousand in 1993 to over one million in 1996. There are motivational speakers, activities, and prayer that are focused on making men more responsible [for] their lives…PK (Promise Keepers) emphasizes specific roles for a husband to play, encouraging them to stand up and lead their family along with their wife… PK fortifies the hope in men that they can stand up against [the] erosion of values in society like weakening marriage vows, premarital pregnancy, sexual immorality, and divorce.
   In my opinion, this is a wonderful organization. The United States needs more organizations of this sort to help teach the irresponsible men how to be real men. These organizations need to stress how important being responsible is in raising a family. These things were so prevalent in our society only a few decades ago. If men want to take the chance of having a child, they should automatically accept whatever responsibilities go along with it. Men should no longer be able to choose to leave the poor baby and mother to face a terrible fate because they are not willing to accept their responsibility."
Krystal Baker, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

What could be better than role models in the home?

"My parents' relationship…has taught me that marriage is not easy, but instead, marriage is a life-long commitment."
Justin Fluke, Medicine Lodge High, Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Anna acknowledges the effort involved in being a supportive parent:

"Parenting has more responsibilities than any job I know of…Children who come from stable families do better in school, have less chance of becoming involved with crime, and live better lives than children who have poor family lives. It is the family's responsibility to raise their children, not anyone else's [responsibility]."
Anna Robbins, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

Parenting

Where does responsibility begin? Is there a growing failure on the part of parents and other adults to set an example of responsible behavior?
"Responsibility starts with the parents. Teaching children obligations must be a priority. It can start with doing your homework, walking the dog, and belonging to a club. Parents need to help their children make the right choices and become involved in their lives. If they are not involved, the child has no guidance, which results in a lack of judgment between right and wrong. Kids these days have a hard time deciphering between good judgment and bad judgment anyway, so they need a little push in the right direction. I just advise that if you have a child, actually become a parent and teach your child the responsibility that comes with life."
Niki Ill, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"Parents have a duty to educate their children about drugs, sex, money, prejudice, religion, and all other matters they will experience in life.…Parents must set rules and guidelines for their children to follow. Simple punishment for breaking a rule can teach a young child…respect for authority and laws…Whether we like it or not, we must learn responsibility because the world requires it. Responsible parents make responsible children."
Nathan Haskell, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas

"When children are young, they watch and mimic everything their parents do. Therefore, parents have a responsibility to set a good example. If children see what is right, they will be more likely to follow the right path. When I was young, I knew my parents made a special effort to drive to town and to vote in all the public elections. This has played a vital role in making me take part in my civic duties. I just turned eighteen and am already registered to vote. I am anxious for the first election so I can play a part in our government. Also, my parents have…encouraged me to participate in community services. Although I am eighteen years old, I still take pride in helping elderly ladies with chores [and I] baby sit at the primary school on parent-teacher night. Also, my parents have told me of the severe punishment I would face if I chose to break the law. I respect their authority and choose to stay out of trouble. I believe my parents have taken the responsibility of raising me to be a responsible citizen. If other parents took the time, as my parents do, I believe more young adults would be responsible citizens."
Gayle Price, Medicine Lodge High, Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Students found many examples of responsible parents:
"A parent gives a child chores to help them become better people. When a child is able to do their chores without their parents having to tell them, the parent feels good. They know they have done some good for the world, and their kid will be successful when [he/she] becomes older."
Emily Parrett, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Brian was disrupting his kindergarten class, and his teacher told his mother about it. Then, Brian's mother asked him how he could stop the disruptions. He came up with two solutions. One was to ask the kids not to talk to him right then, and the other was to ask to be moved. This was an act of responsibility on both parts. It was responsible on the mother's part for asking Brian what he thought. This taught him to start thinking responsibly on his own. It was responsible on Brian's part for coming up with solutions and wanting to resolve the situation."
Nathan Hogan, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Kevin Irvin was forced by his father to publicly apologize to his teacher for lying to her about his homework. Kevin hated fourth grade, especially math. He never did homework and lied about why it wasn't done. His father found out and wasn't happy. Kevin started to do his homework again, and now is ranked number two in his class.
   Similarly, Tony Knight's father took away all of Tony's personal possessions when his father found out he was lying about schoolwork. Every week, his eighth grade class was required to turn in a project worth lots of points. Tony never did his projects and lied to his teacher about why he didn't do them. After his father found out, he emptied Tony's room. Tony had to learn to be responsible and do his projects. When his grades improved, he did eventually get his things back.
   Another example is Joy Denewellis. Her parents made her go to school when she hadn't finished her art project. Joy had spent the weekend goofing around and going out with friends. Sunday night she begged her parents to let her stay home, but they said no. They said she needed to get a bad grade to learn to take responsibility for her assignments.
   In fact, even I have learned responsibility when my mom found out I was taking advantage of a kid on the bus. Our elementary school had a fundraiser selling Nestle candies and other products. For every ten dollars of merchandise we sold, we got a free fifty-cent candy bar. On the bus home, a kid asked to buy one of mine, and I told him it would be $5.00. Next thing I knew, he had a five in his hand. Now I'm not stupid. I kept going all the way up to ten dollars and he gave it to me. I was so proud of my sale, I rushed home and told my mom all about it. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. She walked me to this kid's house and made me give his money back, but I never did see my candy bar again. Since then, I have never taken advantage of someone else again. I learned how rotten it feels to accept responsibility for misbehaving."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

We don't know if Matt's mother and the other parents in the examples above, were working outside the home, but we do know they are excellent parents. We also know that with two parents working outside the home it is increasingly difficult to find time enough to devote to families:
"Families [need] to be families again. I think this is very important…that parents sit down with their families, especially children and talk with them about the things going on at school and with their friends. A good place for this is at the dinner table each night, if possible. My third step is perhaps one of the most vital of them all. It is that parents should know where their children are and what they are doing. I think a curfew is a good way to at least somewhat know this. When children reach their teenage years, a curfew becomes essential to having control over them. You should also know your children's friends and their parents, as well as what kind of child that person is."
Melissa Fox, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"All families, children and parents, need to realize and take responsibility for the things they do, especially if it is hurtful to the family or its members…Families can stick together better if they can trust the other members to accept responsibility. They will be more respectful if they know they are not constantly blamed for the actions of other [family] members and friends. The blame for what we do shouldn't be put upon someone else. Those who take responsibility for their actions tend to gain respect."
Neysa Baker, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Parents become so involved with their occupations that they leave little allowance for quality time with their children. With a fast-paced society, it is difficult for both parents and children to create time for each other. A time should be set aside when the whole family is able to sit down and communicate with each other…Giving children encouragement and praise can serve as a way to [open] the lines of communication between parents and children. Parents can begin with gestures as small as asking children about their days or finding out about the kinds of information they learn from day to day. This can help children feel a sense of responsibility to apply themselves so they can provide positive details to share with their parents."
Jennelle Bieberle, Medicine Lodge High Medicine Lodge, Kansas

"I think that the most responsible thing a man can do for his family is get a good job and work hard to get them what they need and want. He also has a social responsibility. He can't be out all the time doing things that might hurt his reputation. The last responsible behavior someone can do for themselves and others is to control their anger. I've been in situations where my boyfriend didn't control his anger, and I've come out of it with cuts and bruises. It is so important that a person be able to cope with his or her anger. One should be able to just sit down and calmly talk about the situation."
Leslie Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"An 11-year-old, fifth grade girl goes home after school every day to be welcomed by an empty apartment. She does her homework, cooks her dinner, and cleans up all by herself. Her parents are divorced. Her mother lives in another state and her father will not return home until about 9 p.m. Her parents, who are possibly aiming to teach her some responsibility, are only instilling in her a sense of fear and abandonment by their display of irresponsibility."
Danielle Soldani, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Derek's Rules
"Children and parents should be open and honest with each other. They should appreciate that they are sharing secrets.

Children also should try to trust adults even though sometimes they seem to give reasons not to

Once a rule is made, parents and adults should abide by these rules.

Government officials should listen to both sides of the story honestly and respectfully.

When children do something against the law, they should not be let off the hook because of whom they know or who they are related to.

Teachers and students should try to get along so that either one of them will not do something that he or she will regret.

Adults, along with the government officials, should learn to cooperate when their children are involved in any circumstance."
Derek J. Veade, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Irresponsible parents

But what about parents who refuse to be involved with their children?
"One solution to juvenile delinquency is parents who discipline their children, making them accept responsibility for their own actions. Obviously, teens are also responsible for their own actions, but the problem I'm addressing is parents not getting involved. When children screw up, they need a strong parent to make them accept responsibility for their mistakes. Too often parents allow children to misbehave and get away with it. I think most parents have good intentions, but they don't realize the actual harm they cause when they don't punish children."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

Matt, below, notes that kids sometimes inadvertently, hurt their own parents and in the example he gives below, the parents of others:
"Late one night in Boston, [a youth] and two other friends beat up two Hispanic women and threw bottles into an Hispanic family's home. His family, along with the families of his friends, were evicted from public housing. The Boston Housing Authority is invoking a 'one-strike-and-you're-out' policy to get rid of racism and drugs in housing projects. Keith's parents brought this on themselves by not keeping closer track of their son."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

Matt also gives an example of parents inadvertently hurting their own children. In both instances, Matt puts the burden on parents:
"Another example is [this girl in school]. She has admitted that she often forgets to set her alarm clock. Each time, her mom calls in to the school so she can go to class instead of being sent to a study hall for coming to school later. Although this may seem like no big deal, [she] has become less and less worried about getting up on time because she knows her mom will cover for her. [Her] mom is hurting [her] by not making her responsible for setting her alarm clock."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

"One night, four underage friends decided to try out their new fake IDs at a local bar. They got in and drank nearly all night with no problem at all. On their way home, they caused a head-on collision, which nearly killed the other driver. When the other driver said that he would be pressing charges, the parents of the four friends argued that it was not their children's fault. They argued that the bar was at fault because it let in people underage and allowed them to drink."
Travis Gaspard, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Dream On!
"Infants and babies [have no responsibility]. Every need that they have in the world is fulfilled by the people who love them and live to care for them. Babies do not have to worry…about a single thing…."
Chad Douglas, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

But we do not live in a dream world. There is child, and even infant abuse and neglect:
"Out of every one thousand babies born each year, it is estimated that six will be abused during their childhood years...Nothing is more irresponsible as child abuse; beating up on someone who is not strong enough to defend themselves is a disgrace to society as a whole."
Josh Nichols, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

"More neglect is reflected in the case of a child who was delivered dead to his New York Special Education Class. The boy weighed 27 pounds and had been absent for 37 consecutive days without the school taking action. This handicapped child was part of a 50-million dollar escort program that employed irresponsible people. His driver thought it was not her duty to touch passengers. This self-centered act shows an attitude of irresponsibility for other human beings and reflects the decay of moral values of the nation."
Mitch Melohn, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"Deadbeat dads all across the nation refuse to accept responsibility for their children. These fathers don't pay their child support. They don't take the time to see the children they created. This can cause severe emotional damage to the child that is much worse than the monetary damage."
Justin Wylam, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Another example of an irresponsible act is parents not taking care of their own children. My parents are foster parents. We see many children that are treated unfairly by their biological parents. Some of the parents of these children will beat or sexually abuse their children to the point where the children are scared of any human contact. There are other parents who don't abuse their children physically, but the child is left alone because the parent is in jail, the parent is recovering from drug abuse, or the parent is not financially stable."
John Westra, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Mary Smith [fictitious name substituted by student] lives with her mom and her three-year-old brother in a Chicago apartment. She has sufficient food and clothing and is enrolled in a good kindergarten program. [This is] the typical life of a typical five-year-old…until one night when her brother wouldn't stop crying. Mary watches as her mother grows more agitated with each passing minute. Finally, Mary's mother is fed up. She grabs a sock and stuffs it in the boy's mouth, securing it with tape. She wraps a cord around his neck and strings the end over the door. In the last moments of his life, her little brother waves good-bye to Mary, who is watching from the doorway…In 1996, 960,000 cases of child abuse flooded relief agencies, sixty percent of them involving parents with drug problems. This means that nearly one million experienced either what Mary's brother had as a victim, or like Mary, witnessed a traumatic event that would certainly affect them for the rest of their lives. Nearly one-half of the children who die from physical abuse each year have been reported to agencies, some of them more than once. What does this say about the responsibility of these agencies?"
Elizabeth Haire, Joliet Township High School, Joliet, Illinois

The best kind of learning takes place when students ask their own questions instead of answering someone else's questions. Elizabeth had lots of her own:
"How should the decision be made to either remove a child immediately or work with the family? Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala states: 'The goal is to shrewdly pick cases in which the right efforts might help keep a family together.' Some indications could include the mental stability of the parents, any felonies committed by the parents or signs of abuse to the children. Responsibility for good judgment plays a key role in making this decision.
   When the decision is made to remove a child from his parent(s), it is important to be sure that the removal is the best thing to do in the situation. Many children have been taken away from families in which the worst crime was poverty and where abuse didn't even play a part. The workers of the agencies must have the ability and the good sense to separate [children from their parents] only where needed.
   The decision to work with the family should be promoted by positive factors found within the family. Although parents should be responsible enough to keep their children separate from their own problems, families in which the parents are under stress because of marital or work-related problems are one example of a case that would likely be helped by some type of counseling.
   What will our country be like in the future if these children and their families are not helped? Studies have shown that abused children were more likely to be child abusers as adults than non-abused children were. Do we want America to be a land of low morals, deteriorating family life, and victimized children? That is why we must work together. Parents must take responsibility for their children and for themselves. Welfare agencies must take responsibility to treat cases with the proper action. We, as citizens, must also help. By treating children with love and care, teaching them proper morals, and training them to take responsibility for their actions, we can assure the well-being of America long in the future."
Elizabeth Haire, Joliet Township High School, Joliet, Illinois

Elizabeth was so incensed she dedicated her entire essay to this type of irresponsibility:

"Who is responsible for the deaths of these children? Is it the procrastination of the agencies? Is it the fact that the number of cases reported restricts the agency's ability to investigate thoroughly? Is it the mental state of the parents? There are two sides to every story. The goal of almost every relief agency is to keep families together; however, that is far from rational in some cases. Mary's mom had been a ward of the state since she was eight years old and has been a resident at Elgin Mental Health Center when Mary's little brother was born. While pregnant, she repeatedly did things to herself to cause harm to her baby. Yet, Mary's mom was granted custody of both children with a simple, 'Good luck, Mom' from the judge. The effort to keep Mary's family together was a lost cause. The history of her mother's mental health should have indicated to officials that she was not likely to have a 'turn-around' and be a responsible and loving mother anytime soon. This was definitely a case in which the children should have been removed immediately. Yet, due to lack of responsibility from both the mother and the courts, the situation ended in the death of a child.
   Rachel Jones [fictitious name substituted by student] was reported to a child protection agency for the alleged abuse of her two-year-old daughter. The agency placed Rachel in a program designed to help her get back on track. A counselor from the agency spent hours with her over a period of several months and reported that Rachel was making significant progress. What a shock it was when Rachel and her boyfriend scalded and beat Rachel's daughter to death after the toddler wet her bed. In addition, the autopsy report showed cuts and bruises on the child that indicated that she had been abused while her mother was working with the agency. Where is the blame laid in this case? On Rachel? On the agency's counselor?
   A recent reform has taken place in the child welfare agencies of Cook County, along with the adoption of a bigger budget. This has also brought about an improved efficiency, including solutions to problems that have plagued the agencies in the past. The shortage of foster parents has been ameliorated by the decision of the agencies to pay individuals to stay home and care for children. Since all kids need a positive role model, the stability of the parents is probably the most important thing in the healthy development of the child. Counseling can provide this stability. The family can move away from the abuse and toward spending time together. The family can get involved in a church or participate in a YWCA program. This responsible behavior by parents will reflect on the children and influence their behavior in the future as parents."
Elizabeth Haire, Joliet Township High School, Joliet, Illinois

Other students agreed that many parents abdicate their responsibilities:

"Kids were able to get their hands on guns and take the lives of other children. Not blaming the parents of these children, but the kids [should] have been educated…in the ways that would have taught them the right and the wrong…"
Kyle Jordan, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Criminal behavior

Many teens grappled with the enormity of the recent school shootings. How do we best define ourselves in dealing with these tragedies-an eye for an eye, or with forgiveness and healing?

Amy sets the stage:
"An example of school violence in my home area was the Heath High School shooting that occurred in December, 1997 in Paducah, Kentucky. In this horrible incident, one student in the high school went up to a prayer group that was just breaking up and just started shooting at the students. Three were killed and one will never walk again."
Amy Bowers, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

Ginger analyzes the problem:
"The seriousness of punishments for wrongdoing at school isn't always harsh enough and many students feel they can do whatever they want without obeying any kind of rules. When students are given too much freedom, the schools lose their purpose of giving discipline and creating an orderly and safe learning environment. Another problem that leads to school violence is the cruelty between students and the lack of respect for others. At Heath, the student who committed the crime was said to have been teased and made fun of by other students. Many times students don't consider others' feelings and many times they have an extremely harsh effect. The possession of weapons is another problem contributing to school violence. The ease [with] which irresponsible and young people can get weapons is scary. Perhaps stricter gun laws and enforcement of them could prevent violence. Parent involvement, or rather the lack of parent involvement, is just one more problem adding to school violence and violence of young people, in general. Many times the ones committing the violent crimes are people who have grown up without parents who were loving and involved."
Ginger Reynolds, Harrisburg High School Harrisburg, Illinois

But Ginger finds a positive lesson:

"In the tragedy at Heath, one brave student by the name of Ben Strong took a huge risk. He took action by approaching and talking the boy with the gun out of doing any further violence. This heroic act perhaps saved many more lives. By taking less dangerous actions we, too, can help save lives."
Ginger Reynolds, Harrisburg High School Harrisburg, Illinois

Amy and Rebecca pass judgment and offer solutions:
"In this situation, I feel that the student is fully responsible for his own actions and so are the parents. I do not think that the high school had much responsibility because they had no clue what was going on and, therefore, should not be held responsible. I think that to the nation it means that they are letting the youth be too out of control. The government needs to put some stricter rules on what teenagers are allowed to do and not to do. Some of these rules could be stricter gun control laws, more enforced town curfews, and a stricter way of controlling the things that teenagers buy."
Amy Bowers, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"I think we [should] rewrite the juvenile justice laws and show [juveniles]…[that they] can and will be held responsible for their actions. They [legislators] need to write stricter laws, enforce them, and make them stick. First I think [juveniles] should get probation; second, they should spend some time in a [juvenile hall]; and then if they do it again, keep them there. I think juvenile murderers should be executed. The death penalty should apply to all people no matter what age they are. If these laws and rules are enforced, I think it will deter them or others from committing more crimes. I think it would show them that they [would] get more than a slap on the wrist. I think we need to show them it is not okay to walk into a school (like Alabama or Kentucky) and shoot others; it is not okay to kill your baby because you don't want it and it is not okay to kill another human being. We need to show [juveniles] that it is time for them to take responsibility for their own actions…Over all, I think all people…should take responsibility for their own actions. Juveniles are getting away with murder and something needs to be done about it."
Rebecca Ann Pierce, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

Matt seems confused. Is the perpetrator a patient or a criminal? Culpable or ill?

"The recent shooting at Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky was a senseless act of violence. The accused was definitely a disturbed person and he should be looked at as such. He is reported saying that he did not know why he shot the group of students. The shooter needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law so as not to set a precedent for other senseless acts of violence."
Matt Smith, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

Harrisburg students' express their thoughts:
"As a result of the Heath shooting in Paducah, Kentucky, the question is asked, Who is to blame for this horrible tragedy? Is it the parents of the young man? Is it the media? Is it the criticism of the other students? When I thought about it, it all boiled down to this young man, himself. Was it the parents that brought the weapons into the school? Was it the media who pulled the trigger? Was it the other students of the school who took the young lives of three victims? The answers to these questions are no, no, and no. The only one responsible for these deaths is the person that performed this dreadful act.
   The parents direct the child by setting an example and teaching him or her. They serve as a role model for the child, but are they always to be responsible for the actions of that child? Children do not learn from their parents forever. They develop their own minds. This is when accountability comes into affect. Could a fourteen-year-old student honestly put the blame on his or her parents for stealing something from the mall, for cheating on a test, or for shooting and killing his or her classmates? No, these are actions that developed from the thoughts of this individual's mind… What could prevent this sort of thing from happening? Parents could teach their children the difference from right and wrong and bring them up in a non-violent home. The schools could put up metal detectors, cameras, or hall monitors. Counselors could take closer interests in the students. Could doing all of these things stop the violence? It may decrease, but I do not feel that any of these things could completely prevent it from happening. As far as making a personal contribution, the only thing that I can do is promise that I would never take the life of another human being.
   Almost every student has been made fun of at one time or another by a brother, sister, or a peer. In return, almost every student has made fun of someone. How do we handle it when we are being laughed at? Do we just pack a gun and shoot the critic? If we were to do so, could we blame the critic for making us? Did the critic say, 'Hey, why don't you shoot me, now that I have made you feel bad?' In this case, the answer is no. It was the student who thought these words. It was the student who brought the guns into the school. It was the student who pulled the trigger. It was the student who took the lives of the three youths. If that is not enough evidence to prove that the student is responsible for this terrible tragedy, then I do know what is."
Gatha Place, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"Many people blame his actions on the type of music he listened to which is only another way not to lay the responsibility on him. If he had known he would receive the death penalty for taking innocent lives, he might not have been as quick to storm in the room with the power of life or death in his hands. When people of this nature kill without reason, the death penalty should always be pursued. By making an example of what will happen if others commit these actions is the only way to ever deter future violent acts like this…Our lives are a great contrast between violent action and a random act of kindness. This world can be as cruel as a vicious tiger in the jungle or as calm as a baby sheep grazing. We all live…on the same planet and somehow we must learn to share and live together."
Jeremy Klope, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

"The boy is to blame because he committed a crime and he should take responsibility for what he did. I also think that the school is to blame because the boy should never have been able to get into the school with guns in the first place. The family is also responsible because they apparently did not teach this young man how to control his behavior. All three of these should take their own small amount of responsibility because they all could have stopped this incident from occurring…My only solution to this problem would be to have better interaction between students and maybe even parents. I would set up a program designed for students who need to talk about their problems. I would make sure that all information remained private except that parents could talk to a counselor if they felt their child could have a problem. This would help to build a communication line for troubled kids to open up and let their aggression out in a positive way and not a negative way."
Ashley Ledbetter, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

The criminal behavior that is becoming commonplace among young people is frightening to us all. Young people and adults alike struggle to find answers for these senseless acts and to find a way to stop it.

Legislation, that holds parents responsible when their children break the law, is being passed at state and local levels. Some think this action is necessary because the number of troublesome children who are breaking the law is increasing at an alarmingly high rate. Should we be legislating parenting?

"All around the United States there are laws being passed to make parents more responsible for their children's actions. There are different laws in every state; in Louisiana parents can be found guilty for 'improper supervision of a minor' and can be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned for six months if their child associates with a convicted felon or drug dealer. These laws all began because states began using compulsory education laws that would hold parents responsible for ensuring school attendance. These laws have expanded criminal codes to make parents liable for a broader array of offenses by their children."
Kara Lemoine, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Seventeen states and thousands of cities have passed responsibility laws. These laws require parents of juvenile delinquents to pay fines or go to jail when their children break the law. In West Virginia, parents had to pay $5,000 in fines because their children were caught defacing public property. A law in Louisiana requires parents to pay $1,000 and face imprisonment for six months if their child is caught associating with convicted felons, drug dealers, or street gangs."
Matt Hinkle, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

Elizabeth believes that parenting laws are what parents need to make them parent.
"Most young criminals are in jail because their parents don't want to be bothered with their children, so they let them do as they please. Now, in some states, the parents are held responsible. It's an incentive to make parents parent. If they spend a night or two in jail and pay a fine for something they didn't even do, it may make them pay attention to where their kids are. In fact, that's what lawmakers are counting on."
Elizabeth St. Romain, Avoyelles High, Moreauville, Louisiana

Erin disagrees:
"In about 40 states, some type of 'parental responsibility' legislation has been formed. Parents can teach their child right from wrong, but that doesn't mean that their children are always going to listen. Some children don't care what their parents say. Who cares if their parents went to jail because of something they did? If authorities want children to stop breaking the law, punish them. By punishing the parents, the children don't learn anything…If the children are punished and take the responsibility for their crime rather than the parents, the children have a better chance of realizing their mistakes and not doing it again."
Erin Lemoine, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

The role of the school system

There seems to be a growing trend to have the schools do what families, communities, and churches have been unable to accomplish:
"Children must be educated. Most education is done at school, but if basic things are taught at home, schooling is more effective. It has been proved through numerous studies that if a child is read to and they have intellectual stimulation from home, they are more likely to succeed in the future."
Anna Robbins, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

"I feel that the solution to having a more responsible society must begin with learning about responsibility when we are little children … Responsibility should be taught and emphasized in all aspects of learning. From our Mother's knee to church and school, we should be taught responsibility. I feel that formal education will have to bear the biggest part of the burden for teaching responsibility. Children who do not have responsible parents cannot learn responsibility at home. Children who are orphaned or in foster care may not always have a responsible role model to teach them. I know that teachers already have a lot of work to be done, but teaching responsibility should be on the top of the list with other valuable lessons."
Sarah Elizabeth Spancs, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The schools can have students find and explore the various ways and places responsibility can be found in today's society. They can have open class discussions on responsibility and explore where the problems surrounding responsibility can be found. Responsibility is an important subject. Being able to say I was wrong is a lot harder than blaming something or someone else."
John Stogsdill, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

Proper behavior:
"Starting with kindergarten. Each class would entail moral teaching, anger control, dealing with difficult problems, expressing your feelings through a non-violent way and learning to go to someone for help…Teaching from an early age would let children get used to being friendly and open towards other people. This would allow the children to grow up with respect toward others and they would be able to teach their [own] children the respect they need. Peer mediation is a fast-growing concept that many schools are using. This allows students to confront their problems head-on. They can talk about their problems with a person of their age and who is going through the same thing."
Mindy Harrawood, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

Cheating defeats purposeful learning.
"A student realizes that she didn't finish her homework from the night before. Instead of taking the grade which she deserved, she found a friend who had done the work. The friend gave her his work and she proceeded to copy it."
Jon Stogsdill, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Every day in our school, people witness cheating going on all of the time."
Joanna Johnke, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"A high school student's outlook can be shaken by irresponsible actions. An example of a student's irresponsible actions is noticed in a recent poll of academically top-rated high school students. The poll found that a majority of the students admitted to cheating in order to help keep their grades up."
Nathan Haskell, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas

"My softball coach teaches a special education class at the Middle School. She always stresses to her class that cheating is wrong. Well, this little girl whom we'll call Lanie, accepted some answers from her friend. Lanie felt so guilty that she wrote my coach a letter telling her that she was sorry and she would never cheat again. I think this was responsible behavior on Lanie's part because she knew she had made a mistake and she wanted to correct it."
Jenny Tuttle, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"Schools should not be so worried about competing with the schools in other nations as with the morals and the standards of the children of this country. Schools should concentrate on all subjects: Math, Science, Reading, and especially the Arts and Ethics."
Jennifer Nicole Wilhelm, Camden High, Camden, Tennessee

"Sports give children a sense of responsibility. Sports teach [a] work ethic and competition. In sporting events, children are responsible for themselves and their teammates. They do not want to let themselves, their teammates, or anyone else down so they strive to do their best. They work as hard as they can, never giving up. They learn responsibility on and off the field."
Tony Peterson, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

Preventive health lessons:

"In Louisiana, some time ago, a bill was passed that required ninth and eleventh grade girls to be taught the symptoms of and ways to prevent breast cancer. Recently, two nurses visited a number of local schools and lectured on ways of preventing breast cancer and on ways to catch the deadly disease in its early stages. Their efforts may one day help save another female's life." Carla Phillips, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"A solution to widespread teenage pregnancy that hasn't been tried yet is to let teenage girls experience motherhood before they get pregnant. Schools have already tried this with the electronic baby that cries every now and then, but that's not enough. I think the teenage mothers and the school system should get together to have a program where girls could stay with a teenage mother for a couple of days to see what motherhood is really all about. If everyone would cooperate, this program would benefit a lot of people." Margie Walker, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

Sex education is still controversial:
"America is being more open about sex. Anywhere from teaching about it thoroughly to passing out condoms to students in gym class. Many people are skeptical...Those who spread rumors that openness will increase the rate of sexual harassment have been ill-informed. Another rumor is that spreading condoms around is like telling kids sex is all right. I figure they are going to do it anyway, so they might as well be protected, and understand that they are not invincible against sexually transmitted diseases." Benjamin Norris, Salem High School, Salem , Missouri

It's not the school's responsibility, according to Kara:
"I don't think that it is right that the parents make schools responsible for teaching their children about sex. Schools can never solve many of the problems that lead to teen sex because only parents have that kind of authority."
Kara Lemoine, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

On the other hand, Christina, below, sees the need for options:
"In my community, we have a high rate of people dropping out of school and not graduating. This is because of pregnancy, family problems, the lack of liking school, or personal reasons. Whatever the reason is, people are not taking the options that my school gives. My school currently has programs like optional school, chances to take the GED exam, at risk program, pregnancy counseling, and home schooling opportunities for people to use so they can graduate. Many people on the other hand are not taking these options. If people would take the programs, then we would have fewer people living on welfare, and not getting good jobs, which makes people feel insecure about themselves."
Christina King, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

Chris and Travis emphasize the importance of education:
"The degeneration of our society is related to education. There are no street corner thugs with college educations. The dedicated [students] with the determination to succeed and the desire to make our world a better place in which to live, work hard throughout high school and beyond."
Chris Farkas, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

"On March 21, in Uniondale, New York, one school district began a six-day school system. Although the classes were not mandatory, many students attended. These students set an example to kids of all ages across the nation. This example shows how important school should be in a person's life and that Saturday mornings can be spent doing more than watching cartoons and eating cereal."
Travis Gaspard, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Christy favors service-learning:
"In some schools, in order to graduate, you are required to take a service-learning course. If this course [were] required everywhere in the United States at every school in order to get a high school diploma, so many people would help out. People would think of 'responsibility' as an important word…"
Christy Coulter, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

Jennelle makes us aware of the importance of having parents involved in their children's education:
"One of the most important influences on children is their parents. Parent's involvement in education helps to stimulate a desire for learning in their children. Many problems in school evolve [from] lack of attention from parents.
    All children deserve attention and when parents are too busy to spend quality time with their kids, the children may resort to negative behavior in order to be noticed. To some children, getting bad grades is a way to gain the [notice] they crave. This is an expression of an emotion…that needs to be filled. Also, children may resort to skipping school when their acts are not taken seriously. Children tend to follow the examples their parents provide for them. If parents seem uninterested and uninvolved in their children's education, the children are more likely to lose motivation to do well in school. Some children may even end up dropping out of school if parents do not supply proper guidance and reinforce the importance of education. When kids feel as if their parents are not concerned with their education, they are less likely to think about their future and the consequences of not furthering their education."
Jennelle Bieberle, Medicine Lodge High Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Jeremy may be going a bit far. Do we really want the fruit Jeremy's idea, discussed below, would bear?
"A suggestion that I think would bear some fruit is to have a group of students at a particular school whose job it would be to keep watch over their peers. These would be people who are well thought of and recommended by several teachers or other school officials. They would keep themselves highly organized and their function would be kept out of the knowledge of other students. There would be about five members of this organization per 100 students. These would watch the activities of their peers and periodically and secretly report wrongdoing or suspicious activities."
Jeremy W. Yeary, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Illinois

In our arbitrary justice system, distinctions are not made with regard to intent. Is this fair?
"U.S. schools are being criticized for 'Zero Tolerance.' In America, [some] educators like the philosophy. 'No slip-ups, no exceptions, no excuses.' The rules are very easily understood. 'Every weapon brought to school is a weapon, whether it is an AK-47 or a Boy Scout camping knife. Every drug is a drug, whether it is cocaine or a Tylenol tablet.' Every violation of this rule is met by pre-set punishment no matter what kind of a school record the kid has. They are suspended or they get expelled from school.
    A Texas girl, who was 13 years [old], was punished for carrying a bottle of Advil in her backpack that was detected by a drug-sniffing dog. A 17-year-old Georgia girl was punished for bringing an African tribal knife to her world history class. Schools punish the kids before they use common sense…The student should get some kind of punishment because they broke the rules, but they should not get expelled or suspended for bringing a knife for history class or Tylenol for a headache."
Joe Ward, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

Nevertheless:
"Teenagers tend to involve themselves in what everyone else is doing or what feels good without thinking [about] the consequences they might have to face."
Julie Cunningham, Medicine Lodge High , Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Teens Encounter Peer Pressure

"Peer pressure results in students' drinking or even having competitions to see who can become the most inebriated or not pass out first. Every weekend someone either provides the alcohol or the place for a party. We have had many parties broken up by the police, resulting in the ticketing of minors for possession of alcohol. If we approach this problem at the elementary or grade school level, it might have an effect when the students come to high school."
Danielle Schmitt, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas

"Two young teenagers at Philadelphia's Norris Barratt Middle School committed a very serious crime. The [students] of this certain classroom were having a free day; many were talking and playing loudly. Two teenagers from this class took a fellow female classmate behind a portable chalkboard and raped her!… I shouldn't even have to explain the harm of this crime. The feelings of the victim must be overwhelming. How did she build the courage to go home with these emotions and tell her parents especially if these two teenagers were her friends? That is a terrible thought."
Benjamin Norris, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Teens are faced with pressure from peers more often than not. Out of my fellow classmates, forty-three percent say they face it one to three times a week and thirty-four percent say that they have to deal with [it] over five times a week. The point is that, as teens, we are always making decisions on how we should deal with this pressure. Most of us are taught not to do drugs, but yet teens across the world do it because of peer pressure. We must make up…our minds that we will make decent choices and never compromise what we believe in.…We have to choose our friends wisely these days. We cannot be hanging with people that are going to try to force friends to do [something] for the wrong reasons. We shouldn't decide to 'kick it' with someone just because they look or seem to be popular or cool. With the right friends in the right environment, peer pressure most likely won't be destructive. If you choose your friends wisely, then you should never have to worry about being pressured to do something that you don't want to do.
   Since I'm part of this crazy Generation X, I know we don't always make the right choices [in] friends. I guess we haven't lived long enough to be so wise. So we face this pressure no matter how hard we try to use our good judgment. This is why we must, at all costs, stand up for what we believe in. We must be morally strong. So many of us have compromised what we believe in to be a part of a group. Two-thirds of teens I recently surveyed have compromised their morals at least once because of this plague called negative peer pressure.
   Compromising your morals is wrong and you should never do it. I know that's easier said than done, but we've all got to try. Sometimes doing something might look or seem exciting but going against what you believe in will never, ever make you happy. I have done things I never even dreamed of doing because [of] peer pressure and it never made me happy. Of course, it was fun while it lasted but, sooner or later, I began to regret it. Your morals are you, so if you compromise them, then you are compromising yourself.… It is okay to [be] influential in someone's life, but we must influence people positively; we have to help our friends make good decisions.
   Eighty-three percent of local Joliet teens say they have pressured someone else…Why teenagers pressure their peers is a mystery. I've done it plenty of times without even realizing it. I guess it's in our nature and subconscious or something. One student responded that we do it because misery loves company. That might possibly be the cause of negative peer pressure, but I'll let you decide. Maybe we don't take it seriously. Over half the students…I surveyed [thought] as long as you make the right decisions, [peer pressure] won't get too serious.
   As teens, we must have the responsibility to recognize negative peer pressure and deal with it without compromising our morals. One teen said, 'Peer pressure isn't something I worry about because my self-esteem is greater,' as compared to a few years ago. Another said, 'Peer pressure is nothing more than a simple obstacle that can be conquered by one's true moral judgment.' I suppose that as long as you realize that there can be consequences, whether you pressure someone or give in to pressure, then you have what it takes to make a responsible decision. That's what's important, a responsible decision."
Keely Stewart, Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois

"To me, it is easier to be responsible when you are with responsible friends."
Darren Erickson, Centerville High, Centerville, South Dakota

Sometimes a responsible friend can influence the actions of another:
"A friend acts in a responsible and caring manner by speaking up and advising another friend when they seem to be doing something that is potentially harmful to themselves.…A 13-year-old girl told her friend that she is going to take her mother's car for a drive before her mom arrives home from work. The friend advises the girl that she shouldn't do it because she doesn't have her license, she is uninsured, and her mother isn't home. She also said that if something would happen that the 13-year-old girl and her mother would be in some really serious trouble."
Danielle Soldani, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Students evaluate the ethical behavior of their peers. They suggest that irresponsible behavior is redeemable if one later assumes responsibility:

"A teenage girl has sex with her boyfriend. After he finds out she is pregnant, he leaves her, not wanting anything to do with the baby. Instead of having an abortion, she decides to face her parents and have the baby anyway…A teenage girl gets her father's credit card without his knowledge. She spends more than she has in her savings. She tells her father what she has done and gets a job to pay the bill…A boy neglects his homework for his football practice. Report cards come out; he fails two subjects. He tells his parents he has spent too much [time] on football and realizes he needs to study more."
Christina M. Nicholas, Camden Central High, Camden, Tennessee

"A lot of young people all over the world have one major problem: they either already have a child or they are expecting one. Teenage pregnancies are most common in high school, but are now [occurring] in the junior highs also, because teenagers are becoming younger and younger when they have sex. But after they get pregnant, they have another choice to make, either letting the child live or having an abortion. Most teenagers take the easy out and have an abortion. That is why teenage pregnancies are irresponsible."
Jennifer Buford, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

"Two of my friends who are dating recently found out that they are going to have a baby. They are both straight-A students and have high hopes for their careers. They have chosen to have the baby and are transferring to a community college closer to home to finish out the year. They took responsibility for their actions and told their families. I know that they love each other and I respect them for their decision. [Their decision is] a prime example of [taking] responsibility."
Jackie Hauer, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"An example of responsible behavior would be how my cousin, Evelyn, takes care of her child. She's in the eleventh grade and she takes the baby to the baby-sitter every morning. Then she goes to school and tries to focus on her schoolwork. At home, she has to do her homework while at the same she has to make sure the baby is taken care of. He has to be fed, bathed, and put to bed. Sometimes the baby wakes up in the middle of the night and Evelyn has to rock him back to sleep so she can get some sleep. She is taking responsibility for her actions, and she's doing it very well."
Margie Walker, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

Sometimes irresponsibilities compound:

"Teenage mothers often have poor eating habits, smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, or do not receive prenatal care. This increases the risk of their babies being stillborn or born with health problems.…One out of three teenage mothers drop out of school and do not get a job. This leaves them to depend on their parents or go on welfare."
Edward Couvillion, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

Role models

Role models help to shape the values and character of those they interact with.
"A person does not have to be big, strong, or well known to make an impact on the world. Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun who saw how the poor lived in India. She decided to spend her life traveling all over the world helping the poor. Mother Teresa was a small, frail woman who became well known because she took the poor of the world as her responsibility and made a difference."
Dustin Hofer, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"The most responsible people in America…are ordinary people… They are the people who help others in a time of need without looking for gratitude."
Josh Nichols, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

"Another example of responsible behavior would be how this deacon is dedicated to being faithful to his church. He opens the church every Sunday morning. In the winter, he gets there early and turns on the heater. He does the same thing in the summer. He starts devotion on time and he basically makes sure everyone is comfortable. Being responsible and dedicated has earned him numerous awards in the church."
Margie Walker, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

"A man and his wife gave food to a food pantry once a month. They never gave their names but they just wanted to help out. The shelter figured out that they were spending $400 a year and they had been doing this for fifteen years! They finally told the people to just call them Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, and that is how they are known."
Amanda Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"The Thompson family from Vermillion, South Dakota, adopted two children. One of the children [suffers] from fetal alcohol effect and the other from fetal alcohol syndrome. The older child, with FAE, has many behavioral and learning problems. She was also born deaf. The family was required to learn sign language to enable them to communicate with her. The younger child is worse. She has more severe disabilities. Although she appears normal, she lacks the ability to reason between what is right and wrong. The Thompsons have had to completely alter their lifestyles to accommodate these girls' special needs. They never complain and consider these girls a wonderful blessing in their lives."
Joe McCombs, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota

"Many people are concerned about homeless children and other children who are not getting the education they deserve. Instead of just being concerned, Agnes Stevens took action. She founded a program run by volunteers that provides one-on-one tutoring to children in Los Angeles. She tutors at shelters, halfway houses and parks. Last year, she tutored six hundred homeless students. Instead of just voicing her concern, she took the responsibility upon herself to educate them. If more people would do what Stevens did, there would be [fewer] uneducated children."
Heather Broadhead, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

"Albert Lexie shines shoes at the hospital and gives his tips to the hospital's Free Care Fund. To date, he has donated over thirty-eight thousand dollars to the fund that provides free care to children who live in the area. He began his quest to help in 1981. He has gone to the hospital every Tuesday and Thursday since."
Justin Wylam, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Another example of responsible behavior is direct providing for the homeless. Member of the Quilter's Guild will have quilting day. These people are going to make quilts and sleeping bags for the homeless and the Ronald McDonald house."
Scott Yerkes, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

"In North Carolina, an eight-year-old girl had cerebral palsy. To be able to walk again, she needed a specially designed tricycle that cost $700. Because she was not able to come up with the money on her own, a trucker helped her out by providing her with the money. The trucker, in his spare time, now drives for a charity that gives handicapped children things their parents could not provide them with. The trucker said, 'It is the greatest feeling in the world.' In July 1984, he also helped another disabled child buy a wheelchair van. He was able to receive help from the local fire department to organize a fundraiser for charity." Natalie Hendrick, Demopolis High School, Demopolis, Alabama

"Mary Leonards is a young woman from Louisville, Kentucky. She owns a 5-acre ranch that has hardly been used. Mary thought it would be wonderful to provide a free summer camp for children who are less fortunate than others. She gives them horseback riding lessons, and takes them swimming and canoeing in the lake. This way she could help others and get use out of her land. The kids all have a real nice time and are appreciative of Mary's generosity."
Jessica Jones, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Street Soldiers (or Omega Boys Club) is a special center for inner-city kids. Joseph Marshall started the club in his basement in 1987. Now the organization has its very own community center in San Francisco. The main goal of this program [is] to keep kids out of gangs and drugs and to keep kids in school. Joseph Marshall and a small group of volunteers have already helped approximately 600 kids." Emily Boettcher, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"Tom and Maryanne Potter take in troubled boys as foster children and teach them about raising livestock, gaining skills, self-confidence and love." Sarah Bordelon, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"For some, helping others is something they do occasionally, but for Ida Johnson it is a way of life. Ms. Johnson is the Executive Director of United Neighbors, Inc., which is an organization that helps to unite neighbors and benefits the community. United Neighbors began with only a few members, but it has grown into a task force and is looking forward to celebrating its 25th. anniversary. It has helped build a church, created gardens and more parking, renovated parks' helped people buy homes, and given children a sense of belonging by establishing a Youth Group."
Amanda Beauchamp, Rockridge High, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"Dr. Lorraine Hale and her mother, Clara Hale, founded the Hale House in 1969. It is a refuge for the [children] of drug addicts. They offer nutrition, chiropractic medicine, massage, and above all, lots of love. Hale's staff is also employed to help parents improve their parenting skills once they are reunited with their children."
Lindsay Kay Bordelon, Avoyelles High, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Joan Kroc, also known as The Angel, flew in to survey the area for herself. "It looks like a war zone with no bodies," she reported in observed sorrow. After her tour, she pledged $15 million to be given to the flood-stricken households. The Angel's money enabled the families to buy desperately needed clothes and food."
Lindsay Kay Bordelon, Avoyelles High, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Nick Mangeris, founder of the Kaire Network Marketing Company, felt that he should help families in Byelorussia who were devastated by the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. He sent over $50,000 in vitamin supplements to Byelorussian families. The vitamins should help strengthen the immune system of Chernobyl survivors allowing them to live longer, healthier lives."
Edward Couvillion, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"One afternoon, Marshall Cohen saw a group of teenage boys hanging out at his family drugstore. Cohen, a weightlifter, rented a storefront and filled it with weights. He told the boys that they could work out for free if they went to school and didn't fight or use drugs. Today, over 500 kids work out at Lift for Life Gym; half of them are girls. Cohen donated $10,000 and began coaching the kids in weightlifting. 'In 1997, twenty-one of his lifters took medals in the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games in Charlotte, North Carolina.'"
Christine Brummett, Avoyelles High, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Fred and Joy Allen are Southern Baptist missionaries in Zambia. There are a great number of hungry people in Zambia, and the Allens have taken the responsibility of distributing food to ninety-three families in eight villages in the area."
Christina M. Nicholas, Camden Central High Camden, Tennessee

"Many good things are being done by people because they are starting to realize that a good life is based on responsibility. For example, a few elders in a community were tired of being rejected and ignored by retirement plans that weren't sending them enough money. These elders got together and recruited more and more elders to the group. Every Saturday and Sunday night, they cooked a dish and brought it to the community center. They called it 'The OLD Pot Luck Supper.' These people could eat an enormous meal of a variety of foods and not have to spend the little income they get."
Travis Bordelon, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Another example…is the lady who goes into eye surgery to hold people's hands and give comfort as they go through this painful surgery. She feels that the people feel better if they have someone there with them and it makes them relax during surgery. As [this] lady thought that it was her duty to hold people's hands in surgery, another man felt responsible to clean up a polluted stream and restore plant and animal life. This man had lived near a stream that had been filled with trash, oil and other disgusting stuff that had killed all the fish and plants. This man worked hard to restore plant life and clean the place up. He made that stream so clean that fish would survive in it again. Then he planted plants and even introduced animals, such as fox and turtles, to the stream."
Nathan Kier, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

Assuming responsibility and taking the initiative:

"One day Margaret Herring was headed home when she crossed a dump truck. A cantaloupe-sized rock fell, bounced off the pavement and struck her windshield at a speed of nearly one hundred miles per hour. Noelia Guajardo and Marlon McAllister saw what had happened and pulled over to help. Joe Corcoran, a registered nurse, was driving along when Guajardo flagged him down. She told him that they needed help because someone was hurt. The rock had hit Herring in the head and exposed part of her brain. Deputy Sheriff Francisco Gonzalez was driving by when he noticed the accident. Gonzalez called for an airlift and Herring was airlifted to the hospital where she was treated. Four months after the accident, Margaret resumed her full-time duties as an Air Force captain, thanks to the immediate help she received on the roadside."
Edward Couvillion, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Teri Majewski donated something that is dearer to her than money. This 34-year-old mother of two went 'beyond the call' when she was asked to donate a quart of her bone marrow. Majewski, an American Bone Marrow Donor, had signed into the registry ten years earlier. [Through] Majewski's kindness and courage, [she] willingly endured a painful procedure in hopes of saving the life of a perfect stranger. [This showed] a remarkable sense of responsibility. This courageous woman's efforts helped to [save] the life of a young patient dying of leukemia."
Natasha Jeansonne, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"A man driving on the interstate realized that a truck driver had lost his brakes and was out of control while going down a hill. The man pulled his truck in front and allowed the out of control driver to bump against him to stop his truck. By sacrificing minimal damage to his vehicle he possibly saved many lives."
Matt Wofford, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"Most women enter motherhood because they want to create a child with the man they love. That is not the case with a single, 27-year-old woman named Theresa who was raped by an acquaintance of hers. She was quite scared and did not report the rape, but she soon realized that her ordeal was not over; she was carrying his child. When confronted, he asked Theresa if she wanted him to throw her down the stairs to get rid of [the baby]. She was ashamed of the whole incident and confided in a few friends who all recommended she get an abortion. She knew that was not the choice for her and decided to have the baby and raise it. She told the rapist that she had gotten the abortion, then moved to another town where she is now raising her child. This woman must be commended for her bravery. She took responsibility…for the actions of a rapist."
Niki Ill, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"The responsibility that a family takes for one another is amazing. In Mesa, Arizona, John McNeil was in great danger. He had climbed up a power tower and he couldn't get down. His brother, James, went to his rescue. James climbed the tower, despite his fear of heights, to help his autistic brother. More than two hours later, help arrived. James' response was, 'Yes, I've given him a lot...but he's given me more. He gives me unconditional love. Am I my brother's keeper? Absolutely.' If more people had that attitude then the world would be a better place."
Autumn Fleener, Salem Senior High, Salem, Missouri

"Most people think of a neighbor as someone from whom we can ask to borrow a hammer or a rake, or maybe even to watch our pets when we are out of town. But seldom does anyone think of a neighbor as a person who would risk his or her life to save our own. Denny Zweifel did not ask questions when his neighbor, Kathy Peterson, came banging on his door late one night. There had been an explosion in the Peterson's garage and Wayne was trapped. Mr. Zweifel could think of only one thing as he rushed next door; he had to help Wayne. He arrived in a smoke-filled garage and found Wayne trapped inside his truck. Denny stopped the smoke and got Wayne safely out of the garage. Mr. Zweifel's heroic act of unselfishness earned him the "Neighbor of the Year" Award in the Quad Cities. Mr. Peterson is truly grateful for his neighbor and friend who risked his life to save someone else's."
Amanda Beauchamp, Rockridge High, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"People stand out when they take responsibility for themselves or others. One example occurred on Mother's Day 1955 in Sugar Hill, Georgia. Rob and Margaret Glass had let their kids go outside and play on a drizzly day. They heard lightning and ran outside to see their son, Stephen, running from the woods. Rob ran into the woods and found his son Kyle face down, struck by lightning. Remembering his Boy Scout training, he performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the paramedics arrived, and Kyle survived. Rob took the initiative and the responsibility for his son's life, which he saved by taking control of the situation and doing something."
Cassy Felkerson, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri

"A state trooper was involved in a high-speed chase near Wellington, Kansas. As the chase continued onto some winding and hilly roads, the trooper gave up the chase. The trooper knew that if the high-speed chase continued through these roads, many lives would be in danger. Rather than risking the lives of others, the trooper acted responsibly by giving up the chase."
Ty Stackhouse, Medicine Lodge High Medicine Lodge, Kansas

True Sports Heroes

"Tiger Woods is a 21-year-old African and Asian-American Masters Champ. N an age of the commercially hyped, trash-talking, in-your-face sports stars, tiger is an exception who combines great athleticism with decency, politeness and respectfulness."
Melissa Curley, Sales High School, Salem, Missouri

"Michael Jordan is one of the most extraordinary athletes…Some responsibility he has acquired is spending time with his family, fulfilling his and his father's dreams, and being committed to a cause. Jordan is not an athlete who chooses to have children, then never spend time with them. He goes home whenever possible. Jordan also had a childhood dream of playing baseball, which was his father's dream for him, too. So, a few years back, Jordan decided to play baseball and even though he was not the best, he stuck to it. He showed respect by taking on the responsibility of making his and his father's dream come true. Now that he is back to basketball, he is truly committed to winning all of the championships in which he is able to play, even if that means playing with a 104-degree temperature.
   This shows children that when faced with a commitment, responsibility to others is also involved. Jordan made a commitment to his teammates; therefore, it became his responsibility to be at the game. Being a professional athlete who is also a role model, takes a tremendous amount of responsibility…there are plenty of individuals who choose to go the extra distance to show they care about the example they give."
Crystal Moore, Medicine Lodge High Medicine Lodge, Kansas

"Many professional athletes, such as Barry Sanders, are idolized by many kids throughout the world. His dazzling stop and go, shake 'n bake spin moves are not the only actions that separate Barry from the rest of the players in the NFL. The way he conducts himself on the field is one of the many reasons millions of people love Barry…One act sets of his unselfishness more than any other. Barry gives ten percent of his yearly earnings to the Paradise Baptist Church, his former church in Wichita, Kansas. When Barry was drafted into the NFL in 1988, he promised on television that he would donate ten percent of his yearly contract to his church. Barry has kept his word for almost ten years now. Barry Sanders is truly a responsible athlete who devotes his extra time and money to his many fans and favorite charities.
   Roy Williams, the Kansas men's basketball coach, after losing in the NCAA Tournament, stayed positive and ignored the critics who called him and his team 'chokers.' In one game, a fan from the opposing team verbally abused one of his players; Williams ran over to his player and helped him out of the situation. Tracy McGrady, a 19-year-old basketball player, after signing an $8 million dollar shoe contract, donated a percentage of the money to charities. Michael Jordan, whom some consider the best basketball player ever, puts on a 'Jordan All-Star Game' every summer and the proceeds benefit those with cancer. Eric Davis, a professional baseball player, now battles colon cancer. Davis talks to groups and individuals about cancer and other related topics. Tiger Woods likes being a role model. He avoids drinking and partying. He says he is an individual who makes his own choices. Responsible acts are more positive and should make more of an impact."
Tyler Huslig, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas

"NFL star Warrick Dunn bought nine houses and donated them to homeless families."
Jason Veit, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"David Robinson donated the largest single gift ($5 million) by an NBA player, to help found the Carver Complex in San Antonio's inner city. The Center gives kids a place to go for help and has a main goal of turning today's kids into leaders.…Ted Turner pledged $1 billion to the United Nations, which will be given in chunks of $100 million a year for 10 years."
Kyle Corderman, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa

"Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat basketball team may be a millionaire, but he chooses to spend large portions of his NBA paycheck on charities. His self-managed Zo's Summer Groove in Miami, Florida, last year raised more than $200,000 for the Miami-based Children's Home Society and 100 Black Men of South Florida, a mentoring program for black youths in the area. Forty-nine thousand three hundred forty-seven dollars went to roof the gym repairs of a Washington D.C. elementary school, and $50,000 in scholarships went to his old high school. Mourning also frequently visits the MacLamore Center, a shelter for abused, neglected and abandoned children. He goes there alone and without publicity, so workers there know he's sincere."
Sara Robertson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Positive teen role models may change attitudes about teens

"Being a good role model [for] young children, as well as junior high students, shows great responsibility."
Julie Cunningham, Medicine Lodge High, Medicine Lodge, Kansas

"Teenagers of today are in dire need of punishment and rewards. Children seem to get away with murder a lot of the time. But there are still good children that are given no respect for the good they do…Most teenagers are not bad, but a lot of [us] are judged unfairly because of the name that the bad ones give us."
Derek J. Veade, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Another case of a small person helping was demonstrated in Wisconsin. A school bus driver had a heart attack and slumped over at the wheel. A responsible junior high student quickly reacted and jumped behind the wheel. Even though he had not driven before, the student took on the responsibility and saved the busload of kids. People cannot wait or assume that someone else is going to take care of a problem. Every individual should be responsible for themselves and act accordingly. The world needs more bus drivers like this student. The world is veering off of the road and there is no one at the wheel. What can we do?" Dustin Hofer, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

"In order for one to be a safe driver, he must not only take responsibility for himself, he must [also] take responsibility for others. A teenager in Northern Indiana witnessed a hit-and-run accident. She immediately pulled her vehicle to the side of the road and signaled for help. A volunteer firefighter saw the teen, pulled over, and called for an ambulance over the radio. Doctors said that if the victim had been brought into the emergency room any later, he would have died of internal bleeding. Had the young woman and the volunteer firefighter not acted so responsibly, this man would not have survived the crash…"
Ty Stackhouse, Medicine Lodge High Medicine Lodge, Kansas

"Teenagers from Blissfield, Michigan decided to make a difference in their community, too. Led by 13-year-old Christi Stoker, the Blissfield community pitched in to renovate a 45-room homeless shelter with new wallpaper and paint. Christi and her friends befriended a 13-year-old resident of the shelter, Mahalganie Wilson, and with the leftover donations, helped Mahalganie and her mother move into their own apartment."
Sara Robertson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Chantelle Kimble had maintained a straight 'A' average throughout her entire high school career. For her hard work and dedication, she has received many scholarships and awards for college. She is now majoring in politics and is doing a great job. Chantelle's efforts in school have shown her responsibility throughout the state. She is looked upon and admired by many people…I try as much as I can to take [responsibility] for the mistakes that I make and learn from them… Life gives you a lot of choices and making the right ones are great but when you do make the wrong ones, make sure you always face up to them…[Being] responsible will make you a better person and citizen."
Sarah Bordelon, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Christians are responsible for staying out of questionable situations, standing up for their beliefs, taking the opportunities to tell others about Christ, and not doing things that hurt their witness or make them seem like hypocrites...Jack reads his Bible every day because he wants to know more about what God wants him to do in his life. He takes his Bible to school, and is not afraid to take it out in class and read it. He just wants to get closer to God, and he doesn't care what other people think."
Julie Anderson, Salem Senior High School, Salem, Missouri

"Jill Lacombe, a 16-year-old Avoyelles High School student, takes time out of her weekends to help others…She has [volunteered her time] many weekends at a religious retreat called TEC…After the destruction of their high school gym, several teens organized a roadblock to raise money for paint and a new sound system. They spent countless hours working to make their gym look as it did before. They had their first opening night of the new gym two weeks after the destruction occurred. Everyone was amazed at what a good job the students had done. These examples of maturity and responsibility can help people understand what it means to be dependable and focused on helping others…Hopefully, they can be a guide to help others realize what they need to do in order to make America a better place to live."
Jessica Jones, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Many other good role models exist for young women. Heather Whitestone was found to be deaf at a very young age. The doctors told her parents that she would probably never develop skills past a third-grade level. In 1995, Heather won the Miss America Pageant, recognition for millions of disabled persons worldwide. Courtney Conway, also a good role model for young women, was an honor student in high school where she also excelled in track and field. Courtney is now a cheerleader for the World Champion Denver Broncos."
Joseph Rodriguez, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas

"A fourteen-year-old…newspaper delivery boy put a handwritten note on each of his customers' porches asking for used [clothing] and household items to donate to Goodwill Industries for resale to the needy. His customers donated 50 large [bags full] of various items…Adam's spirits were lifted at the thought of contributing to other people's happiness."
Sara Robertson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"After school, 17-year-old Jenny Simmons is going to the nursing home. No, she is not going to visit her grandmother, and she does not have a job there. She is going to visit the elderly and read books to them, voluntarily. She wants to make them happy and she wants to let them know that someone still cares for them."
Jill Lacombe, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"Marcia Cortez, a 15-year-old California student, has provided a day care center for the weekends. This gives the parents a chance to get away and relax. Maria has bought new games for the children to play and provides them with snacks. Her day care center has proved that she is mature and responsible."
Jessica Jones, Avoyelles High School, Moreauville, Louisiana

"I was out south of Centerville, South Dakota, checking my traps when I saw a man kn