Is Youth Violence Linked to Education?

… I would like to add some disturbing, though not surprising, observations that I've made lately. My husband and myself have either homeschooled our children or sent them to Christian schools from the time we became Christian. After our last child graduated, I went back and got my teaching degree (merely a tool, not proof of anything else). Since that time, I have done substitute teaching in the public system. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, I have seen has made me believe in any way (socially, academically, and most of all spiritually) that government schools are anyplace that our children should be.

One of the most disturbing areas, as you mentioned, is music. What many parents don't know is that during many classes, especially PE, Computer Science, and the creative classes such as art, journalism, etc., it is the vogue thing to play the radio. Now the stations chosen are rarely of a soothing nature. I have heard the most violent lyrics, and no one seems to bat an eyelash. The most disturbing and common thing I have noticed is that many schools allow students who are behavior problems to simply just plug in their earphones to the computer websites of various rock stars or actually bring their CD player to study hall and listen to the music. Basically, when teachers can't handle these students, rather than lose the revenue for each student in attendance, these students are "controlled / pacified" by listening to this, often violent, music. The administrators are happy, the teachers are happy, and supposedly the students are no longer a problem. If you could just look into the eyes of these young people, you could indeed see the windows of their souls.

I have also noticed an obsession with stars who have committed suicide. Students' writings often reflect their attitudes of hopelessness. I did some judging for oral interpretation and found the selections to be in this same genre. The more violent, the better.

Do parents really know "what" their children are getting in some of those "innocuous" classes? I will never believe that this prevalent trend does not take a toll on even the strongest Christian young person. No parent should look the other way, especially in retrospect after the Colorado shootings.

Pam...

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