Some people in your community have big problems that cost you.
The problems cost you in taxes for police services, in
out-of-pocket expenses for replacement of stolen equipment or in
emotional drain from constant but suppressed fear of personal
attack.
We think of drugs, home invasions, addictions and car theft as
functions of modern communities. We believe that high divorce
rates, homelessness and break-ins form the basis for a new kind
of society that never existed in the past, a reality of the 21st
century.
Personal problems of others, such as poverty, mental breakdown,
spousal abuse and school yard bullying we prefer to avoid
thinking about.
They all derive from two causes: people who can't manage to
cope with the downturns or conditions of their lives and people
who don't have a clear moral foundation about such things as
murder, hurting others and stealing.
Some turn to crime, addictive drugs or alcohol,
life-threatening thrills or violence when they can't cope with
conditions they fear and can't manage.
Since psychologists and therapists deal with these very
problems every day, we simply need to apply their knowledge to
younger people before they need it, before they "break" from
social standards of normal behavior.
Schools teach concepts; it's what they do. They believe they're
not allowed to teach some concepts due to regulations forbidding
the teaching of religion.
We need to separate religious teaching from the basic
principles that people of all religions agree upon and allow
schools to support the teaching of them by parents. No one wants
to become a drug addict, a divorcee or a felon, but most don't
see other options.
Kids need consistency from their authority figures during their
formative years, both at home and at school. Both home and
school need to provide role models, teach standards of their
communities and encourage children to seek help when they have
problems.
The methodology and means to rearrange school curriculum to
address social and emotional development of children provides
the main focus of a new book by Canadian sociologist and
educator Bill Allin.
Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for
Today's Epidemic Social Problems gives easily and cheaply
implemented solutions to the worst social problems of any
community.
Today's kids need more than traditional facts and skills to
survive extraordinary demands on their social and emotional
development as adolescents and adults. A child with a social or
emotional problem can't progress intellectually because the
former preoccupy their minds, their attention and their emotions.
Schools are in the best position to help support
time-challenged parents.
Learn more about this unique approach to solving community
problems and avoiding personal ones at the book's web site:
http://billallin.com/cgi/index.pl
Contact Bill Allin:
705 - 657 - 9468
http://billallin.com/cgi/index.pl
turningitaround@sympatico.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/turningitaround
Bill Allin
R. R. #1 Buckhorn
Ontario K0L1J0
Canada
About the author:
Bill Allin taught primary, junior and intermediate classes of
all socio-economic categories for nearly two decades in Canada.
He gained an unusual perspective on children's needs, social
skills and coping mechanisms that other professionals have
overlooked. He holds a Master of Education degree from the
Ontario Institute of Education, University of Toronto.
