A father, teaching his child to cross the street safely. “Now if you see a little light flashing, that means the car is turning the corner, you can go.”
“But what if the car doesn’t turn, then the child is in danger.”
“That’s right, son, don’t cross the street until all the cars are gone.”
Recently the Rochester City School District announced a new initiative that will invite men to participate in the educational lives of their children.
As reported by the D&C, “School 4 has a Fathers of Four group that brings dads together to talk about issues and take on projects around the building. Each year the school also hosts a Father-Daughter dance. . . School 57 has a monthly fellowship night where dads get together for dinner, basketball and to swap parenting stories. The school even offers child care so fathers can attend. Now, the district wants to see those kinds of programs replicated in every school. For the first time this year, every school will have a parent orientation before class resumes in September.”
This is an excellent move forward. This is a move that can be followed by revamping the Young Mothers program, changing it into the Young Parents program. The program should involve both young women and men, not necessarily couples, who are or are going to be parents.
The Young Parents program should have flexible hours like All Cit High. The curriculum should provide life skills training, household budgeting, nutrition, citizenry, discipline of self and children, and, most importantly, educational support. These tenets could easily be edited to adhere to State common core standards for whatever grade level is required by the student. The class should be taught by successful veteran teachers who have an understanding and first hand knowledge of the obstacles one faces as a teen parent.
The district has taken a giant step towards changing its culture by working with the community. The community must make sure this is the first of many steps.
Every step forward is a positive move toward properly educating our children.
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Question: Are the Young Parents encouraged to put their child up for adoption? As these are teenagers, why are they forced to raise a child, when they themselves are still children? How are they supported as they make future plans for college? Are they limiting their college selections/locations, and also their futures, by keeping their babies? Who is watching/raising their child when they are in class? How do they complete their studies AND work full-time to earn money for childcare, as well as regular daily living costs: mortgage/rent, utilities, transportation, food, medicine, etc? Obviously, these are serious issues, and quite personal, and each young parent (the young ladies and the young gentlemen) has a different reason for how they came to be in this situation. I would just hope that ALL options are being presented to these young people, and that they are being guided by those who are looking out for the best interests of ALL of the children, the babies and young parents alike. Adoption can be a door to a future filled with hope, love, and possibilities for all.