so, we had to do another sat practice essay...and it was about moral choices and social issues.
most of our schools are not facing up to their responsibilities. we must begin to ask ourselves whether educators should help students address the critical moral choices and social issues of our time. schools have responsibilities beyond training people for jobs and getting students into college.
-svi shapiro
should schools help students understand the moral choices and social issues?
yes, i think that schools should help students understand moral choices and social issues. they shouldn't decide the choices we make, but they should show both sides of every situation, and then let the students decide for themselves.
for example, sex, drugs, and alcohol are all big choices that students face these days. i don't think the school should say, "go out and do all these things!" but i don't think the school should say, "don't do these things!" students are old enough to make their own decisions, and i'm sorry mentors (including parents) but, no matter how much you tell your student not to do something, there's a good chance they will anyway. so, your best bet is to give them all the options.
i work for a health center, and we put on plays about smoking tobacco and sex for various middle schools and high schools. in both plays we give the audience (which is always students) all the options. in the play about sex we show them two situations: one couple choosing to be abstinent, and another couple having unprotected sex. we show how nothing happens if you're abstinent, and we also show what can happen if you have unprotected sex. we say that nothing can happen, which is true, but we show the girl getting pregnant and getting an std because her boyfriend has been cheating on her. so then we talk about all the contraception methods you can use-including abstinence. we also give the options if you're pregnant: parenting, adoption, or abortion. we let the audience know that this doesn't always happen, but it can, and we just want them to know all the options and want them to take their decisions for themselves and by themselves.
this is what we should do in school. we can encourage a certain one (my health center encourages abstinence and condom use) but we should definitely give all the options and consequences so students know the situation. after the educating, the ultimate decision should be up to the student. and if the student ends up in a bad situation, at least they'll know what to do because they learned correctly about it. but, the educators should always be willing to help, too.
so, yes, i do think schools should help students understand moral choices and social issues. they shouldn't make their decisions for them, but they should give them all the options. we have to remember that no matter what, students will do what they do. but, if they're educated, at least they'll know everything about the situation. and then they might even become more comfortable talking to people about it. and the more you talk to people, the more you learn.
okay! there you go!
em...♥
