Social Problems

Chapter 4: What social problems affect today's students!
By:Evelin Tanabe


A parent’s involvement in a child’s life is very important. Today there are many risk factors that might get in the way of a child’s success, whether it’s a child not living in a household of high school dropouts of living in a household with single parents below poverty line. Now a day there is such a high rate of divorce in the United States that more than half of today’s marriages will end in divorce. This results in one less person at home monitoring, guiding and supporting the child.
School systems must be more accommodative toward children with single parents. These children are taught in school that the “typical” family contains of a mother and father. In many cases students don’t have one or the other; in other situations some students don’t have either or. I think this really hits home for me, coming from a single parent household where I did didn’t grow up with a father figure. I felt as if the whole world came crashing down on me. Kids do not only face issues at school with concentration but in all the personal issues a child might bring upon themselves in situations like this. For example, at school the younger kids are asked to make greeting cards for mother’s or father’s day. What happens when the father is not in the picture? The hurt feelings of a child who’s mom or dad can’t make it to a big game because they have to work long hours to maintain the home and put food on the table. Or even the need for a female figure when a young girl might feel uncomfortable talking to her father about changes in her body. These are a few examples of how a child might feel different and set aside from all the other children at school. Many kids blame themselves for problems their parents are having much like divorce. Therefore, we must realize that the problems that students face at home impact their attitude towards school and life itself.
All children experience a parents divorce or death differently depending on age and on the support you receive from other family members, teachers or even school counselors. These students are “at-risk” and do have a higher possibility to become part of gangs, rebel out, go threw depression, isolate themselves from peers and family and are more likely to become pregnant and dropout of high school. These deprived students need support and reminders that someone does care and provide encouragement to their success.
The music video I chose is about a typical divorce and how she sees herself when she was a little girl. The little girl says, “Mommy I’ll do anything!” in order for her parents to say together. Like in many cases this results and shows how children blame themselves for divorce and how it can lead to anger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LM_K1FpPvg