When analysing the gains and losses in conflict, one often needs to establish a standard point. Is there such thing as “the greater good”? Are some people more valuable or more disposable than others? We often see a heirarchy of importance when it comes to wars or battles in history. In medieval times, kings would rule wide areas of land and if a few hundred peasants were to die from a disease (like the plague) or were captured by a neighbouring tribe, there would not be too much fuss. However, the death of a prince, or, heaven forbid, a king, would cause upheaval amongst the civilian population. Times have changed, however, some of the old ways are still echoed in modern society. The assassination of JFK caused chaos in the media and is an event that is still talked about today, and still holds weight, decades after. Althought one might argue that it is injust to position one person above another (aren’t we all humans?), this has always been the case within social communities and nations.

A great philosopher once said “without conflict, there would be no change.” One might argue that change is necessary and has enabled us as humans to reach the position we are in today. Therefore, conflict is necessary. However, the idea of change does not necessarily ring the same bell as the idea of conflict and often we believe that one can occur without the other. This is not the case. The Tiananmen Square Massacre began as a peaceful protest. A group of students, unhappy with the current government regime, trying to bring about a change. Yet, we all know how that turned out. Hundreds of innocent people slaughtered, the government putting a nail in the proverbial coffin of change. In Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’, Pyle is the one wanting to bring about a change. His education in York Harding and stubborn ideals of democray ensure that he meets the same fate as those innocent students in Tiananmen Square. He falls victim to the idea of improving he lives of the Vietnamese, who according to Fowler, just want rice. In the end, it is evident that Pyle paid the highest price, and achieved nothing of what he set out to do.

Althought it is easy to focus solely on the negatives in conflict, positives do exist, even if they are few and far between. Like the Lybian people, the Vietnamese also fought for their political beliefs. The Viet Minh believed in a Communist regime and spent many years in battle with the UN, the French, the Americans, and even their fellow countrymen. After close to a decade of fighting the opposing democratic nations, America finally pulled out of Vietnam, and a few years later, Vietnam became a COmmunist nation. Al the death, destruction and loss had finally resulted in a victory for the people; a victory that has lasted to this day. In this situation, the popular consensus would be that the gains in conflict outweighed the losses. 

As we know, conflict does not only occur on a large scale. Personal conflicts occur frequently and often involves losses such as psychological damage and suffering. The Quiet American illustrated many occasions where this is all too evident. The climax of the novel involves somewhat, a betrayal of Pyle by Fowler, ultimately leading to his death. Although this was arguably in the best interest of Vietnam and may have done a great deal of good on a grand scale, the repurcussions for Fowler and the mental scarring will probably remain with him for the rest of his life. He acknoqledges his fate when he says in the closing line, “I wished there was someone to whom I could say that I was sorry,” summing up the extent of his internal trauma.

Whether the gains outweigh the losses or the other way around is impossible to decide with conviction. One cannot make such a decision considering all the people involved and possible consequences. The only thing that can be said is that in conflict, there is always a gain, and there is always a loss.

Cover of The Quiet American

George Zimmerman will be monitored by a GPS tracking device so that law officials can monitor his where abouts. Zimmerman faces second degree murder charges. Question: is he really sorry for gunning down a 17 year old kid, or is he sorry for being the center of negative press? Many people will be upset if Zimmerman gets off. He must take responsibility for his actions.

Will this case and others cause a division of races? This case is worldwide. Zimmerman made a bad decision and now he must face the consequences. No one can predict the outcome of the case but if  he does not get any time than Justice was not served. It does not matter about race. No one should get away with committing a crime such as this should. This deserves harsh punishment. We have to believe that the Justice System will do the right thing.

   Pictures courtesy of the blaze.com

How to handle continuous and unnecessary lying

·                      Set strict rules with consequences for anyone stealing money from the kitty, and list the punishment which can range from a two-hour timeout to no allowance for that week. When the child is found lying, carry out the punishment and don’t veer from it. Children have to know that you mean what you say and know that there will be consequences. If you don’t act on it they will take you for granted and not pay much attention the next time you chastize them. Punishment for a toddler need not be anything greater than a two minute timeout in his room.

·                      As a child grows older and is more developed you can start to reason with him. Something like, “if you tell mummy a lie, I will not know when you are telling the truth and I won’t believe you again even though it might be the truth.”

·                      Punishment does not mean sending him for a two minute timeout where he can have the remote control to the television set. It will in fact be a reward where he can watch his own program in peace.

·                      Encourage a child to always tell the truth, especially when he owns up to the infraction. Always punish and reward a child without threatening that you will tell his father. That sets the father up as the bad guy.

·                      Don’t become frustrated and spank. Cutting into his playtime or banning him from watching television is far more effective. Don’t label your child as a liar, but work with him to improve.

http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com

          Rapid population growth is the fundamental problem of all development schemes. Fortunately, humans have realized the outcome of their reproduction feat and developed a thesis, and termed it ‘sustainable development’. This research paper will focus on these two terms.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A DEFINITION

In 1987, the Brundtland Commission coined the phrase ‘Sustainable Development’, to give recognition for rising human needs. Sustainable Development refers to ‘meeting the needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs’ (Giddings, Hopwood, O’Brien 2002, 188). Therefore, the three spheres of Sustainable Development indicate economic, social, and environmental issues that endanger human demands. The figure below reflects that the intersection between biological sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability leads to sustainable development. However, the model neglects the extent of actions taken to attain sustainable development. The literature provided below will explain further about this model.

          The term ‘sustainable development’ has faced much controversy from environmentalists, economists, and socialists. Giddings, Hopwood, and O’Brien (2002, 189) believe that the three spheres are often shown interconnected to simplify the understanding. But it is more complex than that, as Neumayer (1999), aptly stated, “it leads to assumptions that trade-offs can be made between the three sectors”, and that monetary capital can replace the natural ecosystem.

In reality, the three interconnected rings are three layers to sustainable development. For example, measures taken for economic sustainability will affect social and environmental sustainability and vice versa. To substantiate the above statement, Giddings, Hopwood, and O’Brien (2002, 189) stated that, “there are major weaknesses and limitations of this model. It assumes the separation and even autonomy of the economy, society and environment from each other”.

O’Connor (1994), a skeptic, claims that sustainable development is a phrase that can be manipulated according to human needs. And he proposed “one option to the dilemma of meanings over sustainable development is the use of word: sustainability” (O’Connor 1994) or “sustainable livelihoods” (Workshop on Urban Sustainability, 2000). Usage of such words makes the term sustainable development more precise and focuses on human needs and the environment. Brundtland’s connotation of sustainable development was the aim of the phrase, not its definition, according to Giddings, Hopwood, and O’Brien (2002, 188).

          Despite these controversies, sustainable development has gained worldwide acceptance. Future generations have to be assured that they will live their choice of lifestyle, which would presumably be different from today. To attain this criterion, there should be freedom of choice to choose from (Spangenberg 2001, 26), and natural resources have to be preserved for future exploitation. Many measures (Green Peace, Friends of Earth etc.) have been formulated based on this understanding of sustainability. Therefore Figure 1 should really be:

Economic stability at a national level helps social sustainability as there is lesser discrimination in the society. Both these factors contribute to managing environmental management. This relationship is justified in the following sections.

POPULATION GROWTH

According to Farflex Online Dictionary, the term population growth refers to “an increase in the number of people who inhabit a territory or state”. There are two large developing countries in the world, with the highest population growth: China and India.

India is the subject of our discussion. Figure 3 (UNICEF Organization 2005) gives an overview of India’s current state of affairs in terms of economical, social, and environmental characteristics.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND POPULATION GROWTH

          Sustainable development and population growth are implicitly linked to each other. To define this linkage, in the section of Population in the World Book Encyclopedia, the popular English economist, Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834), in his book Essay on the Principle of Population (1788) predicted that population will increase faster than food supplies; and he believed that wars and famine would kill the extra population. This simple prediction illustrates the linkage between sustainable development and population growth. The factors that convey this linkage are: environmental; economical and; social aspects.

          The implication and consequences of the linkage portrayed in the above depiction will be seen in depth, using India as a case study, in the following sections.

Environmental Sustainability vs. Population Growth

          Population growth is the fundamental element for the degradation of the environment. Environmental sustainability refers to the natural environment that we live in, and seeks to protect human welfare by protecting Natural Capital (NC). As contrasted with economic capital, NC consists of water, land, air, minerals, and ecosystem services; hence much is converted to manufactured or economic capital (Goodland 2002).

The impact on environment intensifies as the population and per capita consumption of India increases, and the level of technology used for that consumption (Population and Sustainable Development 1999). For example, if in Mumbai, the population increases at a rate of five babies per year (hypothetically); this means that five or more people in Mumbai would have reduced portions of food, as it’s a strain on the food supply. Agriculture technologists may claim that the Green Revolution has initiated beneficial means of increasing food supply; but Swaminathan, a crop scientist, (2006, 2293) argues that excessive use of fertilizers degrades the soil fertility and soil resistance. To meet these consumption patterns, extensive deforestation occurs, to shelter the new consumers of the scarce natural resource. Findings (Jorgenson and Burns 2007, 460) suggest that rapidly increasing rate of deforestation occurs in developing countries like India. The impact of population growth in India has prompted farmers to perform unsustainable practices such as burning forests, or deforestation to plant more crops to meet ration needs. Increasing population pressurizes on the available land, reducing its potentiality, making it ineffective for future generations.

          A contrasting study (Population and Sustainable Development 1999) blames developed countries for the high levels of pollution in the global climate. There are many possible reasons for such an accusation. But more precisely, poorer nations cannot afford the new technology. And most of today’s technology is largely dependent on natural resources such as coal, oil, and gas. However, developing nations such as India use older forms of technology in their daily life that also pollutes.

In the past few decades, India has improved incredibly in the field of IT (communication). Therefore, justifiably, as population grows, people aspire to “live better”; more domestic and international industries open doors of opportunities for employment, which in turn raises standard of living (Population and Sustainable Development 1999). Although this is a symbol of economic growth, environmental consequences have also risen, such as: high pollution levels, human traffic, and rise in global warming. Increased standards of living in the urban areas, has urged people to afford more luxuries in life, such as cars, bikes etc. These vehicles are not exactly environmentally friendly, as they emit Green House Gases (GHG) into the atmosphere choking the environment. As toxic pollutants in the air increases, it induces warmer climate, and raises the sea-level. This causes natural disasters, which destroys many well-built regions of the country, leaving just huge water mass for the future to dwell in. Furthermore, industries are increasing in India, and they dispose their industrial waste into nearby oceans, killing marine life, and jeopardizing future water supplies. In addition, as landfill sites increase, more and more percentage of landmass will decrease, whereby people will nucleate on the “fresh” land, exerting a strain on the resources of that land. Due to this, it causes human traffic, as more people want to benefit from the depleting resource leaving nothing for the future to benefit from.

This table is a brief overview of India’s rural and urban consumption of two basic amenities: Sanitation facilities and; improved water drinking resources (UNICEF Organization 2005):

The figures for access to improved drinking water resource prove that the government (Rotary Club of Hamden Foundation Inc. and South Asia Pure Water Initiative In. n.d.) has taken initiatives such as:

• Facilitating inexpensive water filtration systems, known as the Bio-Sand Filter
• Regional piped supply using mainly surface water.

By introducing such reforms, people in the rural areas can recycle the water and less strain on ground water for fresh supply.

The figures for adequate sanitation in urban and rural areas is very disconcerting, as poor sanitation facilities lead to higher increase in the spread of famine. One village’s lack of water sanitation can severely affect, the surrounding villages, and the country as a whole, if it is not restrained, contaminating the fresh water supply for the future.

The summarized linkage between population growth and environmental sustainability is: the higher the rate of population growth, higher the rate of depletion in natural resources, demoting sustainable development.  

Economic Sustainability vs. Population Growth

          Economical sustainability refers to the maintenance of economical capital. In other words, how the society manages its scarce resources (Gans, King, Mankiw 2005, 3).

The economy of India is strong, even though it supports a large population. India has failed to control population growth due to inadequate government policies, and religious beliefs. The IT boost, mentioned earlier, has triggered economic growth but has done nothing to improve poverty standards. This poverty line is largely due to many people being segmented in the agricultural sector. As Weaver, Rock, and Kusterer (1997, 133) revealed that, the government policies in developing nations like India, favor urban areas and industry over agriculture. More economic capital is spent on urban development, and as a result there is insufficient fund on other projects. Due to insufficient funds, has resulted Indians in the rural areas to believe that more children in the family mean more income, as the children go to work at a very young age. And these children are required to make ends meet in a rural family, because of the inflation crisis in India. However, as Larsen (2003) pointed out that fast-growing populations shrink crop-land area per person, up to the extent that they will be unable to feed themselves.

The aforementioned consumption patterns affect economical distribution of scarce resource throughout India. Rapid increase in population growth encourages consumption of manufactured items made from materials that are scarce and harmful towards the environment, such as plastic and automobiles (India’s sustainable development framework 2002). This has exerted tension on the natural resources of India, decreasing the profit that the resource can provide, if the population growth was appropriate to the consumption. This downgrades sustainable development further as future generations cannot benefit from the resource, if the resource is not available. As a result, India has faced trade-offs (Gans, King, Mankiw 2005, 3). It has traded off environmental sustainability to attain economic sustainability. For example, India shifted to an open-economy system in the early 90s, encouraging more foreign investors. The increase in foreign investment reduced the unemployment rate, and thrived on the Indian resources for industrial growth. Hence, the Indian population was deprived from consuming their share of the resource; which proves that the natural capital has become inadequate. 

On the account of more than two-thirds of people inhabiting the agricultural and fishing sector, India has done “overcapitalization of manufactured capital” (India’s sustainable development framework 2002), such as allotting too much capital on sawmills for declining forests. Yet, it has to expand territories, because of urbanization. Thus, a decrease in the allocation of resources to the natural capital occurs.

Likewise, Weaver, Rock, and Kusterer (1997, 83) imply that, economic growth can only be sustained if the performance, structure, and behavior of a national economy is effective, facing no fatal trade-offs like India; in addition, more focus is towards economic growth, at the cost of other sustainable factors and lesser concern for sustainable development.

A statistical data (UNICEF Organization 2005) will complete the cause-effect relationship understanding.

From the table, it can be seen that lesser, non-profitable proportion is spent on India’s development and larger proportion towards India’s protection. If resources are assigned in this manner, the future generations are going to be more protected from rivals rather than be healthy or educated. The other half of the statistical data shows that the government has certainly failed to facilitate means of communication throughout India which is in paradox with the IT boost mentioned earlier. These figures mean that there is lack of financial resources to promote technology to other parts, which is due to increasing population. If the population crisis continues in India, then the figures will become even smaller than they already are.  

In conclusion, the cause-effect relationship between population growth and economic sustainability is: increase in population growth puts a strain on the natural resource, which results in uneven distribution of economical assets and a shortage of resource for the future generation.

Social Sustainability vs. Population Growth

          Social sustainability refers to the maintenance of social capital. Social capital is investments and services that create the basic framework for society (Goodland 2002).          In India, certain social indicators have improved substantially, compared to late 60s. Literacy rates have risen, while mortality rates have declined. Reduction in gender gap has contributed in reducing the poverty rate (India’s sustainable development framework 2002). For instance, as women literacy rates increased in urban areas, it has encouraged a wider outlook to the concept of family planning, and other contraceptives in order to control population growth.

          In Hofstede’s cultural framework (Fletcher and Brown 2005, 95), India falls high in the masculine versus feminine scale. A high score reflects that India is more masculine oriented and women do not have the freedom of men. The female adult literacy rate is 48% as of 2004 (UNICEF Organization 2005); assuming that it includes the female population from rural and urban areas. This figure is comparatively low as compared to adult male literacy rate which is 73%. It can be deduced that more than half of the female population live in rural areas and do not receive the education that they deserve; and this is where population growth is the largest. This reduces the importance of social sustainability.

The role of women is an important segment of attaining social sustainability. A classic example is produced by Weaver, Rock, and Kusterer (1997, 206): in 1970 the Chipko movement in Northern India, and the birth of the term tree-huggers; many groups of women saved the trees in their nearby forests by rising earlier than men and hugging the trees to save it from being deforested. Similarly, in the Green Revolution technology, social scientists argued that women were alienated from technology based agriculture, adding to their marginalization (Swaminathan 2006, 2293). These studies portray that women are more environmental sensitive than men, and constant encouragement is required to boost this valuable characteristic of women.

          Soares (2007, 247) claims that “increases in life expectancy between 1960 and 2000 were largely independent of improvements in income”. He explains that, decline in death rates in developing nations like India is due to improved public health infrastructure, immunization, and sharing of knowledge in the society. Nevertheless, these improvements are only available in some parts of the country while some undeveloped villages are stranded to stew in their own crisis with no initiatives being taken to improvise their condition. Large population is the principal problem of such irregular reach of information. Other prime reasons are bribery, poor execution of concept, weak management, and political crisis. Because of these circumstances many Non-governmental organizations (NGO) have been formed, like research universities, to implement the unwritten proposals of the government. 

The final supplement to encompass the subject is a statistical data (UNICEF Organization 2005) on the social development of India.

The differences in the number in 15 years suggest that the concept has permeated into the rural areas at a gradual rate. NGOs have been more effective than the government in communicating their message which shows care and unanimity to reach sustainable development.

To summarize, the above literature justifies that the link between social sustainability and population growth is: higher population growth and lesser investment of social capital on services then lesser the understanding of fundamental problems of the country.

CONCLUSION

                    The study disproves the three spheres of sustainable development to be merely interconnected. Environmental depletion is caused due to inadequate economic capital and loss of social unity; Economic growth is caused at the expense of weak social capital which instigates environmental resources to diminish; Social strain occurs due to poor management of economic assets which gives rise to the exhaustion of environmental resources. Population growth is one of the factors that have been taken into account to establish this relationship.

          The aim of the study is clear. Environmental depletion, social disputes, and rapid economic growth, are the platform to a stranded future. Ignorance of such significant issues is ignorance of our future. Initiatives have to be taken, and it has to be taken now.

“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.”

- Margaret Mead

 [References]

CIA World Factbook. 2007. United Kingdom. https://www.cia.gov./library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html

Fletcher, R., and L. Brown. 2005. International Marketing An Asia-Pacific Perspective. New South Wales: Pearson Education Australia.

Gans, J., S. King, and N.G. Mankiw. 2005. Principles of microeconomics. Victoria: Thomson Learning.

Giddings, B., B. Hopwood, and G. O’Brien. 2002. Environment, economy and society: Fitting them together into sustainable development. Sustainable Development 10: 187-196.

Goodland, R. 2002. Sustainability: Human, social, economic and environmental. Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change.

India’s sustainable development framework. 2002. http://www.ias.unu.edu/research/indiasdf.cfm 

Jorgenson, K.A., and J.T. Burns. 2007. Effects of Rural and Urban Population Dynamics and National Development on Deforestation in Less-Developed Countries, 1990-2000. Sociological Inquiry 77 (3): 460. 

Larsen, J. 2003. Population Growth Leading to Land Hunger. http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update21.htm 

Neumayer, E. 1999. Weak versus strong sustainability: Exploring the limits of two opposing paradigms. Elgar: Cheltenham. Quoted in Giddings, B., B. Hopwood, and G. O’Brien., Environment, economy and society: Fitting them together into sustainable development (Sustainable Development, 2002), 189.

O’ Connor, J. 1994. Is capitalism sustainable? Guilford: New York. Quoted in Giddings, B., B. Hopwood, and G. O’Brien., Environment, economy and society: Fitting them together into sustainable development (Sustainable Development, 2002), 188.

Population and sustainable development. 1999. http://www.unfpa.org/6billion/populationissues/development.htm 

Rotary Club of Hamden Foundation Inc. and South Asia Pure Water Initiative Inc. n.d. Water project: Focus on South India. http://www.rotary7980.org/avenues_of_service/4th_international_service/water_projects/Hamden-South%20Asia%20BioSand%20Filter%20Project.pdf 

Soares, R.R. 2007. On the Determinants of Mortality Reductions in the Developing World. Population and Development Review 33 (2): 247. 

Spangenberg, H.J. 2001. Sustainable development: from catchwords to benchmarks and operational concepts. Germany: GreenLeaf Publishing.

Swaminathan, S.M. 2006. An evergreen revolution. Crop Science 46 (5): 2293. 

UNICEF Organization. 2005. Information by Country: India. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_india_statistics.html 

Weaver, H.J., M.T. Rock, and K. Kusterer. 1997. Achieving Broad-Based Sustainable Development: Governance, Environment, and Growth with Equity. Connecticut: Kumarian Press.

Workshop on Urban Sustainability. 2000. Towards a comprehensive geographical perspective on urban sustainability. http://www.wbcsd.ch 

Occupy Wall Street is opposed to big business. However, with a $20.00 per hour minimum wage, big business would be the only businesses which could afford to pay their employees. Small and even some medium-sized business would fail entirely or reduce their work forces to accommodate the wage increase. Businesses would further influence the government to intervene which could lead to more drastic legislation of people in the workforce.

HOW MUCH IS THAT HAPPY MEAL?

Everything comes with a cost. The increased wages would mean higher prices for all goods and services. The proposed hike in minimum wage is a little over 3 times the national average for minimum wage now. With that math, a Happy Meal would run upwards of $13.00. “Can I get Happy Meal without the toy?”

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Automation would replace many more jobs throughout America. This would be one of the only ways for businesses to maintain a profit. In addition, large chain 24 hour grocery stores would be forced to adjust operating hours to eliminate the 3rd shift work force.

YOU GOT YOUR FIRST JOB WHEN YOU WERE HOW OLD?

Forget about your kids getting summer jobs. Congress would have no choice but to raise the working age to combat the reduced number of jobs left in America. In addition, businesses would lobby to reduce the retirement age.

I know there needs to be change in this country, but we need to think through what we want from government. Some solutions may end up being our demise.

Sources

Blood, J. (2011, November, 6). OWS Manifesto (Anti Gun, Pro Union, Pro Abortion, and “Social Justice”), Deadline Live. Retrieved from http://deadlinelive.info/2011/11/06/ows-manifesto-anti-gun-pro-union-pro-abortion-and-social-justice/

If you act badly, push people around, cause pain and suffering, eventually it’s going to catch up with you, and you’ll wind up dead or in prison. I think that’s called Karma. But what about fate? Maybe it’s fate that some people are just bad news and it’s their fate to wind up suffering the consequences of their behavior. I heard that there’s a big book up in heaven that has your fate written in it. What you’ll make of yourself, who you’ll marry, how many kids you’ll have, and how you’ll die. It’s all written down. Somebody planned everything that’s going to happen to you. It’s been said.

Yet, if you’re due to become a total creep, and you know that this can’t end well, can’t you just change things? But if you can do that, then maybe it was fate that you first become a down low, cowardly, sneaky creep and you suddenly transform yourself into Mr. Wonderful and in the end, the pearly gates will open for you.  

But I think that it’s really the law of consequences. I think there are both good and bad consequences. In the end, it’s the afterlife that’s important. Everything you do has consequences. And the things you do are both external and internal. The external are the things that people can be a witness to, or there is evidence of. And they can be both good or bad such as committing a crime, or helping the poor and homeless. People see these things and react to it.

But there is the internal. You can act outwardly good. Go to church. Donate to charities. Volunteer and so on. But inwardly you may have bad thoughts. Hatred, avarice, jealousy, and so on. I really believe that you must act good outwardly as well as inwardly. Inward thoughts will become outward actions eventually, but even if they never do, at least you are aware that you are not the person that other people see. God knows the true you even if no one else does.

Priests are generally supposed to be seen as good people. We call them Father. We can go to them with our problems. Outwardly they are good but if inwardly they have unclean thoughts, it can cause problems. I’ve seen a hidden camera sequence on a Rabbi, who is supposed to be a pillar of the community, get caught while trying to meet with a teenager for a sexual encounter. I saw his reaction on getting caught. It was not pretty. Consequences. His Karma. Was it his fate? Was it written?

I think he could have avoided it.

“It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine…” Do I need to go on?  Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G, was born on May 21, 1972.  He was raised in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, and at a young age discovered his passion for rapping.  Young Wallace grew up surrounded by poverty, in a neighborhood that turned out more criminals than it did scholars.  Although many criticized the young boy claiming that “[he would] never amount to nothin’”, young Christopher Wallace did the unthinkable and landed himself a record deal with Uptown Records, thus propelling him into stardom.  Stories like Notorious B.I.G’s are everywhere in the media, as many celebrities are transformed from rags into riches.  Although Christopher Wallace (A.K.A Biggie) managed to propel himself out of poverty’s grasp, many citizens of the United States are not so lucky.  In fact in 2009 alone the United States Census reported that an astonishing 43.6 million people were impoverished (Poverty).  Poverty is an everyday reality for many citizens of the United States and unlike Mr. Wallace, the debilitating effects of poverty weigh heavily upon these individuals as they go forth in their daily lives; thus drastically altering their way of life as Americans.

            The face of the poor man has changed, and is no longer just the homeless man begging in the streets. With the current economic downturn that the county is facing and a national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, the face of the poor man is ever changing.  In the United States today, poverty embodies many individuals.  From “a young child in rural Alabama… going [to school] without breakfast and wearing hand-me- down clothes…[to a] New York businesswoman laid off by her company…having no income and feeling a rising sense of panic” (Poor 4).  As Americans, we like to think of the United States as the land of the free and the home of the brave; however we consistently overlook the fact that it is also the home of the impoverished. The number of impoverished individuals in 2009 was the highest number recorded in over 51 years (Poverty).  With statistics like this, one cannot ignore the fact that there is a growing epidemic within the country.  In order to fully understand the extent to which poverty affects the lives of individuals, one must first understand what it means to be impoverished.  The United States measures poverty in accordance to a “poverty threshold” or simply the poverty line.  The poverty threshold is the brainchild of Mollie Orshansky, an economist at the social security administration.  She developed the idea of the threshold in the 1960’s by utilizing the U.S department of Agriculture’s “Economy Food Plan”.  The “Economy Food Plan” consists of four nutritionally adequate food plans. In order to calculate the poverty threshold, Orshansky used the cheapest of the four plans and multiplied its price by three.  She had originally intended for the threshold line to serve as a mere indicator of low economic status (Iceland). However from its creation in 1960 to today, Orshansky’s poverty line serves as a basis for the minimum amount of income that an individual must have in order to achieve a reasonable standard of living. And as of 2010, individuals earning below $11,369 in the eyes of The United States are impoverished (Poverty).

             Poverty in the United States has an ever-expanding reach, as it is now affecting the areas in which individuals live.  With low economic funds, many poor individuals are forced to find shelter in some of the most dangerous environments in The United States; as many cannot afford the high housing prices that a secure environment offers.  A prime example of such desperateness can be seen in Las Vegas, Nevada; an area usually associated with glamour and money.  With “Sky-high foreclosures and epic layoffs…the working-class dreams of men and women” are becoming increasingly shattered, as sin city is reporting an unemployment rate of 14 percent (Dokoupil).  With such high unemployment rates in Las Vegas—among the highest reported in The United States—many of the laid off workers are turning to make shift homes.  The search for housing has driven these individuals “into a 500-mile warren of wet, trash-strewn drainage pipes that function as an underground shelter for hundreds of the city’s most downtrodden” (Dokoupil).  Life within the underground shelter in ridden with crime and there is an ever present threat of flooding.  A laid off casino waitress even went as far as obtaining a BB-gun in order to protect her area of the tunnel.  Similar to the inhabitants of the drainage pipes, many individuals in various other parts of the country have adopted a tent lifestyle; that is they create makeshift cities out of tents, motor homes and cars.  These “tent cities” as they are referred to house hundreds of homeless individuals.  The largest established tent city is right outside of Los Angeles, in Ontario, California.  This large settlement contains 140 inhabitants that call it home.  Life within a tent city is rough, for like the underground tunnel, conditions are not stable. There is an ever-present threat of harsh weather and sanitary conditions are not favorable for the inhabitants (Shimo).  The drastic measures that these individuals take in order to survive demonstrates the effects that poverty has on where an individual can live. 

            The behavior of an individual is often times reflective of the environment that they are raised in.  However the context of a person’s immediate environment also plays a major role in influencing his or her actions and thoughts.  In the case of the impoverished, the life style that they are forced to adopt becomes their sort of make shift culture; thus poverty’s reach is ever expanding as it affects the social aspect of an individual’s life.  In Black Urban Poor, author Carol Stack describes life in the flats, and the various techniques that the residents use in order to survive. In her writing, Stack introduces the concept of kinship, and how it relates to the family.  While the ideal family is held to the standard of the nuclear family—a mother, father and child—the residents of the flats have managed to redefine this concept to suit their needs.  Family for the flat’s residents consists of “an extensive network of kin and friends supporting, reinforcing each other…[and] devising…strategies for survival in a community of economic deprivation” (Stack 28).  It is obvious through this simple redefinition of family that mainstream society values cannot be upheld when one is under unfavorable economic conditions.  Thus, the poor man cannot fully hold an integrated position within society, and must then forge his own separate society.  The flat’s resident’s concept of exchange also reinforces the notion that poverty affects the social aspect of an individual.  Much like a formal banking system, the exchange system within the flats centers around a give and take relationship between the residents; with the concept of reciprocity as the main value.  Through the exchange system, flats residents are able to alleviate many of their financial burdens, be it through having their neighbors feed their own children, or having kin members share electricity.  The flat’s establishment of an informal economy demonstrates how removed they are from societal norms: for they cannot participate in the formal establishments that are already enacted.  Thus poverty rears its ugly head as citizens of this great country are forced to turn to each other, instead of the support of its government.

            Similar to the flats residents’ establishment of exchange, various other individuals are turning to informal economies, as desperation to make a living becomes impossible through a formal economy.  In his book, Poverty at Work: Office Employment and the Crack Alternative, Phillipe Bourgois illustrates how the downturn in manufacturing jobs has left many individuals with no means of income—as many only possess the knowledge of hard labor.  Bourgois focuses in particular on the life of a man named Primo.  Primo was cast into the streets after he lost his job as a laborer, and as a result found himself unable to integrate into the blue-collar world. He attempted to assimilate into the workforce, but found that his extensive years in poverty, and in harsh conditions did not allow for him to fit into the societal norm.  In one specific situation, Primo was even told that he was not allowed to answer the phone in the office by his supervisor who was a receptionist.  It is obvious how low Primo is in the “office hierarchy that his immediate supervisor is a receptionist” (Bourgois 2330).  This incident demonstrates how much Primo’s street life/poverty has affected him for even in a formal setting, he is reduced to the lowest possible position in the office.  As a result of this, he turned to the only other alternative he knew—the underground market—selling crack and other illegal substances.  Primo’s case is not an isolated incident for many individuals after experiencing a loss in their job are left with skills that prove to be useless in the realm of the blue-collar man.  Their “street” habits also prohibit any upward mobility for many individuals, like Primo, who value respect—which is oftentimes absent in an office setting.  Society itself creates a situation in which those facing hard economic times must find themselves another “society”, one that proves to be sympathetic with their situations.

            Education is the key to enriching the mind and provides individuals with the opportunity to succeed.  If education is such an important factor in the lives of American’s, then why has it become a commodity?  Instead of education based on merit, the wallet is now what determines the quality of an individual’s education. And with that said, location is also the key to unlocking a great education.  A 2002 study conducted by the United States General Accounting office found that “urban schools were typically older, with higher student enrollments, far fewer resources, less technological support, fewer books, and less- experienced and lower-quality teachers” (Batchis103). Immediately it is evident that the disparity in the supplies that low-income schools receive demonstrates to be an inhibiting factor for the education of students. .  In his book The Shame of a Nation, Jonathan Kozol examines the disparity that exists between the education of the wealthy and that of the poor.  In a study Kozol conducted on a South Bronx school, Kozol was able to bring to life the statistics that The United States General Accounting Office has posted about lower income schools.  He found that “very little teaching took place…[and the] kids waite[ed] as long as 30 minutes for their turn to file downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch” (Kozol 14).  Overcrowding is typical in low-income schools, and the demand for teachers is high.  However seldom do these schools ever achieve a balance between students and teachers.  One student Kozol conversed with admitted that she had four different teachers that same year; each one was subsequently fired for improper conduct.  The school went as far to hire “an unprepared young teacher who was not yet certified” (15).  The school’s desperation in hiring an uncertified teacher demonstrates the immense need of proper funding and staff that is needed in many urban schools.    This in itself is the downfall for many low-income students, for their schools ultimately are the ones that erect the barriers preventing the students to succeed.

            Many poor American’s are finding it harder and harder to enroll their children in high ranked schools, and as a result, many are turning to inner-city schools.  In once instance during a visit to a Columbus, Ohio school, Jonathan Kozol witnessed the methods that an economically devastated school adopted in order to help its students.  In a kindergarten class that Kozol observed, he found JCpenny posters along with several other retail stores advertising in the classroom.  And one poster even read, “Do you want a manager’s job?” (Kozol 89).  It is a failure’s mentality that many underprivileged schools are instilling in their children.  It is obvious that this is the case even in this institution, for even the teachers demonstrate their lack of faith in the students.  Kozol spoke to one teacher who remarked, “Even if you have a felony arrest…we want you to understand that you can still be a manager someday” (93).  Although 98 percent of the student population is recorded to be impoverished, the school is clearly not making an effort to aid its students.  In a sense the school is merely housing future criminals for many of the teacher’s statements reflect this belief.  Due to the lack of proper funding and the lack of a proper staff, these children who face horrible economic times, are being denied their right to a fair education; thus impeding their ability to succeed.  Instead, the school is facilitating the never-ending cycle of poverty that begins for these children as young as kindergarten.  Kozol clearly exposes the inequality of the education system when poverty becomes a factor.

            When you incorporate homelessness as a factor, then education seems more of a dream rather than a commodity; for many individuals without home face harder trials in order to receive an education.  Homeless students face multiple barriers when it comes to obtaining an education.  For starters, many are denied services such as transportation, which oftentimes play a determining role in whether the student can or cannot  attend a school. Moreover, homeless children face the implications of a psychological disadvantage, for many “lack a stable living environment, food, and clothing” (De Bradley).  Furthermore,  low income families tend to parent in a harsher style, thus inhibiting their children from experiencing an interactive environment.  In addition to this, many low income families also lack the encouragement that children need in order to succeed for many parents are often times working more than one job in order to sustain the family.  With this in mind, many children then start to lag behind in school for parents are unable to give them the necessary push needed In order to go out and find opportunities (Engle).  Also, low-income families are also unaware of the education system and unlike their wealthier counterparts, miss out on educational extracurricular activities for their children or themselves.  Many homeless students are also unable to associate themselves with their fellow classmate for many feel cast out due to their situations.  This can cause long-term repercussions for an individual; for if they become accustomed to living in poverty’s grasp at a young age, leaving the life of poverty will become difficult for them for they do not know any other life.  This in itself demonstrates the crippling effect that poverty has on an individuals educational circumstance, as well as his or hers psychological state.

            The toll that poverty has on an individual is great, for it is ultimately detrimental to the health of the individual. While an illness to many Americans is seen as a mere nuisance, to those who are in the grip of poverty, a cold can mean a day out of work and a day without food.  Many impoverished individuals find it hard to keep their health in check.  Often times, poor health can be attributed to a poor diet lacking the proper nutrients.  Many are forced to sacrifice quality food in order to appease the appetites of their families.  A large big Mac meal costs around $5 and is enough to feed an individual to the point of satisfaction—compared to the high price of produce that many supermarkets are charging.  It is this nutritional deficit that leads to terminal illnesses within the impoverished community (Magid).  Terminal illness due to a nutritionally lacking diet range from hypertension, high blood pressure, elevated serum cholesterol, to diabetes.  Since many impoverished individuals do not have access to health care this severely affects their health for they will be unable to receive care from a medical provider in times of need.  And according to  “One study…individuals with low incomes had life expectancies, 25 percent lower than those with higher incomes” (Nilsen).  Some thing even as small as dental hygine, can pose as a menace for low-income individuals.  While dental health may seem like a minute problem, improper care can lead to larger diseases, which in turn contribute to absenteeism and failure in both school, and the work place.  Many of these illnesses are easily treatable for most Americans for their insurance companies are able to help alleviate the payments.

            Low-income individuals are not completely without help for the government has enacted various laws that help with medical needs.  The United States Government created Medicaid as a health program intended to aid low-income families. Medicaid was created on July 30, 1965, through Title XIX of the social security act, and is jointly funded by the state and federal government (Bingaman). Though Medicaid was created for low-income individuals, being impoverished does not automatically qualify an individual, which is where the problems arise.  Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all impoverished individual.  In order to qualify for Medicaid, low-income individuals must first meet the eligibility requirements.  This is where the conflict exists; for those individuals who do not have enough money for private insurance, yet are not poor enough to receive Medicaid are often times left unprotected and are subject to various illnesses that the majority of the time will be left untreated.

            America the beautiful…more like America the not so beautiful. Within our country lies a beast dormant, waiting to engulf the hopeless.  A shroud of deception has been cast over its citizens, as many are unaware of the growing problem that is poverty.  Poverty accounts for over 13.5 percent of The United States population, and with numbers such as these, it is an ever-present problem that cannot be ignored (Statistical).  While the government has enacted various programs in order to aid those with low income, it is not enough.  Many of these programs exclude the majority of those that do not fall immediately into the starvation category; leaving thousands of citizens unprotected against the cruel world.  However, poverty is not just something that affects an individual on an economic level alone.  Poverty takes the life of an individual and drastically alters it for it can be felt on every level including psychological, and social.  It also serves as a barrier for many. And unlike that young rapper who managed to pull himself out of poverty’s grips, impoverished citizens have very little options.  And oftentimes continue on through most of their lives in severe economic peril.  The illusion that our nation paints of upward mobility though education is ever present as many Americans hold the belief that with a little hard work anything is achievable.  However, Kozol was able to prove that there exist certain barriers for low-income individuals.   Educational opportunities become limited, as low-income individuals cannot afford the high prices of housing that are associated with elite schools.  Thus they are denied the opportunity to advance and succeed in life.   Poverty in The United States is a problem that needs to be addressed by the government and its citizens, for our fellow man is suffering, and who knows…you could even be next.

Works Cited

Batchis, Wayne. “Urban Sprawl and the Constitution: Educational Inequality as an             Impetus to Low Density Living” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the             The Law and Society Association, Grand Hyatt, Denver, Colorado, May 25, 2009             . 2011-05-01

Bingaman, Eff. “Dental Disease Is a Chronic Problem Among Low-Income Populations.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

De Bradley, Ann Aviles. “Education and the Rights of Homeless Children and Youth.” Legal and Community Advocacy. Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

“Dental Disease Is a Chronic Problem Among Low-Income Populations.” Web.

Dokoupil, Tony, Ramin Setoodeh, and Steve Friess. “Rich Vegas, Poor Vegas.” Ebsco Host. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 May 2011.

Engle, Patrice L., and San Luis Obispo. “The Effect of Poverty on Child Development and Educational Outcomes.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011.

Iceland, John. “Measuring Poverty in America.” FDCH Congressional Testimony (2007). Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: the Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in             America. New York: Crown, 2005.             Print.

Magid, Jennifer. “The Price of Poverty.” Weekly Reader Corporation. Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

Nilsen, Sigurd R. “POVERTY IN AMERICA Consequences for Individuals and the Economy.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

Phillipe Bourgois. “Poverty at Work: Office Employment and the Crack Alternative”             Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology (13th ed). Ed. James             Spradley and David W. McCurdy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2009. 227-247.

“Poor in America.” Current Events 11 Nov. 2009: 4-5. Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

“Poverty Guidelines, Research, and             Measurement: Home Page.” Office             of the             Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.

Samuelson, Robert J. “Defining Poverty Up.” Newsweek 155.23: 23. Ebscohost. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Shimo, Alexandria. “U.S. Markets Fall, Tent Cities Rise.” Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Stack, Carol B. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. New             York:             Harper & Row, 1974. Print.

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2011. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Print.

These are the children who have never been disciplined in any form of the word.  They have never been punished for any wrong-doing they have been involved in.  They grow up thinking that the sun rises and sets for their enjoyment and benefit.  They are the long lost royalty of a country presently unknown.  Their every whim is catered to and they are never told no.  

This child will be just fine, until they have to face the consequences of their actions.  When that is, depends on the situation of the family in which the child is raised.  For some children, this is when they go to school and they realize that they are no longer in control of the rules in the classroom.  For others it is not until High School or College.  For those most “fortunate” children this will not be until they enter the workforce.  What a rude awakening they have.

I personally hope that their awakening comes sooner rather than later.  The earlier in life that a child realizes that there are consequences to their actions, the sooner they can learn to live in harmony with the rest of society.  The punishments for taking something that does not belong to you are much less severe at the age of three, four or five than at sixteen, eighteen, or twenty-something.  It is much easier to stand in a corner, or apologize to a friend or even a store manager than to call your parents or lawyer from jail.

Each situation is different and I am not telling anyone what they should or should not do with their lives.  But I am asking that you try to gently, at the earliest age possible, teach the children you have influence with, that there are consequences to every action you take.  The consequences can be good or bad depending on the action.  Teach them to look at the consequence they would like to have, then make the decisions and choices necessary to arrive at that consequence.

1. Telling people they’re wrong or they need to change something.
2. Punishing, or refusing to enable.

One is verbal, the other is an action. Each one is intended to help the subject, though it may seem negative to that person. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between what’s necessary, and what’s just mean. Is one type less harmful than the other? Is it ever okay to use both? How do you know?

When To Tell Someone They’re Wrong

Everyone makes mistakes. Children and the immature especially tend to make critical errors in judgement, and it takes a wise, experienced mind to explain to them that they need to change. In some cases, it’s extremely important that someone speak up, otherwise the child might never learn the right thing.

The general rule I use is to make sure they know what they’re doing. If a child is running around recklessly, the first time, I tell them to stop so they don’t get hurt. The second time, I yell at them. The third time, I let them keep running until they hit a table. That usually works pretty well.

Everyone’s mind works a little differently, especially with age. I wouldn’t let a teenager speed until they hit a lightpole. The consequences are a bit worse. The difference with teenagers is that they understand a bit more. When I tell a three-year-old he might get hurt, he doesn’t imagine the pain of running into a table. He just stops running for a minute and does it again when I stop yelling. However, I can always show a teenager a video of someone wrecking a car, or even tell them a story, and they’ll have the sense to keep it under 100 mph at the very least. If my dad had yelled at me for doing something wrong while I was learning to drive, I would’ve cried and freaked out. I was already nervous enough. If the person you’re talking to can understand reason, just explain yourself. Don’t yell, and don’t say, “because I said so.” You have a better reason than that.

When To Stop Helping

If one of my family members is sick, lacking sleep, or disabled, I will bring them a sandwich. However, if that same person can get up and go to a movie without trouble and simply doesn’t feel like walking ten feet to the kitchen, I’m not making a sandwich. You can get mad all you want, but there’s ten feet in between me and you that you don’t have the energy to cross, so I’m feeling pretty safe.

Don’t buy an alcoholic a drink, and don’t loan money to someone in a pile of debt. It’s okay to help someone get back on their feet during a time of crisis, but every day does not qualify as a crisis. That’s a tragedy. At some point, you have to stop helping and tell them to help themselves.

When To Punish

Everyone needs to face consequences. If somone is doing something that’s not good for them and they don’t know it, or it’s hurting other people, take away something that matters. They should feel some of the pain they inflict, and they should learn not to do it anymore. If they can’t understand or care about the right reason for not doing something, give them a consequential motivation to do good. Like the three-year-old, they’ll learn eventually.

I should know – even though I lasted nearly twenty years working with children, the fact that I got sick, tired and fed up with dealing with “bad” kids was a big reason why I left that field in early 2008.

I understand why children who cause trouble act the way they do, however; it’s all in their brain development, or, more accurately, lack thereof…

The frontal lobe of the brain, which is the part that controls impulses, judgment, and a person’s sense of right and wrong, doesn’t fully develop until one’s mid-20s, and for boys it’s a bit later than that, stemming from the well-known fact that girls mature faster than their male counterparts.

That’s why kids and teens do dumb things like drink alcohol, smoke, take illicit drugs, drive recklessly, bully other kids, and act up in class.

While such is the case, that does not excuse that fact that children and adolescents must be held accountable, which is the root of needing to deal with the ones who continually misbehave and cause trouble and misery for teachers and everyone else around them.

To that effect, here are some suggestions:

1.  It is essential that you, as a teacher, a coach, or any other type of leader, establish clear rules, regulations, procedures, and consequences on day one, and make sure all of your charges understand them. This falls under the category of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

2.  Once your rules, policies and procedures are established, you must stick to them.

Based on my experiences with tough kids, warnings and talking to them often doesn’t work, as they interpret that as, “He ain’t gonna do nothing!” and will be a signal to keep misbehaving, so you must make sure that the consequences that you’ve established are given for all infractions. 

3.  Not only do you need to give consequences right away, but you also need to make sure that any bad behavior is nipped in the bud from the get-go; don’t let things slide, and – very important – do not let your students think, even for a second, that they can get away with anything.

4.   I know that this is an obvious suggestion, but the parents of the tough kid must be notified, as it’s important that they be put in the loop of their child’s misbehavior and defiance, and kept in that loop. Assuming that the parents want their kid to behave in school, they will make a strong ally here.

5.  Document every infraction that your tough students do the moment they make the infraction; I cannot emphasize enough how important this is, as it serves as proof and protection in case the tough kid’s parents are the type who are in denial and side with the kid, saying things like,

“How come you’re singling out my child?!”

“Stop picking on my kid!”

“You’re not being fair!”

With documentation, you can say when asked what the tough kid did to get in trouble, “Well, he did this, and this, and this…”, showing the parents what you wrote. It would be difficult for them to deny that there’s a problem then without looking unreasonably biased.

6.  For those tough kids who are defiant and continue to make your life miserable with their behavior, a contract between you, your trouble making student, and their parents is not a bad idea, a promise of rewards that can be earned for improved behavior and increased consequences such as visits to the principal’s office and suspensions if no improvement is shown.

Make sure that the student signs it; that way if he continues to break rules, you can simply show him the contract that he signed and how he broke such contract, justifying his consequence.

7.  Watch your trouble making students like ten hawks eyeing a meal.

At an elementary school where I taught P.E. at, there were a group of 4th graders who were like the proverbial bad apples spoiling the bunch, doing all kinds of chaotic stuff and making their class a hellish one to teach. 

One day another P.E. teacher and I lined all of these trouble causing youngsters against a wall and told them, in a very serious tone, that we were going to watch them and nail them on anything and everything they did that they were not supposed to do. That worked for the most part, as the majority of those tough kids realized that we weren’t playing around with them and shaped up.

8.  It’s particularly essential that you stick to your guns – DO NOT BE AFRAID to remove a kid from an activity, bench them for two or three days, send them to the principal with a recommendation of suspension, or even expulsion for the worst cases.

Some administrators have said that tough kids want to get in trouble; to get benched, suspended or expelled because they don’t want to do the work that’s required of them. Therefore, they advocate “working with these kids”, mostly through counseling, rather than have them pay the consequences for their actions.

I cannot disagree enough with that sentiment, as I’ve always believed that whatever a child does in school, good or bad, is on them.

In other words, I have never felt that a teacher gets a student in trouble or fails them, but rather it’s the student that gets himself in trouble and fails himself; I’ve always said,

“I didn’t give you that D, you gave yourself that D.”

“I didn’t do this to you, you did this to yourself.”

It’s always been my opinion that if a teacher, a coach, or anyone who works with kids spends too much time getting the “bad” kid to improve by counseling or any of that “new-age” stuff that’s common in schools today, it’s a detriment to those kids who are well behaved and do follow the rules, and brings down the class as a whole.

That’s why I’ve always hated, with a pronounced passion, the phrases, “These are just kids”, “It’s just a phase”, and “That’s what kids do”, which I’ve actually had people tell me, because it merely serves an excuse and indirectly gives kids the OK to act up.

Which has undoubtedly been a big factor in discipline issues and tragedies like school shootings being on the rise these past 15 years or so.

While it’s true that the lack of frontal lobe development is a root in all of this, I’ve also strongly felt, and still feel, that these tough kids who cause havoc and misery in schools are weak, in the sense that they, more than other students, simply don’t have the aptitude to discipline themselves, or to follow guidelines, or to do the right thing. 

To put it another way – with many, if not most, of these youngsters who cause trouble, you can talk to them and counsel them until you are, as a former supervisor of mine once told me, “…are blue in the face”, but if they continue to make bad choices, consequences must be paid, and it’s no one’s fault but the kid’s.

There’s an old saying fits in with this opinion perfectly, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it”.

The bottom line in all of this is, those children in your charge who are incorrigible must be dealt with, to the point of removal, if they continue to be incorrigible.

To sum it all up, I once saw a TV show about this well-known family whose parents talked about how there was strong discipline in that family early on, with the father stating this as the reason for such discipline:

“If we don’t correct them, society will.”

Those seven words are the number one reason why you, as a teacher or in any job where you work with children, need to deal with those in your charge who continually cause trouble or chaos.

Because if you don’t, well, the authorities who will deal with them in later years will not be as nice or understanding as you are.

Not even close.