<HTML>All of the discussion of sex education and substance abuse on this list
took place in the shadow of the student shootings in Littleton, Colorado.
The analysis of the shooting that was offered in the articles that I read
indicated that the violence was not isolated, irrational behavior, but was
reflective of society norms and values that include hours of virtual
violence on television and video games, as well as bullying in school.
From=20personal experience and from speaking to students I think that our
community cannot afford to ignore the potential for these things to happen
in our schools. When I asked students whether the breeding ground for such
behaviors existed in their Yeshiva Day Schools, I was surprised that their
answer was not clear denial. Although our situation cannot be compared to
American public schools, according to the students who spoke to me these
problems do exist in our schools, with no apparent intervention by faculty
or administration. The main concern of Day School education is academic
success, with all too little emphasis put on Bein Adam LeChaveiro and
development of Middot.=20
Perhaps starting with a concerted effort at developing those aspects of
our students' religious growth would be a good way to nip many potential
problems in the bud. An analysis of Lashon Hara and its sources is
certainly welcome; empathy - incorporating a concern with other people's
feelings, is a message that has to be taught to our students as a
religious imperative.
Rachel Berger</HTML>
