Letters

Compassion, Not Prison

I would like to thank you for your issue on causes and prevention of youth-perpetrated violence ("Learning in Peace: Schools Look Toward a Safer Future," Spring 1999, http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/spring_99/index.html). I think many people have been aware of the emotional problems caused by bullying and poor family situations in adolescents, but it seems that only recently, in the wake of the school shooting tragedies, has anyone decided to take responsibility for these children instead of condemning them as monsters.

I wholeheartedly believe that the children who commit these acts are the victims of situations that are out of their control. Children are not able to defend themselves from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. Perhaps most important, they are not able to replicate within themselves the values and love that come from having family, friends, or other supportive persons who care for them and teach them that they are valuable and lovable themselves.

If a person, based on abuse and neglect in his formative years, perceives the world as dangerous and filled with enemies, and if he has no basis of love for himself and others, how can he be expected to react in a "normal" way to other members of society—especially those who confirm that individualpessimistic worldview? It is easy to see how, in a dark void of pain, merciless teasing, isolation, and fear, an individual with no hope of a better existence and no relative concept of love and support to buoy him through hardship could make the decision to terminate the life of himself and others.

These youth do not need to be incarcerated, where they will blend with hardened and callused adult murderers; they need to be in a therapeutic setting where they can learn to love and trust. The adolescents who survive their burst of violence, their cry for help, are more often than not extremely remorseful for the lives they have taken. They are shortly thereafter able to recognize the depressive state that led to their explosion, and want to remedy their situation. These are not the kinds of individuals who repeat their crimes. I strongly believe that with help and love, these young people can overcome their tragic past and begin to heal their lives and hearts.

Thank you for your efforts to help these youths and to prevent these tragedies from occurring again.

Jennifer Holcom
Teacher and homeschool mom
Warsaw, Indiana

Lighting The Way

The Alisha Moreland article ("Shined by the City," Winter 1999, http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/winter99/voices.html) really touched me in a special way, since I was one of her many classmates at Jefferson High School. Alisha is so bright and outstanding and I am truly honored to say that I walked across the same stage at the same ceremony as her. I am glad that this article is available for everyone to see how special she is.

Excellent article!

Tanesha Chiles-McCray
Dental assistant and dental hygiene student
Highline Community College
Des Moines, Washington

Not Just "Extras"

Even though I am responding to an old issue ("Opening Doors to Latchkey Kids," Spring 1999, http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/spring_99/article6.html), the concern is still the same in the year 2002. There is the continued emphasis upon only those areas considered to be academic, with a devaluation of areas such as physical education, music, art, and the humanities. I am pleased to see that your organization has spent time in researching and providing information to the fact that all of these areas contribute greatly to academic success.

It is my hope that your organization might provide this information to superintendents and administrators around the country. The amazing fact is that we struggle to raise test scores, we continue to add more and more academics, and yet valuable help lies right within our midst. What always gets cut are the areas that could help to reverse the trend.

Again, thank you for being a source of encouragement for what I do. There's not much going around in the school systems.

Jane Collins
Physical Education Teacher
Longfellow Elementary School
Columbia, Maryland

Voice-Activated Equity

My son Adam just completed his senior project today, a requirement for graduation. His topic, which he spent the entire senior year researching and preparing for, was computer assisted literacy ("Forget Isolation, We're Online Now," Winter 2000, http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/winter_00/7.html). He showed how voice activated software can assist students with learning disabilities—how vital a role it can play toward giving all kids a level playing field and opportunity to be able to express themselves.

As his mother, I can only say that this was a very appropriate topic to send him off into adulthood. My son has dyslexia, and I have been his scribe and his reader since second grade.

It has been a very long and lonely path for my son but none-the-less very challenging for us both. In the end, my son learned that he is an expert in a field that most know little about. He has taken it upon himself to educate teachers so that they may be able to reach out to other learning disabled kids and offer solutions.

Thanks for this beautiful article.

Kim Disbury
Grant Writer/Researcher
Gig Harbor, Washington

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