Child-Rearing: An International Perspective by Sam Mwambui
Hopes, Dreams and the Facts of Life by Latrice McKinnes
Getting Down to Business by Rhonda Price
Making Money by Brandia Riggins
Benefits of Sex Education by Linda Walton
Sex Education 101 by Almena McCall
Teaching Pride by Dejohnette Spivey
Violent Country by Syed Rahman
The Kennedy/King Debate I by Yvonne Jarrett
The Kennedy/King Debate II by Pamela Walker
In a developing country like my country, Kenya, there is an ever-increasing upper and middle class among which the lifestyles of the developed countries have been assimilated to a very great extent. However, the large majority in the lower class have a mixed lifestyle which still retains a greater percentage of norms likely to be found in such a less developed country. These are the patterns that are to be found in things such as the way of dress, the type of food eaten, the style of courtship and marriage, or the way children are raised. I have observed many differences in the way American children are raised as compared to the way they are raised in my country. Three major differences come to mind. One, American children spend less time doing chores than in my country. Two, American children spend more time on leisure and recreation. And three, American parents do not punish their children as harshly as in my country.
American children spend less time doing chores compared to those in my country because the United States (U.S.) comprises a more affluent society. The U.S. is an industrialized country where work is simplified by mechanization, from household work to production of goods and services for the consumer market. For example, typical chores for a child in the U. S. would be to help lay the table for a meal, do the dishes after a meal - and for a majority of households there would be the help of a dishwashing machine - or just tidying up the child's room. In my country, however, typical chores would involve any of the following among many similar activities: helping to fetch water from a source which may not be within the house, helping to fetch firewood, helping to look after younger siblings, helping to do some work on the farm, or at the very least helping to do the dishes manually after a meal. Hence a child in my country grows up doing more day to day work compared to a child in the U.S.
The very fact that a child in my country spends more time doing more chores means that he or she spends less time on leisure. Few children in the U.S. have to fetch water or firewood. Few have to help as much on the farm as in my country because a lot of farm work is mechanized and does not need much manual input. Few have to help as much in looking after younger children since a lot of babysitting help is either from hired help or from other adults. Hence a child in the U.S. has more time to watch TV, play his or her Nintendo, ride his or her bike, or visit friends.
The level of affluence of the American society also seems to have an effect on the way children are disciplined. In general lifestyles are much easier for people, and punishment meted out to children for bad behavior or any type of infraction is much lighter than in my country. Spanking or whipping a child is very rare here. Stopping a child from watching TV (which is one of the favorite leisure activities), or from visiting friends, or from attending a function dear to his or her heart, or withholding a child's pocket money, are considered good enough forms of punishment. In my country however, bad behavior is quite often punished with a spanking or a whipping, or some form of activity that may be physically strenuous like clearing away a patch of weeds or bushes from the yard, and this is not done with any Snapper lawn-mower. The tool for this job would most likely be the commonly used hoe. All this would be in the attempt to drive home the point that the circumstances that brought about the punishment should not by any means be repeated.
Thus in comparison to my own country children in the U.S. are raised in a much easier lifestyle. The application of technology to many parts of daily living has made this possible. And the level of affluence that is a result of this technological application appears to make parents go easier on the way they discipline their children.
If I were asked to teach a subject of my choice, I would teach sex education and my audience would be my sister and my cousins. I would sit them down together in one room and teach them all the facts that they need to know about sex. One reason why I would teach this subject to them is because the school system that I attended, which my sister and cousins are still attending, excludes sex education from the school curriculum. Secondly, I would teach this subject to them in order to help prevent them from contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The most important reason why I would teach this subject to them is because I would not like to see my sister or female cousins become teenage mothers.
Sex education is excluded from the school curriculum in my hometown, because most parents believe that sex education should be taught at home and not in the classroom. These parents believe that a child has no business learning about sex at school. They feel that while a child is at school he or she should be focused on the three R's (reading, writing and arithmetic). My mother as well as my grandmother are among those who share the belief that sex education should be taught at home and not in the classroom and since I have first hand knowledge about my mother and grandmother's discussions about sex, I would prefer to teach my sister and cousins about the facts of life myself.
My mother's discussion about the facts of life with me was brief. She talked about the risks of having unprotected sex like becoming pregnant and contracting a sexually transmitted disease, but she did not answer all my questions about sex. She told me about the different types of birth control but not about the different types of STD's, which was something that I wanted to know about. I would teach my sister cousins about the different types of STD's, in order to help prevent them from contracting one. Since kids are so fascinated about the things that they see on television, I would go about teaching my sister and cousins about the different types of STD's through video tapes. The reason why I would chose to teach them through video tapes is in hopes that it would capture their attention.
The most important reason why I would teach sex education to them is because I would not like to see my sister and cousins become teen parents. My sister and cousins are growing up in a community filled with teen mothers and in order to help prevent my sister and cousins from becoming teen parents I would teach them all the facts that they need to know about pregnancy and how it can be avoided. I would teach them about the different methods of birth control, abstinence, and the risk of becoming pregnant when having unprotected sex. Through the use video's tapes, along with electronic dolls that are based on real babies, I would teach them about the responsibilities of raising a child.
It is important to me that I teach my sister and cousins about sex education because I have hopes and dreams for them even if they do not have hopes and dreams for themselves. These hopes and dreams that I have for them do not include a little baby or a life threatening sexually transmitted diseases, especially not AIDS.
Why would I like owning my own business ? There are three reasons I would like owning my own business. First of all, I believe an individual that runs his or her own business should not be afraid to give orders. Secondly, I feel that most successful business owners have been leaders. Third, I think the most tenacious business owners are not afraid of failure. Now finally, my main reason for owning my own business is that all these characteristics remind me of myself; therefore, I would like owning my own business.
All my life I have enjoyed giving orders to people. This is not something that happened overnight ; as a baby, I was told that I was bossy, yelling from my crib at anyone that passed by. Until I received some attention , I would not stop. Then, when I got the attention that I wanted, I was content. Today, I have not changed except that I know how to take orders as well as I give them. This is why I know that I can own a successful business, because people that understand both sides of give and take are truly interpersonal communicators.
Taking leadership roles have always intrigued me. I feel as though I was born to be a leader. Although as a child , I was not always good at listening to my parents. There were times when my role as a leader got me into some pretty bad trouble. For instance, the time a group of my friends and I were deciding who was going to pull the fire bell, and of course I wanted to be first. Unfortunately, I would always get caught when I utilized my skills the wrong way. After several similar incidents, I had began to master my listening skills, because between both my parents lecturing and putting me across their knee, I began to listen quite effectively. Personally, I feel as though I can be an effective business owner if I continue to use effective listening skills.
For the past ten years I have been an entrepreneur. For myself , I enjoy trying different business adventure. Most of all the successful business owners that I admire started out as entrepreneurs. They were all ridiculed by folks and family members just as I have been. When I started the Amway business, in 1988, I had no ideal that I would also venture into several other areas of direct network marketing. If I did not succeed in one area, I would go to the next. This took some time but it was not long that I found my area of expertise. I tried sales; I tried networking, and I tried marketing. Now today, I am an independent contractor for MCI. When I think about how far I have come ,and how far I have to go, I reflect upon my admired successful business owners, particularly Reginald C. Lewis. The late Mr. Lewis was CEO, of Beatrice Foods which was a billionaire industry. Lewis believed without failure there could be no success. Like Lewis, I feel as though with perseverance I will press on and be successful at someday owning my own business.
Owning my own business is worth the wait. I want the track record first . I want to continue to be a leader. Also, I want to continue my practices as a tenacious entrprenuer. Overall, I believe in the long run I am going to come out on top. I will on my own business one day.
I would love to own my own business one day. It is everyone's dream to be his or her own boss. I am up for the challenge to come up with an idea that could compete in this economy. And the just reward in the end would be to make lots of money and incorporate my business.
Who doesn't dream to one day be the boss and call the shots? I am constantly saying, "I don't want to break my back working for someone else all my life." To be an entrepreneur, I know, would take a lot of hard work. I know you can't close your eyes and wake up sitting in the "executive" chair. I would put in the hard work to over come the obstacles knowing the result would be my own business.
I have a friend who, to me, had one of the most ingenious ideas of today for his own business. He researched for a demand in the economy, combined that with some skills he have, and created his own business. It was such a simple idea. He started the first official (that I know of) "Clipper Doctor" business. He looked at one of economy's largest growing businesses (barber and beauty salons) and saw a way to cut into their action. His clients set appointments for him to come to their shop to tune, sharpen, and/or repair their hair clippers. Because most salons simply throw away old clipper and purchase new ones, he saves these salons money too. To me, he had a very unique idea. I wouldn't want to start a business with anything less than an ingenious idea like his. And believe me I am racking my brain for an original idea to launch my own business and contribute to economy's growth.
My whole initial goal would be to find a way to make money (and a lot of it if it's possible). I love to use Micheal Jordon and Magic Johnson as examples because these are two very well known figures. To look away from the fact that basketball made these people famous and give them all that money, these two went on to invest their money into businesses. Look at a lot of other famous people who got rich, lived rich, and went bankrupt. Magic Johnson has his own line of movie theaters. My only point is that they're making more and more money. I only use them as examples because their known on a worldwide scale, not meaning everybody can be like them.
It would be a dream come true to one day own my own business. It is my ultimate goal to own my own business, but for now I'm working on my educational goals. So for now being an entrepreneur is most definitely a future goal.
Being a mother of two teenage sons and an eight-year-old daughter, I feel that sex education should be taught in public schools. Having sex education taught in public school could help teens feel comfortable with the changes their bodies are undergoing, keep teens informed of diseases and possibly lower the pregnancy rate. If a child has not been taught at home, this will give them the opportunity to learn more about sex do's and don'ts. For a child that has been taught at home, this would help reiterate what they have learned.
The changes that one body goes through before adulthood will make you shake, rattle and roll. A female begins to grow pubic and underarm hair. And when she begins her menstruation, she can't figure out why she is eating a lot of chocolates and sweets, feeling bloated and having mood swings out of this world. Males also go through similar changes, as they begin to grow pubic and underarm hair as well as facial hair. Then one morning, a boy wakes up and notices wet spots in his bed. Theses are some of the things that teens today are not comfortable talking with their parents about. Having a sex education class at school will give the teens a chance to open up, ask questions and talk more freely about their bodies and the changes they are going through.
When I was growing up my mother and my older sisters never talked to me about sex. And being the youngest of the bunch, there wasn't much time for them to talk to me because my sisters were busy having babies and my mother felt that time had changed to much to talk about sex. Bu I lucked out because I took a sex education class in high school. I believe that this class influenced me not to have a baby at an early age. I learned about some of the things that would be expected of me if I became a mother. Taking a sex education class will give teens a chance to really think about whether or not they are ready to become parents.
We hear so much about how a person can get AIDS. But how much do we really know? How can we teach our teens, if we don't know about the disease? Sexually transmitted diseases are changing constantly. Most of us go on hearsay and repeat things we have no knowledge about. We tell teens to abstain from having sex and if they must wrap it up. But do they understand why we tell them this other than to keep from getting pregnant? A sex education class will keep teens abreast of the growing changes in diseases, their causes, and cures and how to prevent diseases from happening to them.
Having a sex education class would really benefit our teens today and give them a little more knowledge than what they will learn on the streets.
I feel that sex education should be taught in public schools. There are several reasons why I feel this way. The first reason is because sexually transmitted diseases are spreading rapidly and teens need to be aware of this and know how to protect themselves against these diseases. The second reason is that teen pregnancy can be reduced if teens are told about ways to prevent teen pregnancy. The final reason is that sex education in public schools could encourage teens to think about their actions and not engage in sexual activities until they are ready.
Sexually transmitted diseases are spreading rapidly and teens need to know how to protect themselves. People at the college level should already know about sexually transmitted diseases but they don't. Flyers informing college students of sexually transmitted diseases are hung all over the campus. It's too late. Many of these people are already having sex. These things should be taught well before teens are actually engaged in sexual activity.
Teenage pregnancy is also on the rise in the U.S. As a former teen mother myself, I do not feel that teens are getting the proper information. Instead of learning things wrong from friends who haven't a clue themselves, our children should be learning from professionals. A lot of parents don't have the time and many don't have the knowledge to teach their children the proper ways to avoid getting pregnant. As I was growing up, my parents never mentioned the word sex until I became pregnant.
Finally sex education could reinforce morals and values that are learned in the home. Premarital sex could be combatted by education. Sex education could encourage teens to wait until they are married to have sex. Sex education could be used to not only teach young adults the proper ways to have sex but to also give them valid reasons not to have sex at all. This can instill self-esteem and make teens proud of not being sexually active.
In conclusion, sex education could lower the rates of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancies, and encourage teens to wait for marriage. It is my own personal opinion that sex education in public schools is a great idea.
If I were asked to teach a subject to someone I would like to teach the subject of pride to inner city youths in my neighborhood. I would pick pride because it is a topic that I have struggled with for such a long time. In my eyes pride has a negative and a positive connotation. The only one I understood was the negative one. When I look into the streets, schools and even the churches I see children today facing the same dilemma. I would get pleasure from teaching boys and girls the true meaning that comes with "PRIDE".
When I look back on the days when was younger I think of the obstacles I had to overcome due to my pride. I learned that pride was not a wall to separate me from those I wanted to ignore. A very heavy burden could be lifted from the children in my neighborhood if I were able to teach them. Pride is a very strong feeling able to separate families, friends, countries and even kill. I once cursed my loved ones over a simple argument. My pride wouldn't allow me to give an apology, therefore hurting my families feelings. I would like to show these kids that pride doesn't have to bring those negative thoughts, fights, or loss of loved ones.
I had to learn that pride is a feeling that was to be expressed when I felt joy in myself and in others. On the positive side there is much to be learned. The children have pride in the people, which has been drilled into their head, but I would like to teach them to first be proud of themselves. There is a great deal of work in inner city youths. The churches and schools are educating on several different topics but I've never felt pride was one of them. I believe that if I could teach the children the differences in pride now all other thing would fall into place.
When teaching the children of the future I would have to start by discussing the true meaning of pride. First I would open by stating the facts. Pride is a sense of personal dignity; a feeling of pleasure because of something achieved, done, or owned. This means feeling pride in themselves and others. By learning the true meaning of pride the children will see that pride can help contribute to the success of their future.
I would like to think if I were able to change teach a class and pick the people and topic I would like to teach about pride to the children of today and the adults of tomorrow. If I were able to change just one child's mind it would motivate me to continue on in my desperate quest.
Yes, Americans are much more violent than people in my country. They take people's lives easily. Everyday in the city of Atlanta where I live too many people die or are injured due to violence. Robbers kill innocent cashiers just for few dollars. Police kill citizens just like stray dogs in the street. There are many reasons behind this violence. Drugs, guns and racism are the main cause of violence in America.
Drugs are the leading cause of violence in America. It becomes a social disease. Almost all people in America take drugs at least once in their lifetime. Even the president of the United States is blamed for taking drugs while he was in college. On the other hand, drugs are illegal in America and it involves huge amounts of profit. So, those people who are involved with drug business fight with other rival groups with guns. Sometimes fights become a deadly combat that drug dealers as well as innocent people are killed.
Second, guns are one of the main causes of violence. In America, all people have access to guns either by legal or illegal means. For example, people are on welfare or homeless on the street can have their own guns by spending only thirty or forty dollars. In contrast, in my country only the rich can have their own guns for hunting. So, in America people sometimes express their social frustration through bullets on some innocent people. Sometimes people kill other people with their guns while exchange harsh language that would have been ended with fist fighting in another country. Sorrowfully, I am mentioning that we are missing our classmate Tony who is in hospital now because he is injured by gunshot. He got shot while he was stopping a shoplifter.
Racism also causes violence in America. From other countries of the world, America looks like a melting pot but it is totally divided on the issue of race. Whites, blacks and Hispanic are living in America keeping a clear separation among them. So, on the streets of black neighborhoods, black criminals target other races for easy prey. Similarly, in Whites or Hispanics neighborhoods, criminals target different races for easy prey. Sometimes the legal authority of the dominant race uses violence. For example, LAPD was beating Rodney King, a black motorist. Whites dominate LAPD and police were beating Rodney King because of racial hatred. Also, the judgment of the case was racially motivated and was the cause of the biggest riot in the modern history of America.
In conclusion, America is a country of violence. It is totally different from my country, Bangladesh. We may be poor but we do not kill people like in America.
[In May 1997 Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy published a discussion of individuality and racial solidarity, "My Race Problem--and Ours," in The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Kennedy's essay is available online at http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/issues/97may/kennedy.htm. Kennedy's article occasioned a heated response, "A Matter of Pride," by businessman Paul King in the October 1997 issue of Emerge magazine. This is a response to the Kennedy-King debate.]
First I must say that I admire and respect Randall Kennedy for his
scholastic achievements and his ability to write such a profound article
that has raised eyebrows. Personally, I believe that race, whether it be
racial pride, racial kinship, racial patriotism, racial loyalty or racial
solidarity should never play a part in the choices we make in life.
I share the same sentiments as Professor Kennedy when he states that
neither racial pride or racial kinship offers guidance that is
intellectually, morally, or politically satisfactory. I have observed that
many grown-ups as well as youths believe that they have many reasons to have
racial pride and kinship. Why? Injustice. Probably the principal fuel for
hatred is injustice and oppression. When people are victimized and
brutalized, it is easy for them to nurse hatred toward the oppressor. So
many would object to Kennedy's view, "I eschew racial pride and racial
kinship". Undoubtedly, everyone has been misjudged by someone at sometime.
But again, who are we to say that we should embrace our race or culture or
we should alienate ourselves from where we are coming from. In a general
sense all of us are victims of racism. If such thoughts are dispelled
quickly, more than likely it will not cause any harm. The choice is ours to
make.
Scientist Albert Einstein once said that "In this world, it is more
difficult to overcome prejudice than to split an atom". Most of us think
that our beliefs, values, traditions, style of dress and ideas about beauty
are correct, proper, and better than any alternative. We also tend to judge
other cultures according to the values of our own group. Such thinking is
"Ethnocentrism". Almost all the world's culture regard their own way of
life as superior to that of even closely related neighbors.
Don't you think our prime focus should be, how might we break
down walls of racial pride and racial kinship and replace them with bridges?
We did not choose the family or nation into which we were born, nor did we
decide what culture would shape our thinking. Over such things we have no
control. We are all subject to time and circumstances. But we can control
how we view others and how we act toward them. In short, an appreciation of
other cultures can enrich our lives by broadening our outlook, so we can
better understand both ourselves and others. Though cultural heritage and
ethnocentric thinking can be walls against communication, they do not have
to be. Those walls can be breached.
[In May 1997 Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy published a discussion of individuality and racial solidarity, "My Race Problem--and Ours," in The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Kennedy's essay is available online at http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/issues/97may/kennedy.htm. Kennedy's article occasioned a heated response, "A Matter of Pride," by businessman Paul King in the October 1997 issue of Emerge magazine. This is a response to the Kennedy-King debate.]
Racism will always be an issue in America. It has been ever since the beginning of time. One is because we still have people with the mentality that white is better than black. And two as black people we have forgiving but we haven't forgotten all the torment our ancestors endured. Today, We still face Racism through police brutality, on jobs, or just everyday life. Paul King states to be proud of your heritage. We have fought so long and hard to be equal, now is the time for us to be given our recognition. There is nothing wrong with helping someone for all the right reasons. I feel if we help each other more instead of being against one another we will be much further ahead. Everyone needs that first door open to come in, especially blacks because we were always the ones behind close doors. We do need more black entrepreneurs to get more of us in the office and off the streets. We will only be doing what every other race have been and that's standing up for our race. Randall Kennedy states achievement should be earned not given to you because of your heritage. I agree with this in some ways. We should work for what we receive. No ones asking for a red carpet to be laid out to them. We only want to be giving the same opportunities everyone else has without going through all the hardships to achieve. There are many successful blacks but they had to fight long and hard to accomplish their goals. What I'm trying to say is your self-worth should be the only aspect for achievement.
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