Raytown High School - Ramizzou Yearbook (Raytown, MO)

Page 15 text:

peepie seek feta tiemhips ---a team. from pg. 8 completely analyzed. Teachers propose that student achievement and inter- relationships With peers are affected by an unstable home environment but admit that even in some traditional families, life can be a revolving door. Family members come and go simultan- eously, from school to work to activities outside family life, With hardly a word between individuals. The average family eats dinner together only on holidays and occasional Sundays. The family unit is changing; its modern structure does not support the traditional family ties. With the breakdown of the family, we look to friends for love and a sense of belonging. Reaching out to people provides emotional support. Sometimes, we look to members of the opposite sex to fulfill our security needs. Teenage romance, however, may lead to com- plications such as an unfavorable reputation, unwanted pregnancy, and teenage marriage. Another problem occurs When relationships dissolve. Whether the relationship is between a boyfriend and girlfriend or just between two friends, any break-up causes pain, despair, and a feeling of inferiority. Too often drugs and alcohol offer a temporary escape. In order to raise our seIf-esteem permanently, we need to form productive relationships based on our Willingness to make some personal sacrifice for the survival of the commitment.

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tcont. from pg. 7J Another concern brought about b; technology is the deterioration of our environment by oil spills and strip mining in efforts to access unlimited and cheap energy sources. In 1983 the threenhouse Effectt, caused scientists to worry about increased temperatures and subsequent melting of ice Hoes and rising levels of ocean waters due to destruction of the ozone 1a yer of e atmosphere. After two summers of numerous heat related deaths, the potential of higher temperatures and other side effects due to our interference with the environment offered another source of worry and frustration for the concerned citizen. Technology also offers h p, but !

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American institutions have tradi- tionally offered people security, but in the last few years our faith in their ability to help us has diminished. During the summer .of 1983, the National Commission on Educa tion reported that American educational standards had declined to a dangerous level. Area schools struggled to counteract the report. Raytown High School initiated a peer counseling program in 1984 to deal with the frustrations of young people trying to cope with personal problems and maintain acceptable grades. The Missouri Basic Essential Skills Test became a measuring rod to determine a studenths advancement. Raytown developed a more stringent attendance policy, and Truman High School hired security guards to patrol school corridors. Parents accused teachers of not doing their jobs when SAT scores declined, but teachers returned the attack, saying students had difficulty learning in a home environ- ment where standards of achievement are neither encouraged nor expected. Teachers also blamed the influence of TV, cars, and jobs for lack of student interest in learning. Enrollment in difficult classes declined in many schools, and the Kansas City school district dropped classes such as physics and advanced foreign languages from many school curriculums. Crowded classes, low teacher pay, and lack of skilled math and science teachers were also blamed by the National Commis- sion and local educators. Because solutions take time and are difficult to initiate, Americans are frustrated over the failure of one of their most trusted institutions, public education. Public schools are not the only targets of attack in the 803. llReagon- omicsf a jobless rate of 1070 and iiDea th of the American Dream ht ca used dissatisfaction with the government. American voters, feeling they had no choices or that their choices didnlt matter, declined to vote in local elections and anticipated the 1984 presidential election with boredom. Young people, frustrated with government, or caught up in the hhmeth attitude of the 805 avoided registering for the draft. Editorials speculated about the loss of respect for government since the Watergate era, and the only cause Americans seemed capable of rallying around was removal of James'Watt as Secretary of Interior. t eiyynxmm -