How do you listen, learn and participate at school when your home is chaotic, the language is profane and insulting, and fisticuffs are the family sport? Can a child learn to not strike other children when she is beaten at home, often for no reason except that she is there?
How can a child learn empathy and compassion, when he is seldom a recipient of affection or understanding?
I do not know the answer to the questions posed above, but greatly admire the willingness of our school system to take on the challenge of teaching children self-regulation, when many have no role models of self control at home, and resiliency, when these children have so many reasons to crumble in light of the substance abuse and mental health issues in their homes.
Jefferson Family Court Judges heard 4,231 family violence cases last year
by Paula Sherlock
