..........school, school school.

You know, about two-thirds, and maybe even more, of my time is spent defining problems and fixing them. With a music performance group of high school students that task seems like climbing Mt. Hood some days. Often times you can settle back and say that the problems I face are the result of teen angst, laziness, or varying levels of ability. My problem in the whole matter is that I am expected to produce a certain level of performance for the public; not to mention that I'm a perfectionist as well with my work. I always strive to do my best and provide something that our students will enjoy and learn from. Today, I heard something new from a student. One more reason that teenagers have problems. Yep, you got it - their inadequate parental units!!! That's not so new in itself; but, today I was told about a new form of child abuse by one of my students. Now this kid in question is not one of my better students. I know him and his family pretty well. I had the older brother a couple of years ago. Both are decent musicians and carry their own weight on the field, but they are both wound pretty tight. Every parent has their own unique way of discipline, and some border on abusive quite often. There are many forms of abuse, and many forms of abuse are legal as long as you are in the act of disciplining your child. Again, this was a new one. The kid was being disciplined by his father. After a brief yelling session, he told his son to get into the truck. Without saying a word, the father drove about eight miles from the home to a store. Upon pulling into the store, the father gave his son some money and instructed him to go in and get a drink. When the son went into the store, the father drove away, leaving the son to walk home. It was several hours before the son got home, exhausted and certainly not well rested and ready for a day at school. I understand the father had a good laugh when the kid, his son, walked in. This is mild to what I often hear. It's a real shame to hear such stories and know that they are true. When I do hear something like that, I thank God Almighty for the parents that I had growing up; and I strive to be a good parent to my own kids.