Letters to the Editor
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A Disturbing Interview
As an educator who works with children, I am very disturbed by the tenor of this article and the title as well. Both Julia Wallace and Jennifer Sey capitalize on rumor and innuendo in a very unfair and dishonest way. Most people who work with children, in either sports or dance or art or education, do so out of a desire to help children develop. They are not abusers or predators or wierdos.
That said, as we all know, there are far too many poeple who work with children who do not behave or teach appropriately and even go so far as to violate the law. The latter can be arrested and imprisoned. The former, who represent the greater number, are squarely the fault of organizations, communities and parents who do not know what children need. The gate keepers, however, are the parents and they should never abdicate that responsibility.
The fact is that too many parents get swept up in their children's dreams and put all else on hold so that their children can basically pursue, at a very high level, their hobbies. So, I wonder where the children get the idea that one activity comes first to the exclusion of all else, such as health and dignity?