Show Committed To A Lifetime Of Time (Editor's Note — The following article was written by Will Jolley principal of Ashman Elementary School in Richfield and was entered as part of the discussion of a Community Systemwide Response Team program under way in Sevier County Mr Jolley points out the problems of many students which he has encountered in his position at the school) By Will Jolley What is the latest and perhaps the most insidious epidemic facing our nation's youth? Not the AIDS nightmare! Not teenage pregnancy! Not teenage drug addition! Not even the violent gang actions across the continent None of these are small problems Each deserves its due attention Yet none of these problems is as pandemic as those that today face our nation's Rickys d first Ricky is an grader because he attended little school his first two years of eligibility He lives in a broken home as his mother is in and out of relationships His current step-fathhas been in and out of jail He has a sister who receives love and praise at home and at school The only notice Ricky receives is for his inappropriate behavior He gamers a great deal of attention Ricky's mother and step-fathare second generation welfare recipients Neither has a job Illnesses and surgeries have hindered them from looking for and obtaining one Ricky’s step-fathdoes a little work at home He prefers payment in cash Ricky helps his family's financial situation once a month His presence augments a government check that supplies cigarettes beer and other "needed" items at home n Home is an older structure their third residence during the past three years Rent comes from the government cleaning and other household skills are taught by the government heat and lights are paid for by the government The house is furnished by donation or yard sales Ricky like many other children eight-year-ol- er er er run-dow- comes home from school to spend the evening watching an unmonitored television set In his room he watches an astronomical number of physical aggressions sexual situations and outright defiances He mimics many things he secs on TV at school Ricky's attention span is never increased as the television changes scenes every seven sec- onds There is no family table where learning and conversation can take place His parents don't feel they need one Ricky prepares his sandwich alone when he is hungry Sometimes if Ricky is lucky he gets a home cooked meal prepared by "Swansons" paid for by food stamps cooked by microwave and eaten in the company of the tube Ricky's family does not have a car His educational horizons stretch only so far as he can walk He doesn't participate in any experiences such as community sports scouting or local church activ ities All extra money is for "needed" items in the house Ricky like many children in his situation spent six weeks of his life in a foster home His mother needed attention and feebly tried to commit suicide To an outside eye these were the best six weeks of Ricky's life Ricky would disagree He would complain that he had to do jobs every night after school He could watch only one hour of preselected telev ision per night The foster parents talked to the school almost daily about his behavior They then talked to him about his unacceptable actions They showed him that they liked him not what he was doing He had to suffer consequences for his actions They had the nerve to have him do his homework just as soon as he got home from school They even checked papers that he brought home and made him do any incorrect parts over They were there they spent time with him Their presence made him feel uncomfortable Ricky really struggled when a teacher yelled at him and physically escorted him to his seat Worse still his foster parents actually backed the teacher He knew his real parents would have threatened a lawsuit They would have said that the school had no right to touch their boy Ricky couldn't handle all the conHe sistency and follow-throug- h had never had it before in his life He knew his parents did not expect him to be responsible His foster parents expected more from him He did enjoy their praise when he completed a job Yet this was too much for him to understand After his six weeks' separation he couldn't believe he felt a void when he was returned home He should have felt elated — no more restrictions! It did not take long for Ricky to care actions return to his He even realized that he could go further because his parents were not willing to "rock the boat" They didn't want to lose a part of their income Ricky's behavior problems increased He soon received all the attention that he needed People were spending time with him from Mental Health school Social Services and local police agencies Ricky is trapped It is a trap from which he cannot escape He is suffering that which an increasing number of children are facing today in Everywhere USA Ricky is a victim of Time Deficiency Sy ndrome Mom and Dad consider themselves too busy to do anything with him They concentrate on their own personal gratification The only time they spend with him is to criticize him for his actions Our welfare system is not the problem Ricky could just as easily be described as coming from an -middle class family Many Rickys rich or poor are being ignored by their parents Children pre-fost- upper- Wednesday April 13 1994 TI1E RICHFIELD REAPER search for outside attention when adults do not spend quality time with them Other peers are first to lake over the role There are a plethora of Rickys out of there seriously needing concern responsibility and direction Too many adults feel that sedentarily watching television with a child is quality time On the contrary quality time is spent talking to children doing homework together going to a museum or zoo going fishing or doing any outdoor activity The kitchen table and a meal is a quality time setting Reading a book together develops time-deficie- nt sit-do- strong adult-chil- d relationships Selfishness defeats quality time When Ricky is needing attention he cannot wait It is not Ricky's fault that he lives in the age of instant gratification Lack of adult attention discipline and time cause too many children to be like Ricky Love and a daily dose of care and concern are the only cure for our nation's Rickys Time Deficiency Syndrome is by far the largest epidemic to sweep across our nation There are TDS children on every block in every community in the United States If Ricky is not helped before he becomes a teenager there will be little hope He will continue the cycle He will likely become third generation welfare a school drop out a member of a gang or an inmate in some jail Ricky can be saved a sentence in jail His parents his teachers all significant adults can spend quality with him Time spent now will save time later This epidemic can be assuaged if adults SEVIER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL RODEO April 15 16 1994 Sevier County Fairgrounds Richfield Utah Friday Performance 6:00 pm Saturday Slack 9:00 a m (No roughstock) Saturday Cow Cutting 12:00 Noon Saturday Performance 5:00 pm Bulldogging Pole Bending Team Roping Saddle Broncs Barrel Racing Breakaway Roomg Cowcutting Calf Roping Goat T ymg Bull Riding Sponsored by The Sevier Travel Council arc COMMITTED TO A LIFE TIME OF TIME p Arthritis Program Scheduled Self-Hel- The Foundation’s Arthritis Course has been Arthritis Self-Helassociated with a 19 percent reduction in arthritis pain according to the Arthritis Foundation In addition the pain reduction and other benefits are evident up to as much as four years after a person with arthritis takes the course p The findings were based on a follow-u- p r of 233 participants who had taken the Arthritis Self-Hel- p Course The Arthritis Foundation Utah Chapter is offercourse being an arthritis self-hel- p ginning Wednesday April 20 The class will meet once a week for six weeks from 7 to 9 pm at the EMT Building (across the street from Sevier Valley Hospital) 55 West View Drive four-yea- A $20 materials fee is charged and scholarships are available Preregistration is necessary The class is open to adults of all ages with any type of arthritis The course teaches people with arthritis about their disease medications coping strategies exercise and joint protection The study showed physician visits were reduced by 165 visits per year depression was reduced slightly and a person's overall ability to cope with the consequences of arthritis increased 15 percent "These findings suggest that an g course has arthritis self-hel- p benefits for the people taking it and that an educational component should be considered as a basic part of an overall treatment program" said Halsted Holman MD professor of medicine at the Stanford University Arthritis Center and one of the researchers involved with the study A) Most banks will lend you only SO ofyour home equity long-lastin- For more information and to register for the Arthritis pre- Self-Hel- p Course call the Arthritis ation Utah Chapter toll-fre- e Foundat B) Bank One will lend you up to lCH7!o ofyour home equity What’s your home worth? 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