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Show School and Homo c I by Dr. Daryl J. McCarty v. Executive Secretory Utah Education Association -sW m ' - By DR. DARYL J. McCARTY If this statement isn't written on the high school locker room wail, the coach will drill it into his team verbally: "Winners never quit and quitters never win." ACTUALLY, that statement applies to much more than just sports. Consider these matters : -THE NUMBER of divorced persons in this country increased 79 percent since 1970. -Officials in Maryland report that in many cases when divorces take place, neither parent wants the children. -SOME 820,000 young people dropped out of school last year-80,000 more than the previous years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There's a common thread that seems to run through such information. It's the idea that for some reason we seem to be surrendering more easily-giving up on important im-portant matters. QUITTING. In sports, few people earn the disdain of fellow players' faster than quitters. In other aspects of life, though, we seem to be rather casual about this. ' HOW MANY conversations have you heard that go something like this: "I quit my job today." 4HOW come?' "Aw, it was a nuthin' job." TRANSLATION: "It was a construction job that involved in-volved a lot of sweat, and why do something like that when I can get something easier?" Parents can be great teachers of the principle of commitment. com-mitment. When your son or daughter asks if he or she can take a summer job, have the job seeker agree to hang onto it all summer long, no matter how tough the work is. AND GO ahead, insist on a perfect lawnmowing job from your son. Don't let your daughter duck out of a tough class at school. Demand diligent, not desultory music practice. Don't let your kid quit on life. And remember, it's not just something you might want to do-it's your duty. |