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Re:   WRITING SAMPLE
 

Superintendent of Schools/ School Committee
993 Forest Way
New Park City, XX      00000

Wednesday, July 2nd, 1997
 

To Those it concerns:

This writing is to introduce my concept of the K.I.C.K.S. Program (Keeping Innocent Contented Kids Safe), which is in response to your concerns and needs of a design which will keep our city's kids out of trouble and engaged in productive activities. The program draws on several primarily-recognized theories of criminology and sociology. Among these are the classicalist theory of free will, which contends that individuals have the absolute ability to make decisions and to control their own lives, and the traditional positivist theory of determinism, which - briefly stated - contends that a person's free will is tempered by their social environment. As you will realize within my proposal, I somewhat agree with these theories, yet feel that individuals - especially children - need appropriate direction, encouragement, and of course opportunity in order to achieve positively in life. Accordingly, you will also see that I vehemently support the concepts of the so-called social structure theories, which contend that individuals are inherently "good" and that environmental circumstances will determine and influence the outcome of their eventual behavior, and the closely-related themes of the social process theories, which contend that people are generally "neutral" in their behavior, but that society then influences their said behavior.

The proposal for the KICKS Program concerns three major components:

a)   Outreach to the homes and families of area children for the preschool years - continuing through the primary and high school years

b)   Ongoing educational and counseling for kids throughout the school years

c)   The addition of Community Youth Centers, above and beyond existing facilities, strategically placed throughout the city neighborhoods, and in particular in designated potential and known "problem areas" - combined with ongoing various community activities and projects
 
 

Synopsis of Purpose:

The purpose of the KICKS Program is to attempt to - as greatly as possible - prevent children from becoming interested in engaging in societal "deviant behaviors" - such as drug abuse, stealing, and other criminal activity, by providing them with ample opportunities for constructive confidence- and character-building activities.

Phase A of the plan offers education, counseling, and as needed other elements and facets of making community parents and other caretakers (as well as children, as they mature) aware of the consensus on proper child-rearing techniques as well as of important social issues and conditions which we know of as contributing to the delinquency of developing children. Based largely upon the theories mentioned within my opening paragraph, it would strive to at least largely reduce our children's exposure to negative environmental influences. Phase A educates parents about the known dangers of transgressing the fine line between proper and acceptable disciplinary measures and abuse. It teaches those not already familiar with the dangers of becoming heavily involved in drugs by arming them with the known facts about commonly-abused substances and the signs and symptoms to look for in the suspected drug abuser, thereby allowing them to more clearly present this information and their informed advice to their children, in a constructive and effective manner. It teaches what we know about quality time and the importance of close familial activities within the household - as opposed to the effects of kids watching too much TV, playing video games too frequently, and the like.

Phase B continues much of the information and methods presented in the homes and community centers in Phase A, adding age-appropriate information as the child develops. By presenting clear and concise facts to kids, it allows, teaches, and in fact encourages them to make their own informed decisions.

Phase C more fully implements the utilization of Community Centers throughout the city and outlying neighborhoods. Said community centers would become a gathering place for children, adolescents, and young adults - as well as for adult parents, teachers, caregivers, and other interested persons such as social workers and community leaders. Offering a wide variety of in-center activities ranging from games and leisure activities, to events such as concerts and picnics, to courses for self-enrichment such as those in martial arts, ceramics, music lessons, etc., the Directors of said Centers' programs would, in a concerted effort with the mayor, city council, and school department, continually plan and implement a variety of community improvement projects as well. Said projects might be anything from cleaning out old dumping areas and transforming them into parks and other open greenspaces to painting the side of an old, drab building or fence with a colorful mural.

Key Facets to all three Phases of the Plan are:

a)   To engage the "minds" - the imagination - of children, inspiring them to become involved, thereby engaging their creative processes

b)   To give kids the opportunities for constructive outlet of creativity and of other youthful energies

c)   To prevent the misconceptions of community adults - the often false and stereotypical labeling of kids -  by allowing adults to be involved directly in realizing how kids are really constructively passing their free time

d)   To help avoid the problems of stereotyping such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc., by allowing all the opportunity to congregate and to work on community projects together; thereby allowing all of those involved to realize that "people are all just people," and that stereotypes are a dangerous and hideous fallacy. Relevant to points c and d is the fact that long ago famed sociologist Robert Merton recognized the fact that misrepresentations occur in the records of statistics outlining the "types of" people who commit crimes. He attributed this phenomenon to the criminal justice system's practice of selected arrests (for instance, a "black" person is more likely to be arrested at a given crime scene than is a "white" person) and of disproportionate sentencing.

e)   To promote pride and confidence in kids - through recognition of a job well-done, thereby lessening the need for them to seek peer "acceptance" through committing foolhardy and often illegal and dangerous acts "on a dare"

f)   To, as an annex to the Community Centers, provide shelters for the homeless and for runaway kids - including meals programs designed by qualified nutritionists - in order to keep them from breaking and entering and/ or stealing in order to procure shelter and food (Yes, this is an ambitious "next step" above and beyond this proposal for immediate resolution of the school problems, but it is, I feel, a relevant, necessary, and logical "next step.")

g)   A plan, in conjunction with the area Division of Employment Security ("unemployment") and Department of Public Welfare/ Transitional Assistance, to not only educate and train unskilled potential workers, but to also have the jobs for which they are trained available once their training is complete. This program would also involve the input of area businesses/ employers and area educational institutions.

h)   Placing a preference on hiring local people for local jobs

i)   Providing funds for all who wish to attend secondary "higher" education - i.e.  making higher education the norm rather than the exception in this city

j)   Monitoring the "progress in life" of individuals in order that the shortcomings, as well as the successes, of these programs and of the "system" in general can be duly noted and acted upon accordingly

k)   Creating and maintaining an environment of peace, harmony, and satisfaction within the community

l) readjusting "pay scales" in order that people cannot only survive, but can in fact save again on a weekly basis - i.e  make working for a living profitable again, rather than just a necessity in order to barely maintain an adequate survival level; restore a positive work ethic

m)   Put adult concerns back where they belong - in the realms of adulthood - and keep them there. Allow children to have an innocent childhood again, rather than the current practice of robbing kids of that innocence and non-concern by filling their heads with adult problems and issues such as sex, AIDS, and the like

n)   Move closer again to the restoration of the importance of kinship; renewing, then maintaining, ties with the traditional "extended family." Many families have moved away from the traditional nightly family dinner and the traditional Sunday dinner with the entire nuclear family; all the more have they moved away from the holiday dinner and other gatherings with the relatives of the extended family. This has been hurtful to society, as kids in the past had the support, encouragement, and advice of uncles, aunts, and other caring adults which many are now not receiving.

o)   Teach and counsel kids that it's acceptable to be who they are. Abolish the Puritanical influence of supposition and superstition, labeled under the guise of "religion," and replace it with the facts in life.  i.e.  allow kids to make their own informed decisions

p)   Oppose any and all governmental programs which are supportive of strangers raising your kids.  i.e.  parents who utilize "day care centers" get a tax break for doing so. This cannot, in the long-run, be good for our children. It's been long recognized that, in general,  many of those children not raised by their own parents are prone to be problematic - in regard to becoming engaged in "deviant behavior"

q)   Parents need to know the warning signs of ensuing delinquency - including those symptoms of drug abuse - including alcohol and tobacco use. They also need to know the signals which indicate a prelude to delinquency such as poor school performance. Even currently, information is readily available at many local police departments and there are multiple publications available from the Consumer Information Catalog either for free or for a nominal charge (usually fifty cents). Just a small example of those currently available for free are the following titles: "Dealing With The Angry Child," "Growing Up Drug Free," "Schools Without Drugs," "Toys And Play," and "Learning Disabilities." Booklets may be ordered by calling (719) 948-4000, or from the
Internet at web address: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/

r)   Children, adolescents, and young adults (as well as all of those of humankind, in general) need to feel that they have a future in order to remain free of pursuing deviant directives. This is a two-edged sword in that the children are a nation's future. We, as a society, must take whichever measures necessary in order to ensure that our children develop properly into productive and responsible citizens. We must end the cycles which now contribute to and terminate in violence, drugs, theft, and other crimes.

Conclusion:

 It is recognized by the theories of utilitarianism that the goals of an individual are to minimize pain and to maximize pleasure. Accordingly, people must have mentally exciting activities available - ones which are safe and legal. Social contract theories assert that we only agree to follow societal rules. If kids misunderstand those rules, or if said rules are too strict and unrealistic, or if they are not perceived as being "fair," then deviation from them is more likely to occur.

 We must ask ourselves if our current practices are really the social contract which we want. If it is the role of the state to prevent social harms, is the state doing its job? Or are some of our current policies and laws in fact detrimental to our children - and to our society?

Ending the boredom of these kids, by offering alternate constructive activities for them to be involved in, can only serve to help sever the temptation to become involved in illicit and/ or deviant non-productive activities. No - it's not the entire answer: no one step will ever offer a complete solution. And it will take a while: we didn't just arrive at where we are, negatively, in one step. But it's a start.

This concludes my proposal. Thank-you for your time, your attention, and your anticipated fair consideration of my ideas. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you wish to discuss this matter in any further detail.

Have a good day.

Sincerely,

Albert Tavers
 

PO Box 608
Dighton, Massachusetts 02715-0608
 
 

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