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This is an important program that seems to be gaining strength as the
years go on. I'm not sure when it all started. I know that part of it is
FFA (Future Farmers) which has been around forever and is still a very
strong and important program.
However, many of these programs are changing as years go along with some
of the students getting opportunities to work with local concerns in a
career field of their choice or a field they might possibly be
interested in. This is a chance for them to find out just how interested
they are before they invest any more of their time in it.
Some areas of interest sound good on paper but don't turn out to be what
some people believed they were. These programs are something in the
nature of apprenticeships or internships which are used by many other
nations, as I have pointed out in this space a number of times.
What impressed me during the banquet was the poise of the students. They
seem to be more confident than I remember students being over the years,
a welcome change as I believe that people need to have poise and a
belief in themselves.
What I saw at the banquet was impressive.
Another thing that impressed me was the number of awards these students
had earned at district, regional and state competition. I hope most
people have read about these honors that have been earned as we have
reported on them throughout the school year.
Something that made me feel a little outdated was the names of some of
the competitions. What I heard was about fields of work that haven't
existed for many years and some areas that I can't begin to tell you
about what they mean.
One area was spreadsheet applications, another was about financial
applications. Now, I've heard and know a little about spreadsheets and
financial areas but these specific areas made it just a little scary to
an old guy.
I'm running as hard as I can to keep up with technology but have to
struggle to learn about all this new stuff while with these kids it just
comes naturally.
I know there's a lot of publicity about "bad" kids but you go to a
function like this or the sports banquets and you find out what our kids
are doing and you discover a lot of good things are going on in our
schools.
I'm impressed and I hope others realize just what these young people are
doing and how well they are doing. And we need to remember who is giving
that help - the parents and school system.
There are a number of people who deserve praise in our schools. I won't
attempt to name them as there are so many and I don't want to leave
anyone out. It starts from the lowest grade and goes all the way through
our system.
Thanks to all involved.
Editor's Note: Mac McKinnon is editor and publisher of the Pecos Enterprise. His column appears on Friday.
As a colleague of Jon's when I was the editor of the Fort Stockton
Pioneer, I marveled at the hours that he put in at the Enterprise, the
encyclopedia knowledge he had of the youngsters participating in all the
sports programs at Pecos from Little League (of every type) to high
school, and his dedication to covering the news of the community.
On top of that, he is just one good guy. He always has time when anyone
calls to give them his undivided attention.
I just wanted to echo your comments.
GLEN W. LARUMTxDOT Odesss District
DR. DOBSON: I also have concerns about giving kids too many things,
which often reflects our inability to say "no" to them. The child's lust
for toys is carefully generated through millions of dollars spent on TV
advertising by toy manufacturers. Their commercials are skillfully made
so that the toys look like fullsized copies of their real counterparts.
The little buyer sits open-mouthed in utter fascination. Five minutes
later, he begins a campaign that will eventually cost his dad $14.95
plus batteries and tax.
Suppose the parents are courageous enough to resist the child's urging.
He is not blocked. Grandparents are notoriously easy to "con."
Some would ask, "Why not? Why shouldn't we let our children enjoy the
fruits of our good times?" I would not deny a child a reasonable
quantity of things he craves. But many American children are inundated
with excesses that work toward their detriment.
It has been said that prosperity offers a greater test of character than
does adversity, and I'm inclined to agree. There are few conditions that
inhibit a sense of appreciation more than for a child to feel he is
entitled to whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.
It is enlightening to watch as a child tears open stacks of presents at
his birthday party or perhaps at Christmas-time.
One after another, the expensive contents are tossed aside with little
more than a glance.
The child's mother is made uneasy by this lack of enthusiasm and
appreciation, so she says, "Oh, Marvin! Look what it is! A little tape
recorder! What do you say to Grandmother? Give Grandmother a big hug.
Did you hear me, Marvin? Go give Grams a big hug and kiss."
Although it sounds paradoxical, you actually cheat a child out of
pleasure when you give him too much.
Pleasure occurs when an intense need is satisfied. If there is no need,
there is no pleasure. A glass of water is worth more than gold to a man
dying of thirst. The analogy to children should be obvious. If you never
allow a child to want something, he never enjoys the pleasure of
receiving it.
If you buy him a tricycle before he can walk, and a bicycle before he
can ride it, a car before he can drive and a diamond ring before he
knows the value of money, he accepts these gifts with little pleasure
and less appreciation.
How unfortunate that such a child never had the chance to long for
something, dreaming about it at night and plotting for it by day. He
might have gotten desperate enough to work for it. The same possession
that brought a yawn could have been a trophy and a treasure.
I suggest that you and your wife allow your child the thrill of
temporary deprivation. It's more fun and much less expensive.
QUESTION: What is the source of self-esteem itself?
DR. DOBSON: Feelings of self-worth and acceptance, which provide the
cornerstone of a healthy personality, can be obtained from only one
source. It cannot be bought or manufactured.
Self-esteem is only generated by what we see reflected about ourselves
in the eyes of other people or in the eyes of God. In other words,
evidence of our worthiness must be generated outside of ourselves.
It is only when others respect us that we respect ourselves. It is only
when others love us that we love ourselves. It is only when others find
us pleasant and desirable and worthy that we come to terms with our own
egos.
The vast majority of us are dependent on our associates for emotional
sustenance each day. What does this say, then, about those who exist in
a state of perpetual isolation year after year? Such people are
virtually certain to experience feelings of worthlessness, accompanied
by deep depression and despair.
These questions and answers are excerpted from the book Dr. Dobson
Answers Your Questions. Dr. James Dobson is a psychologist, author and
president of Focus on the Family, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
the preservation of the home. Correspondence to Dr. Dobson should be
addressed to: Focus on the Family, P.O. Box 444, Colorado Springs, CO
80903.
(c), 1982, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
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_
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