Director's Corner--

News You Can Use

One memory of my senior year in high school stands out very vividly and one I am really thankful to have.  That is one of me asking my dad (who was not a strict disciplinarian at all) if I could go on my senior class trip—to Washington, D.C.—with teacher chaperones, over a weekend.  The answer was a resounding, "NO!"   "But, Daddy", I cried, "why not?"  His answer was simple. "Too rowdy ! Too many places to get into trouble!  And besides which, he said, we will have more fun at home."  I stomped away sad and mad, but somehow relieved!  I knew my dad was right and that I probably would have more fun at home.  His thought was that it just wasn't necessary to go with a bunch of kids to a hotel in a strange city.   I thought I should put up a little fight anyway.  I did storm around for a while and lost that battle and to tell you the truth, in the end, I didn't miss going at all.

I admired my dad for being a father, a guide, an adult!

Now is the time that parents have to make those difficult (to some) decisions of putting down money for a trip, which is in a foreign country, where drinking is considered the norm.  Many parents go along for the trip—have a separate room—and feel that they are acting as a chaperone. Really?  And what time do your kids go to sleep?  What time do you turn in?  A lot can happen between 11:00 p.m. (when the adult is asleep) and 8:00 a.m.(when the adult wakes up) and the student is out partying at those very same times.