Sample Assignment

Review the case studies provided for you in class. Analyze the problems presented and apply the curriculum concepts developed over the course. What approach would you use in addressing the problems? Set forth a strategy to overcome the difficulties faced by the school as well as ways to deal with individuals in the cases. In formulating your response, remember to identify any underlying issues and reference appropriate professional literature.

Case Study #1

You are the principal of a large middle school located in a large city. An aspect of the district wide guidance program is a values clarification unit. One of your 12-year-old students, a participant in the program, requested help with his assignment from his mother. The mother is furiously angry about the program now.

The sixth-grade worksheet the student was working with read as follows: "Your oldest sister loves and trusts her husband. You see him coming out of a restaurant with another woman. He and the woman get in a car and drive away together. What would you do?"

The mother was nonplussed and decided to find out what it was that the students were being "guided" to do. She relates, "I did not go to the school as an outraged person; I just wanted to find out what was going on." She secured a copy of the guidance program in values clarification from the director of guidance and now she is really upset. She points to lessons that deal with who should be allowed to live in the case of a limited number of dialysis machines, and other lessons that ask the student to respond to such questions as "One time I cheated and it was OK; another time I cheated and it was wrong."

The mother states, "I have always trusted the school and the teachers but these are areas they have no business being in. They attack the values the parent is trying to instill. I'm really bothered that none of the parents I talked with has any idea that this sort of thing is going on."

Asked for his opinion, the president of the Teachers' Association remarked that the class is a waste of instructional time. "It's the biggest waste of time we have in the district. Our teachers complain that they aren't provided time enough for remedial work with students who need academic help but 30 minutes or more a week is spent on Mickey Mouse activities like this. The teachers hate it and are embarrassed to have to present it."

The newspaper has picked up the story.