A happy home for every child: The antidote to school woes

"Supportive and close family relationships can reduce risky teenage behavior, such as addiction to alcohol and other drug use, and problems such as depression. They can also boost your child's feelings of being connected to school, and his desire to do well academically," says an article from "What parents mean to children?" by Raising Children Network.

This remark has struck and made me ponder for minutes. This proves that behavioral problems of students are manifestations of their families' failure to provide a healthy environment for their growing children.

With this disturbing realization, I called all my teachers for a meeting and asked the profile of students listed with behavioral problems. OMG ! We found out that all of them have dysfunctional families in which their parents are no longer living together. Some couples separated due to incompatibility while others were due to infidelity.  Few were caused by demand to work in other places and abroad.

This confounded our dilemma knowing that the origin of the problem is rooted from another "social illness "which could be not within the reach of our influence and control.

What shall we do? What ought to be done?

Our society itself must have the awareness and sensitivity that the family that you create will become the replica of the kind of society you have to exist.

I urge every well-meaning citizen of this land that we must legislate a law or enforce the law that makes it a crime to abandon children. May I call on the Human Rights group to spearhead a movement that would ensure that every child has a parent to nurture them from birth and up to the point that they can manage to live independently by himself or herself.

And to the parents of our abandoned children, be mindful of your children. Be responsible enough to help us carry the burden you have created by your irresponsible action.  Please, give your children a happy home and family.

Let us build a community where there is a healthy family.  Give our children a happy home from now on.

And my humble plea for our brothers and sisters under the DepEd family, let us open our eyes to the sad reality that our students are just victims of circumstances. They did not have a choice to be where they are now.  Let us be more supportive and sympathetic to their plight instead of condemning them.  Make your own classroom a second home for these children where nurturing love and kind words are showered into their growing mind and spirit.

A loving family for every child is what we need to end our school miseries.