I appreciate your article on our leaders of tomorrow, and as an educator, I share much of your same concern in this matter. However, your inference that this is a predominantly male problem is not grounded or supported in your article very well.

All of us, both male and female, learn specific social behaviors through modeling. The pioneer researcher of observational learning, our good friend Albert Bandura, felt that “Learning would be extremely laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely on the effects of their actions to inform them what to do.” The good news from Bandura is that pro-social (positive, helpful) models can have pro-social effects. Who then provides the pro-social model? If you guessed the parents, both mother and father, you are correct. In today’s society, where are the children getting the pro-social model from?—single parent families, television, radio, urban gangs, drug abuse, alcoholism not to mention overall social deviance. If the appropriate model is not being provided by both parents, where is it coming from? I shudder at the mere thought of it.

As an educator, show me parents that are interested in their child, and I’ll show you a child who wants to learn and grow in a pro-social direction. The liberal media has filled the gap where the parents should be in providing the appropriate model for social behavior. Parents are the key to developing the best in their children, both boys and girls.

David L. Long

Professor

School of Music