Dear editor,

There is a poem, written by Walt Whitman, titled ‘There Was a Child Went Forth’. In this poem, the author talks about how everything from the morning songs of the birds, to the sight of an old drunkar staggering home from the outhouse of a tavern, has an effect on whom the child will become. I can’t agree with Mr. Whitman more. I honestly feel that everything a child sees, hears, and experiences will have an effect on who that child will become. It may be a small effect, but here are a few things that will make even the smallest things have a profound effect.

The first being: repetitiveness. If a child sees something over and over again, it will eventually be burned into their mind. It doesn’t matter how small of a thing it is, if the child is subject to it over and over, he/she will learn to accept it, and maybe even eventually adopt whatever it is theymay have seen.

The second thing which can have a profound effect upon small things: family. The parental unit of a child is around the child more than anyone or anything. So a child will accept the things they do, much easier, in particularly the little things.

My point of sharing this is that we need to provide positive environments for the kids of Selma to grow up in. Public parks that have security enforcements to keep anything negative out. Programs for parents where they can learn to raise their children with a positive aspect, instead of a negative one. We need programs for the children whose parents are in the parenting programs, so that they can be around each other and encourage each other. I also suggest having ‘Character Education’ classes in the public school system; a class where kids can be taught to have a good strong character, with a positive attitude, and can be inspired to have a desire to soar higher. What is the point of teaching a child what ‘x’ or ‘y’ equals, if they never have the desire to do anything with that knowledge?

I believe that if we were to instill these programs in our community, we can see Selma grow. We need to invest our money in building people, not in building buildings.

Joseph Schuerman

Selma