I Won’t Make This Mistake Again

TEENS: A boy who is popular and a big flirt keeps sending a daily note to a girl who sits behind him in an English class asking if she is a virgin. The girl hasn't responded to these notes and asked me if she should answer his question, so he would quit pestering her. My response included: "The answer is none of his business ... Don't accept a note if he hands it to you, and don't read it if he places it on your desk. Simply crumple it and dispose of it after class."

The following day I was bombarded with emails from female students, teachers, therapists and members of the National Organization of Women. All had the same message: "I agree with you for the most part, but ..." "Your column is usually on target, but ..." "I was surprised at your response ..." "In my opinion, you dropped the ball ..." "If I wasn't a regular reader of your column, I would suspect that you are anti-female ..." "As a member of the National Organization of Women, I must protest ..." These direct quotes represent the many I received from readers who thought I did not have enough strength in my answer to the young lady who did not give her name, but lived in Newark, N.J. I'm sure she will enjoy reading these reader comments and take their advice, not mine!

The action of the boy was a clear-cut case of sexual harassment, and I overlooked that fact. To those who took the time to let me know that my response to this young lady was inadequate, I thank you. I won't make this mistake again.

OUR STUDENTS COME FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES

DR. WALLACE: I read in a magazine that 98 percent of the adult population in both Japan and Korea has a high school diploma, but in the United States only 81 percent of adults are high school graduates. We trail these two countries by a significant margin. Why is this? - Sherry, Scranton, Penn.

SHERRY: Both Japan and Korea have educational systems that are structured to educate student populations that are more than 99 percent native-born Japanese and Korean, and these cultures place a high premium on education. Families in these two countries place a strong emphasis on superior grades. Teen suicide rates in these countries are high due to extreme parental pressure on these students to have high marks.

We also place a high premium on education, but our students have diversified cultural heritages. We have many students in our schools who speak English as a second language. Still, we do very well educating all of our students. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 81 percent of our people who are 25 and older have a high school diploma. This is a very good record that will get better with time.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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