Being Ruthless for Children

12/31/2008

The imagination is the secret and marrow of civilization.
Henry Ward Beecher

James Squires, PhD., past President of the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education, offers these words of inspiration...

Ruthless

For those amongst us who sincerely care about children, the time has come to be ruthless.

We must be ruthless against the poverty that causes children to go to bed hungry and awaken to barren cupboards.

We must be ruthless against bureaucracies that cause children to be denied basic medical and dental care.

We must be ruthless against politics that promote unconscionable inequities in educational opportunities for children.

We must be ruthless against the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children.

We must be ruthless against businesses and consumers who benefit unfairly from the labors of children.

We must be ruthless against media that glorify violence, hatred, and intolerance for children to model.

We must be ruthless against industries which profit from weapons that blindly injure, maim, and kill innocent children.

We must be ruthless against governments and groups that turn their children into warriors.

We must be ruthless against forces that pressure children beyond the breaking point, robbing them of their childhood and extinguishing all hopes and dreams.

We must be ruthless against our own ignorance, arrogance, and indifference.

For if we are not ruthless, we have truly lost our compassion.

To share your contributions for ExchangeEveryDay, send them to [email protected].

ChildCare Education Institute — Meet state licensing requirements with individual, annual professional development subscriptions now $69. IACET Approved. CEU Eligible. English and Spanish Offerings.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.