How a family adoption trip led to a charge of criminal child neglect |
Petula impeccably achieves the purpose of this piece through her bitter, forthright tone. She points out the flaws in the systems we trust to take care of our children by recounting this mother's harsh reality of criminal charges for her faultless actions. One paragraph does an incredible job of pinning down the purpose:
"The problem isn't going after chronic truancy. The problem is an absence of common sense when resources are heaped upon students who are doing just fine in school, whose parents are engaged and communicating with teachers while the kids who desperately need more support, more help and more attention — like Relisha — end up at the bottom of the pile, again."
She admits a truancy problem, but asserts the real problem is a lack of common sense. Her bitter, forthright tone leaves the reader feeling stung by her words.
The overall goal of this piece isn't quite a call-to-action push for change, but rather to reveal the gross deficiencies in our protective systems. While this mother, who was engaged with her son's school (emailed the principal about the trip and homework so he would stay on track) had to go to court and be chastised for her "neglect," other children who are actually being neglected (Relisha Rudd) are not being helped by the system. It's not working.
Despite not being a call-to-action tone, it can elicit action or make someone else call for action. This purpose is crucial because it educates people first. Once people are educated, they will create the call. They will push for change. Without education about the problem, there can not be any adequate solution.
"The problem isn't going after chronic truancy. The problem is an absence of common sense when resources are heaped upon students who are doing just fine in school, whose parents are engaged and communicating with teachers while the kids who desperately need more support, more help and more attention — like Relisha — end up at the bottom of the pile, again."
She admits a truancy problem, but asserts the real problem is a lack of common sense. Her bitter, forthright tone leaves the reader feeling stung by her words.
The overall goal of this piece isn't quite a call-to-action push for change, but rather to reveal the gross deficiencies in our protective systems. While this mother, who was engaged with her son's school (emailed the principal about the trip and homework so he would stay on track) had to go to court and be chastised for her "neglect," other children who are actually being neglected (Relisha Rudd) are not being helped by the system. It's not working.
Despite not being a call-to-action tone, it can elicit action or make someone else call for action. This purpose is crucial because it educates people first. Once people are educated, they will create the call. They will push for change. Without education about the problem, there can not be any adequate solution.