Torrance, California - The Bill of Responsibilities In-School Program was rolled out for the second school year in a row on December 7th, at the First Lutheran Church and (Middle) School in Torrance, California.
 
"This is very gratifying," said Stephen Smoke, author of the Teen Bill of Responsibilities. "This school was the first to do the program (January '03) and the fact that they're doing it again, I believe, shows that it works. In fact, I know it works because I attended more than a dozen of the classes last year and watched the course in action.

"The thing that makes the Teen Bill of Responsibilities different from all other 'character-type courses,' is that this course doesn't try to superimpose a template of the author's ideas onto students. Instead the course uses the Socratic Method and Guided Discussion techniques.

"I realized early on when I was putting the course together that teenagers were not at all interested in my experiences about personal responsibility. But they were very interested in their own experiences. And they were also 'experts' on themselves.

"Therefore, the course is a series of questions asked of the students, who then answer the questions in their own words, citing their own experiences. This way they end up having their own realizations about personal responsibility and what it means in their own lives."

Teachers talking about the course:

Susan Brooks, former Palos Verdes, Ca. mayor and current special education teacher: I highly recommend the book and the course. It's a soul-searching, educational tool.

Susan Beisel, teacher, Torrance (California) First Lutheran Church and School: What I notice most is that students who ordinarily don’t participate, actively participate with this course. They may not be confident they know the right math answer, but this course is all about them, and they’re experts on themselves. And: Some very positive things come out of it. It leads to a comfort zone to talk about teenage pregnancy, STD's and peer pressure.