Schools feel overburdened with too much responsibility already. They feel it is parents, churches or other institutions which should be dealing with emotional education of their students. Parents, particularly single-parent households, feel overburdened, unprepared or incapable of helping teens with their troubling feelings. Teens typically do not speak openly about their feelings, particularly those who are encountering self-acceptance problems, painful losses and ridicule by peers. Teachers have not been adequately trained nor equipped to discuss principles and issues of emotional education with teens.
Schools feel they are already providing emotional education.
There has been a lack of public outrage or demand for emotional education in middle and high schools. Consequently few economic resources or incentives are being offered to encourage use of these programs and information for teens. Because of the spate of middle and high school killings across America, we focus on stopping teen violence against their peers, not preventing adolescent self-destructive behavior which is far more prevalent. Of 500,000 Americans who attempt suicide each year, one-half are teens. About 2,000 U.S. teens kill themselves yearly, and 685 make attempts each day.