Here's a moral case study you might present to your students with an assignment to follow up. For more case studies along with information and discussion questions related to the Ten Commandments, see: The Ten Commandments: Case Studies in Catholic Morality by Eileen Flynn.
Steve’s parents recently lost their jobs. They both worked at an overnight package-delivery facility, and the business went bankrupt. Most of the other people in the community also worked for the same employer, and they, too, are out of work. There are no other major employers in the area and prospects for finding jobs in the region are bleak. Many of their neighbors who are unemployed have listed their houses for sale. They want to sell their homes and move to other places to find work and begin anew.
Steve’s parents tell him what is going on. Steve is fifteen, and they feel he is old enough to understand the family’s situation. Steve’s four- and seven-year-old siblings are not part of the conversation because his parents think that they would not be able to grasp the reality that confronts them.
His parents tell Steve that the family is now living on unemployment insurance that will run out within a year. After that, there are some savings, but the savings will not last more than six to eight months. They tell Steve that he will need to find part-time jobs like landscaping and snow shoveling to help out. Things will have to change, and they will have to cut back. His parents tell Steve that they are canceling cable TV and Internet service, and that they will not be able to take the family vacation they planned. Also, the family food budget is going to be cut; there will be no expenditures for clothing; the thermostat will be turned down; and he will have to leave the school he is attending and transfer to the local public school because they cannot afford the private school tuition.
Steve is shocked by what he hears. Over the next few days he becomes sad and angry. Why should his life take such a harsh turn? He envies his best friend Mark, whose wealthy grandparents subsidize that family’s income. There are no changes in Mark’s family’s lifestyle. Steve becomes increasingly moody and thinks about running away from home. Anything to avoid looking for work mowing lawns for elderly neighbors.
Evaluation
1. Comment on how Steve’s parents are approaching the family’s economic crisis. Can you suggest a different, or better, approach?
2. What makes Steve feel so sad and angry? Does his emotional reaction indicate that he has a spiritual problem?
3. Is it fair that Mark’s family is not in economic crisis and Steve’s is? What responsibility, if any, does Mark’s family have to Steve’s and to others in the community?
4. Steve’s parents tell him that he will have to change to a public school, because they can no longer afford to pay tuition. Are there any steps that authorities at private schools can take to assist students like Steve?
