It amazes me how many people have judgments about something they have not researched or gathered information about. Or, for that matter, something they probably have not even observed or experienced for themselves. For instance, self-esteem. According to Webster, self-esteem is "self-reliance, belief in oneself, self-respect." And Project Self-Esteem (a program that has been implemented in some Orange County schools) teaches how to rely on yourself, believe in yourself and have self-respect. These certainly seem like core tools to me--to have when confronted with any life situation. And they certainly would be powerful to have when, for example, one is turning down or getting off drugs or alcohol.
When I or my child, or anyone else, for that matter, is presented with knowledge that there is a possible better way to make life decisions--by knowing they can rely on themselves, believe in themselves and respect themselves and others--certainly that cannot be damaging to anyone.
Academic subjects are great for academic purposes, and math is great for understanding numbers. But having self-esteem and self-respect have a far greater impact in bringing about peace within ourselves, peace within our nation and peace within the world!