WHAT DO WE TELL THE KIDS? HOW LOCAL TEACHERS EXPLAIN THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

If talking to your children or parents about sex is difficult, imagine being a teacher whose students have questions about the predicament the president is in.

Most teachers who were asked how they're handling questions about President Bill Clinton's plight said they are trying to avoid the sexual elements of the situation and focusing on the possibility of an historic impeachment.

Even so, it's difficult, says Randy Barnhouse, who teaches social studies to students in grades 7 through 12 at the Alternative Education Center in Cape Girardeau.

"It's akin to teaching a course on reproduction and physiology," he said. "With the more immature kids, there are lots of titters."

John Helderman teaches an elective current events class to seventh- and eighth-graders in the Scott City schools. Most of them think the president should resign or be impeached, he said.

"It all has to do with lying at that age," he said. "They think if the president lied he shouldn't be president."

For seventh- and eighth-graders, the world is black and white. Helderman said, "Older students would come up with scenarios where it would be OK to lie."

Helderman doesn't discuss the sexual matters. "I've tried my best to keep away from that," he said. "They're aware of it, and some of their parents talk to them about it. Obviously we don't want to focus on it."

Dan Hecht teaches two classes in current events to juniors and seniors at Jackson High School. People would be surprised at how maturely his students handle some of the delicate topics. He says, "They're not interested in getting into the details."

Hecht says he is in the minority in thinking Clinton should resign.

"Their feeling is, everybody is guilty of it," he said, so "why are we picking on President Clinton?

At 26, Hecht isn't that much older than his students but seemingly has a less jaded point of view. "If our kids feel every one of our government leaders is having an affair and lying, I think it's awful. ..." he said.

The media handling of the affair may have contributed to that cynicism, he says.

Because Clinton, Monica Lewinsky and impeachment have dominated their discussions for so long, most of Hecht's students just want the topic to go away. But the events have provided good discussions about what constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors and how the impeachment process works, he said.

Dr. Barbara Kohlfeld, principal at May Greene School, said teachers haven't concentrated on the president's troubles, but their students know what's going on.

"One of the kids said the president had 'a woman on the side,'" Kohlfeld said.

The issue has become unavoidable. This week's Weekly Reader includes a photograph of a troubled-looking Clinton and a story about the impeachment proceedings.

She said the school hopes parents are answering their children's questions about the more salacious parts of the story.

Barnhouse also has avoided addressing the lurid details.

"I wonder how a parent would like some of the stuff you'd have to talk about," he said.

Barnhouse said his students have trouble getting past the idea that the president could be impeached because of sexual acts.

"For the most part they think there's nothing wrong with it," he said. "They think that he should be left alone."

He then discusses the possibility that the president lied under oath, "that if you or I did it we would have to pay the consequences," he said.

Helderman has heard the word "disgusting" used often by students talking about the president's behavior, and he says they aren't talking about his sexual behavior.

"I think there's a great lack of respect on the part of students toward the presidency right now," he said.

Sometimes the students say they're sick of hearing about Clinton and impeachment. Helderman says, "I tell them it's history in the making."