After leaving class today, I found myself pondering the cyber bullying debate. I do not believe schools should be held resposible for bullying done off campus. Now, I am not saying that school's shouldn't be responsible for bullying done on campus; However, where is the line going to be drawn.
If Jake's and Brandon's facts were true seventy-six percent of cyber bullying occurs in high school. These are students, that range from fourteen to eightteen years old. That being said, these are students are on the verge of being adults or are in their late teen years. They should know bullying is uncalled for, and shouldn't be done. These kids should be held responsible for bullying they do off campus, not the schools. The thought that school's should be is like defining a high school as an all day babysitter. This is saying they should watch the students not only in their walls, but also the seventeen hours students aren't around. One argument I heard in class was many parents work atleast until five o'clock. Therefore, students are watched a lot more by the schools throughout the day. Well than how about we hold school's resposible for all parts of the student's life? When a student vandalizes a building at three a.m., does drugs, drinks, or gets arrested, how about we blame the school for that too? It is the parents' job to install good morals into their children. While the school should enforce these morals on campus, it has almost no control over students after three.
If the schools are so resposible, then pay the teachers a babysitter fee on top of their dismal salaries. Schools are not all day babysitters, and are too often a easy scapegoat for the countries problems. Teen suicide, drinking, bullying, and drug use are all pinned on them unfairly. They are not babysitters, and not responsible for off campus activities. These are responsibilities of parents' and students' themselves.
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I completely agree with you. Schools are the scapegoat. They cannot be logically held responsible for off campus bullying. Some parents work until or after five, so are the teachers suppose to follow these children home? The purpose of schools is to educate, it is the parent’s job to instill morals and values. The schools are held responsible for the students safety where and when possible. That is only possible at school.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for the debates we have to chose sides but honestly I think the teachers and parents should both monitor their kids. Putting the blame on one person doesn't seem quite right. Both teachers and parents spend significant time with kids. There is a reason schools have parent-teacher conferences. Teachers can voice their concerns or praises of how the kids are doing socially and academically and parents can take that information into account when they go home. They can also tell the teachers if there are home problems or concerns they have about school social life. Putting the blame on one group isn't really fair when the two environments are separate along with the people in them.
ReplyDeleteI am in complete agreement with you. The problem of school violence and cyber-bullying is getting more severe each day in the United States. Our society has developed a habit of blaming schools for every problem associated with young people. However, many forget teachers' contracts do not require them to transport children to after-school events and read them bedtime stories at night. Excuse my sarcasm, but logically parents should be more responsible and monitor their child's activities. Making the claim that a text message sent from a child's home in the evening is somehow the responsibility of the school and teachers is absolutely absurd. This certainly does not mean schools play no role in combating cyber-bullying. School programs discriminating against this type of activity are essential and teachers should serve as positive role models.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to this debate I believe that the schools aren't fully responsible for cyber bullying taken place out of class, but own a little of the responsibility. The reason why I think this is because if there is cyber bullying going on outside of school then most likely there is going to be bullying on the inside of the school. Faculty members don't need to be babysitters, but do need to monitor what is going on with their students. It was said that these kids are in high school so they should know better. Well even confrontations such as street fights happen to adults, but do we say that they should know better. We could say that, but these things will still happen. I do believe that parents need to be more responsible for their children outside of class, but I believe that because most of the time are children are in our schools around our faculty, that they need to have responsibility over our students mainly in school, but a little outside of school as well especially when it comes to cyber bullying.
ReplyDeleteWell, saying I argued the point that Brooks is getting to I'm in agreement that the schools should be held to some level of responsibility. Not to a level of hold the students hand through life, but also not ignoring the fact that something hurtful is going on in their lives. Saying that there is something that can be done for that student, whether it be counseling, reprimanding the offender or advising civil action for the parents, it should be done. Parents too should have some responsibility in the matter, if it is becoming a serious physiological problem for their kid, the shouldn't dismiss it as "high school drama". Both sides should have some form of liability.
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