Hi
Guys,
This
isn't really related to sharing educational ideas, but as a first year teacher I
thought I'd share a bad thing that happened today at school.
The
other English teacher and I wrote a grant during our planning period today.
We took a break and were looking out of the window at some of the
students hanging out below. Our
school is very small, and we were just talking about some of the students and
enjoying our free time. Suddenly,
my co-worker said, "Oh, my God, "Annie" just pulled a bag of weed
out of her backpack!"
I
wasn't sure at first, but it became clear that the student did indeed have pot
in a backpack, but she called out to another student.
It was the other student's backpack.
We
didn't know what to do. We decided
to call the students up and yell at them. We
made them bring the little container the pot was in with them.
My coworker took the pot and sent them on their way.
Then we debated what to do with it.
At
first we thought about flushing it down the toilet.
We're both liberal people, and legal issues aside, don't find a great
deal of harm in marijuana. We
looked out the window again and saw that one of the students was telling other
students about the bust. We knew
that if we didn't tell our principal rumors would get around that we had taken
the pot for ourselves!
I
was really worried about telling the principal.
Even though I knew that it was incredibly stupid for the girls to be
bringing pot to school, I felt really bad.
Indeed, we did tell the principal and one of the girls got suspended.
I
feel so guilty. I know that I had
no choice. It could have meant my
job if I hadn't told, and some would say that the girl was done a favor by my
intervention. Still, I never really
knew that I would have to be a narc when I decided to be a teacher.
I knew that I would be in a position of authority, but I feel like I
betrayed this student. I wonder if she will ever trust me again.
I
think that what is so difficult about this decision is that I am a hypocrite.
I don't really think that marijuana is a big deal, yet I had play Big
Brother and turn the girl in.
Has
anyone else ever been in a situation like this one?
I wonder if I should call my student and explain that I am sorry about
what happened (although she was foolish). If
you believe firmly in the evil of marijuana, then this clearly would not be an
issue. What about those (ex)
hippies out there? What would you
have done?
Roxanne
My
take is that you don't play football on a tennis court, you play football. I
don't think you could have done any differently.
Feeling like a Narc is just fallout from the way the rules work, not your
fault.
Yes,
call her! At least that way you can
be her friend (if she'll let you!) and let her tell you fully how she felt and
feels and you can both talk about her future choices!
That way the learning may be at partially salvaged.
Mary
Leuwe
I
am upset and very concerned at the soft approaches out there to the bag of pot
on campus. The world has changed since the gentle pot smoking time of the 60's -
the drugs are BAD now - terrible things I see - kids 10 years old addicted, kids
who run away to get drugs easier. Organized sales on campus, dealers with guns,
not just a little pot like in the old days. We educators need to wake up and
really help out here - not hid our heads in the sand. We need to get rid of the
mentality that a little pot is not bad - it is - it is dealt, on campus, by the
big time gangs in every community. They use our children to deal for them.
Marijuana
on campus is no longer the bland peccadillo it once was. Please, let us help our
kids out by removing these dangers from our campuses and putting in programs
that work to help kids stay away from drugs. We need to act aggressively.
I
am a teacher at the Clean and Sober High School, a last chance place for kids
who have been addicts for years. Daily I deal with the chaos and destruction
wrought by drugs in these students' families - I see children who have almost
died from overdoses too young to understand what drugs are all about.
Almost daily I have to report dirty urinalysis results to the judge that
cause kids to be locked up for the week end (hey - it keeps them safe and gives
them rest and three meals a day) and when they
return on Monday, they are SO GRATEFUL to me - they report that this is
what helps to keep them away from the organized crime that is so easy to fall
into, the ring of sex for drug supplies that so badly hurts our youth. The
dealing that goes on in high school is dangerous stuff and the kids need our
responsible help and support in getting through to the age at which they can
responsibly choose to use substances judiciously.
Anne
Evans
Roxanne
I would start looking for a job that I did not have to apologize for.
I am not an ex-hippie but I think the laws that restrict what we can do
to or put in our own bodies are immoral. The
anti-drug laws should be revoked and ignored whenever possible.
You
owe the student an apology Roxanne. Tell
her that you are never ever going to turn another student in again for using
drugs. And you expect her to never
squeal on any of her buddies either, because if she does she will feel as
low-down and guilty as you do.
Dale
R. Reed
In
1970 I student taught in a public alternative high school in Ann Arbor, MI. One
morning my supervising teacher held a breakfast for the students, for whom we
cooked pancakes, etc. We also
invited the principal. It was early
fall and we had the window open to our third floor room.
After a while, the unmistakable odor of burning weed wafted into the
room. The principal smelled it,
leaned out the window, and called down to the two "offenders".
He proceeded to loudly, soundly, and in no uncertain terms, invite them
up for breakfast! They accepted and
came up, sans the pot! Problem
solved!
I'm
sorry your situation didn't work out as well for you and the students. Hindsight
is always 20-20, but I think in this case I would have asked the students to
come in and then delivered a pointed monologue on how you are sure that they
know that bringing drugs into school is a major no-no and that, of course, you
are sure that they themselves would never ever do such a thing, and that you, if
you ever ever caught them with the stuff would have to do something drastic, if
you know what I mean, wink wink!
Alan
Klein
I have nothing against marijuana except this: it is an illegal substance, and illegal substances don't belong in schools. You did the whole school a favor. It just stinks to have done that favor. Call the girl if you want; or tell her next time you see her that you are sorry but you have no choice but to act on illegal behaviors. My guess? She won't hold it against you.
Mimsy
I
wanted to thank you all for your responses to my rant.
I feel much better about the whole situation today.
Many of the other students at my school heard about what happened, and
they did not think that I did the wrong thing.
They felt that the girl was stupid for bringing pot to school in the
first place, and that I had an obligation to act as I did.
One student said, "It's our job to try things we shouldn't and it's
your job to stop us." They
seemed to understand that personal feelings aside, marijuana is illegal.
I also found out that the girl was kicked out of her previous school for
the same offense. Knowing this, I
feel like I did help her, even if she doesn't know it yet.
She is a very "fast" little freshman, and this might slow her
down a little. She needs time to
grow up!
Thank
you so much for your advice. I have
not decided whether or not to call the girl.
I think that I will wait until she comes back to school and talk to her
then.
Roxanne