OPINION
faceoff
Dec. 16, 2010
5
CYBER BULLYING
Should schools discipline students caught bullying via the internet? I believe that the school should not become involved with cyber bullying because the act doesn’t involve school. Just because it involves students that go to school does not mean the school itself should be involved. It’s like stealing Easy-Mac while wearing your work uniform, and then, your boss getting involved in what you had done at another store, in your personal life. I remember one day when a teacher was talking about how he can lurk onto all of our Myspaces and see who we are talking to and what we are talking about. Obviously, that’s not true, but some teachers do have social networking sites, and they are befriended with their students, which, I don’t believe is wrong because we’re in high school right now, In a couple of years, we’ll all be adults. Anyway, more to the point about who has a say in whose going to look at everyone’s pages, and whose going to report it? If any cyberbullying or inappropriate usage on the site should either be reported by the students themselves or even their parents, not some random teacher that was lurking over the Internet. If a teacher is to befriend a student on say Myspace or Facebook, they should be open and understanding to a teenager’s lifestyle. I mean we all know what students do. Some drink; some do drugs; and some even engage in sexual activity. If it’s online, let it be. Someone more important will come along and bring the issue up, like a parent or family member. So this is it. The school should not be involved in cyberbullying. If it does not happen at school, it has nothing to do with school. End of story. Though, it still does not make sense, if someone were to be being bullied right on school grounds, and even a teacher heard or saw it, the only thing the school could do is give them a slap on the hand and tell them, “No.” The student would not be punished in any way shape or form at school. This lack of stricter procedures is blasphemy. Things just shouldn’t be like that. If someone is being bullied on school grounds, someone needs to do something about it! However, if someone was being bullied online, and brought in a small piece of paper with three curse words and a ‘you’ tied somewhere in the sentence, they receive a PAR or even get suspended. This is where I ask myself, “How does that work?” Yes, emotionally attacking someone is very bad, and it affects them long term. Though, being bullied in person is a lot more effective than over the Internet. Even though I believe people should just block those who are attempting to bully. Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, etc. all have blocking options. So grow up and press the button, then you won’t feel like you want to end your life by the end of the night.
Copy by Trish Johnston
This generation of high-school students are engrossed in their social life. This includes Internet social networking and technology plus normal human-to-human interaction. Some teachers even say that they find this generation “wrapped up in their own life. And not looking at the bigger picture.” Some students refuse to help others because they don’t get instant gratification so they have no want to be apart of it. Many people donate Plasma because there is money involved and youth don’t see why they should help someone else if they don’t get some sort of
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reward out of the situation. Even though most youth today don’t have the time nor energy to donate or volunteer, there always is the group of students that enjoys helping and that love to facilitate the less fortunate. The number of students who have those beliefs might surprise one who just realizes how many students don’t enjoy helping. A great number of these students have difficulties full filling their beliefs; either from lack of time, money, or they could possibly need help themselves. When it comes down to deciding whether or not the generation
I believe schools should be involved when students are convicted of cyber bullying. Students who are caught in a fight outside of school and not on school grounds get somewhat in trouble at school. The two students are separated in between classes, and they are taken out of classes if they are in the same class together. If a student is cyber bullying, that student should be sure to not be any where near the person they were threatening. Not only would the person that was being threatened feel even more uncomfortable or scared than they were to begin with if they were put into situations that had the two conflicted students come together in one place. This would cause more drama for each side. Teens have led to ending their lives because of cyber bullying, and if schools can help prevent that by making sure no lives are ended, then they should. It could be counseling for both sides or checking up to make sure the problem has not continued. Also, talking to parents and even friends to be sure that the students being bullied are not thinking of ending their lives, or that they are simply “just” depressed. Being bullied not only in person where the words stay in their minds, and continue to hurt, but also, if you are constantly taunted and the words are there forever for themselves to look back on whenever, it can further long the healing process. If disciplinary steps were taken to make sure that more hurtful words are not fired again, or that no one else will be wounded with hurtful words from this person, then every precaution should be taken. At times, teens believe that if they are caught doing something against the rules for the first time, that they will get off easy. This teaches teens nothing, or that what they have done is not how a person at any age should treat others. If not only the police commit that student, but also the school they attend punishes them, it would be more planted into their brain what they have done is morally wrong and against the law. Cyber bullying is hurtful to the strongest people on the outside, but on the inside, we do not know their whole story. If they are self conscious about their appearance; if something is troubling them; or if something terrible has happened in their lives, this person being bullied can tear himself apart, ending the depression with the ending of his life. Schools can help prevent an unwanted an end to a life, or a life of sadness and anger from being taunted and bullying. Schools can show what happens to students convicted, and if a student is convicted, then take some of the control of that student and make it proven to them what they did was wrong. When you do something wrong to a person, there will be repercussions.
Copy by Tessa Millhollin
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of today enjoys volunteering and donating, the fact arises that they haven’t lived life for that long, and normally they haven’t been in the situation where they could do nothing but hope for help from some one else. The youth don’t have that experience and in turn they don’t see what good actually comes out of helping others. The bottom line is that students on average don’t like to volunteer and/ or donate until they have lived through a situation that shows them the true gratification of helping others instead of wanting a material item in return.
Volume 86, Issue 2 Nov. 4, 2010
Published approximately every three weeks, the Iniwa is the public forum for 1, 460 Great Falls High School student voices. The opinions and views in this publication are not necessarily those of administration, faculty, INIWA staff or student body. Contact information: 1900 2nd Ave. S., Great Falls, MT 59405. Email: iniwa@gfps.k12.mt.us and Web site: www.iniwa.com
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12/14/2010 2:45:56 PM