Having graduated from my sixth form college (the UK version of American high schools) within the last year the following story hit a sore spot for me and really got me thinking.
The Massaponax High School yearbooks (Fredricksburg, Va.) has been banned because it contained anonymous secrets, submitted by students. Some of these secrets were considered to be indelicate and immoral by the parents and teachers at the school so the Headteacher has demanded all yearbooks be given back and a new one is to be made.
Some of the secrets included were as follows:
"I used to be afraid of dying. Now I would do anything to see my brother again."
"The image of my dad putting a gun to his head right in front of me has scarred me for the rest of my life."
There was also one about a girl getting an abortion without her mother knowing.
The yearbook editor, herself a student, says that no harm was intended. It seems she wanted everyone to feel the same. She seemed to want every student at that school to know someone cared about what they had to say.
I spent pretty much everyday of my school life harbouring my own secrets or someone elses and to have been able to let people know, albeit anonymously, would have been a weight of my shoulder like no other. I still keep those secrets to this day. I also know that there were plenty of people like me, with something to say but no one to listen. Had we been afforded the chance to express our secrets in a safe way, anonymously like this, it would have brought so many people closer together.
No names were mentioned in the secrets. No one was implicated but still the "responsible" adults of the world put a stop to this blatant attempt at trying to do good for an entire year group. Can you imagine the relief you would feel, as a student, reading all of those secrets? Knowing you weren't the only one?
So it upsets me that these kids have been stopped in their tracks. Prevented from doing something important to them.
What do you guys think? Were the parents and school officials right to change the yearbook, incurring $65000 charges? Do you think those students should have been able to speak their minds?
xxx Aria Angelica
Here's a link to the article: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/response-to-hs-yearbook-confessions-052010
And if you fancy tweeting me about it: http://twitter.com/AriaAngelica
The Massaponax High School yearbooks (Fredricksburg, Va.) has been banned because it contained anonymous secrets, submitted by students. Some of these secrets were considered to be indelicate and immoral by the parents and teachers at the school so the Headteacher has demanded all yearbooks be given back and a new one is to be made.
Some of the secrets included were as follows:
"I used to be afraid of dying. Now I would do anything to see my brother again."
"The image of my dad putting a gun to his head right in front of me has scarred me for the rest of my life."
There was also one about a girl getting an abortion without her mother knowing.
The yearbook editor, herself a student, says that no harm was intended. It seems she wanted everyone to feel the same. She seemed to want every student at that school to know someone cared about what they had to say.
I spent pretty much everyday of my school life harbouring my own secrets or someone elses and to have been able to let people know, albeit anonymously, would have been a weight of my shoulder like no other. I still keep those secrets to this day. I also know that there were plenty of people like me, with something to say but no one to listen. Had we been afforded the chance to express our secrets in a safe way, anonymously like this, it would have brought so many people closer together.
No names were mentioned in the secrets. No one was implicated but still the "responsible" adults of the world put a stop to this blatant attempt at trying to do good for an entire year group. Can you imagine the relief you would feel, as a student, reading all of those secrets? Knowing you weren't the only one?
So it upsets me that these kids have been stopped in their tracks. Prevented from doing something important to them.
What do you guys think? Were the parents and school officials right to change the yearbook, incurring $65000 charges? Do you think those students should have been able to speak their minds?
xxx Aria Angelica
Here's a link to the article: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/response-to-hs-yearbook-confessions-052010
And if you fancy tweeting me about it: http://twitter.com/AriaAngelica
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