tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post5589315489174006436..comments2023-10-10T06:48:40.299-03:00Comments on the feminist librarian: Teens, schools, and power relationsannajcookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17573723390785613915noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-48712740622732992892009-06-28T16:35:32.446-03:002009-06-28T16:35:32.446-03:00Clarifying my point about the ban on kissing: whil...Clarifying my point about the ban on kissing: while I fully support the idea that kissing is an end in itself (and deplore the idea that it is "only foreplay"), I do think that some of it is simply administrative efficiency. Sadly, black-and-white rules can be easier for <i>everyone</i> to follow, since the lines are clear: teachers know what conduct is punishable and students know what conduct to avoid. (An analogy: as terrible as <i>Miranda</i> is in terms of constitutional law, a lot of people - police included! - love it, because it sets out, plainly and simply, what needs to be done and what lines cannot be crossed.)<br /><br />I think that the rationale behind the ban is to ensure that teachers have the power to break things up that are moving well beyond kissing, without having to get into stupid discussions about <i>why</i> it was inappropriate. "Well, his hand was starting to move under her shirt, and she was grabbing his butt..." just doesn't properly explain why the behaviour is wrong and where the line is.<br /><br />That would be too much like the "obscenity" issue of "I know it when I see it." <br /><br />As with a lot of these things, the biggest question is about enforcement. If the ban isn't enforced except to stop students who are falling all over each other, then it's working (especially if students are well aware that their peers are having oral sex in the bathrooms). If it does indeed result in students getting detention for a peck on the lips, it's a problem.<br /><br />As always, thank you for the good discussion. :)Bridgetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-87499017490188316712009-06-26T17:33:54.274-03:002009-06-26T17:33:54.274-03:00Hi Bridget,
I hear what you're saying about ...Hi Bridget, <br /><br />I hear what you're saying about the real pain bullying can cause teachers who face it from colleagues and students in the schools where they work. I think abuse of any kind of power (even if it's just the power to emotionally injure someone) should not go unaddressed. I'm sorry your friend was actually physically threatened by her students and did not receive support and protection from the school administration. <br /><br />About the kissing ban -- I have to disagree with you that banning physical affection between students is first and foremost about "ensuring that the school remains a safe place" and that students will understand the ban isn't really about kissing. What is the connection between stopping students from being physically affectionate with each other and protecting them from dangerous things like powerful drugs and risky sex? If the goal is to give students a secure environment in which to explore the world, then school officials should actually ban things which are proven to be harmful (like cocaine, guns, or bullying) to the students . . . not things like hugging or kissing that are in and of themselves not damaging. <br /><br />If the concern is about whether such activities are wanted by all parties concerned, then make a rule about non-consensual physical contact - or make it clear that the school policy against bullying includes protecting children from unwanted physical touch.annajcookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17573723390785613915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-55831031992777681992009-06-26T13:45:59.256-03:002009-06-26T13:45:59.256-03:00Lots of thoughts....
One of my longtime friends i...Lots of thoughts....<br /><br />One of my longtime friends is a secondary school teacher. She's brilliant beyond belief, an excellent teacher, and thoroughly passionate about her calling. Yet, when she was bullied by students (had things thrown at her head, objects destroyed, etc), the school administration refused to back her up. <br /><br />I was shocked, mostly because the school that I attended just over a decade ago seems to have changed so dramatically.<br /><br />The other thing that I found to be interesting, having changed radically in the past decade, is the use of recreational drugs (heroin, etc) and the business of having sex on school property. There were certainly sexually active students at my high school "back in the day," but they were generally couples who had been together for a very long time and had stable relationships. Sex certainly wasn't happening in the corridors. While many of my peers drank, only a few did drugs - and people who did pot were the losers of the school.<br /><br />Now, there's a huge drug problem, with several heroin-related deaths every year. The school system in the town next door instituted drug searches of property and lockers; they bring in drug-sniffing dogs on a random basis. (That apparently helped their problems.) Every month or so, kids will be caught having sex in the hallways, in the bathroom, or in the school elevator. It's not uncommon for middle schoolers to be engaged in sex and oral sex.<br /><br />In light of that, I absolutely understand a crackdown. Thing is, I think students would, too. No sane person runs around thinking that a ban on kissing in the hallways is really about just kissing: they would know that it's about ensuring that the school remains a safe place.bridgetnoreply@blogger.com