Internet Pranks in Schools 404
Ferante125 writes "An interesting article about online pranks by students and teachers' responses to them. There are some interesting stats that sounded a little hard to believe. My immature side finds it funny and my more mature side is interested in the legal aspects." For the most part it seems like this article thinks pranks are basically just name calling and flaming on websites.
Re:my wife is a teacher, and it sucks (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Does defacing websites count as a prank? (Score:5, Informative)
Bah (Score:1, Informative)
I was a lower class (poor) kid that went to school in a rich neighbourhood. To make matters worse, I was way ahead on the growth curve (much larger than others my age), and interested in technology and learning - not sports.
As an oversized geek I was a popular target for bullying, and was frequently involved in fights that I could find no way to avoid. And as the larger kid, I was generally assumed to be the troublemaker by the glorified nannies we call public schoolteachers.
The point being - by the end of high school I had become a recluse. The public school system had taught me that the only way to avoid being hassled was to stay the hell away from the other kids and the teachers wherever possible. The system had taught me to become an isolated introvert.
So I always laugh when I hear people talk about how public school is necessary to teach kids to socialize. I can't imagine how anyone could have done any worse for me than they did. Even if I was educated alone, I wouldn't have come out with and isolationist misanthropic personality.
Consider the Source(s) (Score:3, Informative)
Re:This is all ridiculous and breeds future behavi (Score:4, Informative)
That is libel. And some of these kids have done essentially that.
Re:Does defacing websites count as a prank? (Score:4, Informative)
There is a difference in arresting someone for threats, and yet a WHOLE other thing if trying to arrest for 'thoughts' and opinons expressed. That latter one gets scary.
You have to put it in a historical context. Yes, in a perfect world, people should be allowed to express thoughts and opinions with out fear of the consequences. Unfortunately, NC and other places have quite a bit of experience telling us that it is a short quick hop from threatening someone based on their race to actually harming them b/c of their race. You can criticize someone's race (the KKK is perfectly legal), but you can not threaten them. You can't threaten anyone, legally, but so called "hate crimes" add an extra penalty in an effort to head off things like lynching and gang-raping someone simply b/c they are the wrong color. After 50 years or so of *winkwinknodnod* b/c the victim was black, swinging a bit too far the other way doesn't strike me as that bad of an idea.
Re:This is all ridiculous and breeds future behavi (Score:2, Informative)
So, the question is, how much bull do you think this kid can get past his parents if one single question from the teacher can shed light on why he got a bad grade ? How much credibility does the teacher have in that household ?
Or the student who called a teacher a bitch in class. When the parent was called for a conference, her response was "do you have audio-tape proof ?"
I'm certainly not saying all parents are like this. Not even 15%. But if three or four students in a classroom disrupt, the whole class is in trouble. Computers start to crash. Equipment disappears. All sorts of stuff like that.
Re:Does defacing websites count as a prank? (Score:2, Informative)
If you really are in a high school classroom then:
A) You are in a required course, the teacher must follow defined curriculum.
- or -
B) You are in an elective course, that you chose to sign up for and attend
In case A), the teacher has limited flexibility in "what" is being taught. In case B), you should be interested in the subject, since you elected to take it.
In ANY case, a good teacher should be able to make any topic interesting and engaging.