silence is a conscious reaction
over the past weeks, a furor rose regarding how some high school seniors were not allowed to march in their graduation because of their photos that were uploaded in their facebook accounts.
as a member of that system, that is, i finished high school in its quezon city branch in the mid 80s and taught for four years in the not so distant past, i am not surprised with what the school did. although i do agree that it was a harsh punishment, the fact that the parents took it to court made it worse.
i, however, do not agree with the comments ridiculing the school's archaic ways and later on, ridiculing the leaked photo of the girls in their bikinis.
first, marching is not the same as graduation. to borrow from a post, the afternoon ceremony is a rite. it's a public presentation that one has completed the requirements for high school and it's an announcement to the world that the graduate is ready for the world. now, the girls were still entitled to their diplomas but were deprived of the march.
second, the other comments revolved around how the school's rules were archaic. true. i wonder if honesty, respect for the female body, truth, scholarship, faith etc... are archaic. would the achievers of the theresian graduates not have been due partly to their archaic upbringing?
i wonder how parents feel seeing their teenage daughters romping in bikinis. i want to see their faces if a male compatriot says, "pare, mare, ang ganda naman ng anak niyo." would parents let that be an innocent comment? these kids are minors!
i was not suprised at all when i read that the father of the girl who sued the school said he allows his daughter to drink and smoke as these are part of a teener's life. sadly, her parents are separated. the mother was the one bent on suing the school. it's all pride.
third, a photo leaked into the internet and the voyeurs took this as a chance to post and repost and think this was the photo in question. come on, one photo? the icm nuns and the lay people there are not simpletons who will base their decisions on one photo. there must have been several photos.
sadly, the comments i read ridiculed the bodies of the kids in their bikinis. is that respect? is that the issue? these imbeciles, for a lack of term, propagate the culture of voyeurism by reposting this photo. i appealed to the theresian community to not repost any photos as we have to protect our own. then, i get a comment that some people are curious and want to see the photos merely for looking at them. even if i have the photos (which i don't), i will not share them at all.
fourth, my question has something to do with the parents. the school is not a repository for kids. if the school fails, parents are quick to blame the school. but where were they? parents and the school (icm nuns, teachers, administration, staff, manongs, manangs, and alums) are partners in molding the child.
finally, even if the school defied the TRO and the issue has shifted to their defiance, all these commenters are merely taking potshots at the catholic institution. given a chance, people will lambast the institution.
so, where do i stand here? i'm going to blame. i think this case shows that the school failed in instilling the values of critical thinking and discernment in the possible repercussions in posting in social networks. perhaps, the girls did not exercise due diligence in their actions. in addition, the parents failed the kids in giving the proper guidance, which culminated in the incident that triggered the events. as a way to make up for their absence, parents have to do what they could to regain the trust of their children and that is to exhaust all means even if it means disrespecting the institution that took care of their daughters.
when i was growing up in that institution, one value instilled in me was to always anticipate the effects of one's actions. another was to learn to act in ways that will not invite attention, ergo, be invited to explain one's actions. another way of reading the latter is that i knew how to hide the undesirable actions if i did them at all.
as a former teacher, i was heavily involved in issuing reminders to my students to evaluate who they add as friends, what they post, and who have access to their postings. allow me to confess that there were some points when i opted to instruct the student to remove a post or a photo or keep the settings private because of possible sanctions from the school or from the law. a few thanked me afterwards.
in summary, this case is not over. if only pride did not get in the way, then everything would have turned all right.
as a member of that system, that is, i finished high school in its quezon city branch in the mid 80s and taught for four years in the not so distant past, i am not surprised with what the school did. although i do agree that it was a harsh punishment, the fact that the parents took it to court made it worse.
i, however, do not agree with the comments ridiculing the school's archaic ways and later on, ridiculing the leaked photo of the girls in their bikinis.
first, marching is not the same as graduation. to borrow from a post, the afternoon ceremony is a rite. it's a public presentation that one has completed the requirements for high school and it's an announcement to the world that the graduate is ready for the world. now, the girls were still entitled to their diplomas but were deprived of the march.
second, the other comments revolved around how the school's rules were archaic. true. i wonder if honesty, respect for the female body, truth, scholarship, faith etc... are archaic. would the achievers of the theresian graduates not have been due partly to their archaic upbringing?
i wonder how parents feel seeing their teenage daughters romping in bikinis. i want to see their faces if a male compatriot says, "pare, mare, ang ganda naman ng anak niyo." would parents let that be an innocent comment? these kids are minors!
i was not suprised at all when i read that the father of the girl who sued the school said he allows his daughter to drink and smoke as these are part of a teener's life. sadly, her parents are separated. the mother was the one bent on suing the school. it's all pride.
third, a photo leaked into the internet and the voyeurs took this as a chance to post and repost and think this was the photo in question. come on, one photo? the icm nuns and the lay people there are not simpletons who will base their decisions on one photo. there must have been several photos.
sadly, the comments i read ridiculed the bodies of the kids in their bikinis. is that respect? is that the issue? these imbeciles, for a lack of term, propagate the culture of voyeurism by reposting this photo. i appealed to the theresian community to not repost any photos as we have to protect our own. then, i get a comment that some people are curious and want to see the photos merely for looking at them. even if i have the photos (which i don't), i will not share them at all.
fourth, my question has something to do with the parents. the school is not a repository for kids. if the school fails, parents are quick to blame the school. but where were they? parents and the school (icm nuns, teachers, administration, staff, manongs, manangs, and alums) are partners in molding the child.
finally, even if the school defied the TRO and the issue has shifted to their defiance, all these commenters are merely taking potshots at the catholic institution. given a chance, people will lambast the institution.
so, where do i stand here? i'm going to blame. i think this case shows that the school failed in instilling the values of critical thinking and discernment in the possible repercussions in posting in social networks. perhaps, the girls did not exercise due diligence in their actions. in addition, the parents failed the kids in giving the proper guidance, which culminated in the incident that triggered the events. as a way to make up for their absence, parents have to do what they could to regain the trust of their children and that is to exhaust all means even if it means disrespecting the institution that took care of their daughters.
when i was growing up in that institution, one value instilled in me was to always anticipate the effects of one's actions. another was to learn to act in ways that will not invite attention, ergo, be invited to explain one's actions. another way of reading the latter is that i knew how to hide the undesirable actions if i did them at all.
as a former teacher, i was heavily involved in issuing reminders to my students to evaluate who they add as friends, what they post, and who have access to their postings. allow me to confess that there were some points when i opted to instruct the student to remove a post or a photo or keep the settings private because of possible sanctions from the school or from the law. a few thanked me afterwards.
in summary, this case is not over. if only pride did not get in the way, then everything would have turned all right.
posted by coolcamote at
9:47 PM
<< Home