This morning as I was enjoying my morning coffee, (caffeine is a good thing<grins>) and watching the local morning news show I became aware of a report that bothered me. The report was about a school here in Michigan that not only filters and bans the use of social networking places, (MySpace named frequently) during the school day as most schools do, but they are also instructing their students to not use, visit or otherwise be a part of any social networking site after-school hours, including in their own home. Wow!  This has debate written all over it. The school, St. Hugo of the Hills, in Bloomfield, Michigan is a private school that services k-8^th grade (as far as I can tell). The internet usage policy, including this addendum has been posted here.  They are banning the use of MySpace and other social networking sites, although they decline to mention which sites might fall under this category. According to their policy:It was also stated that the following behaviors are not permitted:  

• Sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures ON OR OFF the St. Hugo network.
• Using inappropriate language to harass, insult or attack others.

The “myspace.com” sites of many of the students violate these rules.  Therefore, it is the RULE of St. Hugo School that NO ENROLLED STUDENT SHALL have a “myspace.com” webpage or any similar type personal internet site.  Students were informed on March 20, 2007 that they must delete their “myspace.com” accounts if they wish to continue to attend school at St. Hugo.  If a family chooses to allow their children to continue their “myspace.com” account, they will not be allowed to continue as students at St. Hugo.

They sited the reason for this move as being a police officer and teacher who had used a social networking site to lure young children. (It did not appear as though these two incidents affected students from this school.)I know that there are bad people out there waiting to do bad things to children. That is a fact, (unfortunately). These types of people can get to our children anywhere, not just through the interent. Do we not teach our children the rules of ‘stranger danger’? Isn’t this another area where we need to be vigil on teaching safety rules to our children? A computer is a tool that needs to be used safely and correctly, just like any other tool that we entrust to our children. I do not plan on putting my daughter behind the wheel of a car when she turns 16 and tell her to use the car to get where she needs to go. I will teach her, (as well as a driver’s ed. Program) the correct and safe way to use that tool to get her where she needs to go. When she began learning how to write, I instructed her on the safe and correct way to use a pencil so that she did not ‘stab’ herself or others and she was able to use it correctly to communicate. I could go on and on about the tools that we teach our children to use on a daily basis. We teach them how to use these tools to be safe and successful. In an article that appears in the April, 2007 edition of NEA Today , MySpace has become the third most visited web site behind Yahoo! And Google. Although MySpace has paved the way for this revolutioon, there are hundreds of sites that are designed like MySpace. The article gives results from a study done by Pew Internet and American Life Project concerning the use of social networking.

I am not in denial that some of these sites have been used to wave a malicious attack on a fellow classmate or teacher. I am also not in denial that if we want our students to know how to use a tool, we need to teach them, both at school and at home. My daughter and I have an open communication about what she does on the internet. Her social networking area, (not MySpace…she’s not old enough by their standards) is a way for her to connect to those friends that are near and far. This gives her and her friends a place to communicate, create, discuss, and debate anything they feel that is important in their young lives. She is learning how to use her tools safely and correctly. Yes! I said her tools. She has known nothing in her life but cell phones, walkmans, iPods, computers, video games, and internet. These are the tools of her trade –her existence. They are here to stay and as a parent I recognize this. So my duty as a parent and educator is to make sure she safely and successfully can use the tools of her trade.

What do you think?