An Essay on the Policy Regarding the Internet and Its Uses at Council High
By Michael Richardson
With the beginning of the new school year, so came a new policy on the Internet, that spacious domain where everyone can be anyone. First off, chats were not allowed. I can understand this. Chats might promote unlawful behavior and bad reactions. But, email? What is the reasoning behind this? You should be watched whenever you are on the 'Net, and therefore should not be able to send abusive messages anyway. But why are we not allowed to pick up our own personal email? What dark tidings will next year bring? A rule that says that you cannot make or receive phone calls, even in extreme emergencies? What reasoning will they feed us then?
I see no reason why email should be banned. It is not the same as chat, where you could hold a conversation for an hour with somebody you have never met before living in a small hut in Guatemala who says he lives in New York in a penthouse apartment. With email, most of the time your are mailing people you know and have met. I don't see why anyone would waste time spamming hundreds of people from school. You wouldn't get time. Most of the time that students are on the 'Net when they are not on assignment, it is for about 10 minutes. That leaves little opportunity to "send abusive messages".
The general feeling among the populace of the students is that the rules on email is a very bad thing. "Most of us are responsible. I don't see why we can't check our own email," said TeJon Moulton. What do the teachers say when asked about the rules? "I feel they're okay. They serve no educational purpose," said Ray Stoker, and I agree with that. What, then, is the reason why we are able to get on the 'Net and bring up sites like www.cheese.com, which I agree is certainly educational if you are in Home Ec, but in another class? "What's the capitol of England?" "Cheddar!" What about www.schick.com, a site devoted to selling razors and the like? I certainly don't call that educational. I learn things on many sites that I visit during school hours, but nothing really applicable in the school day. Why is email considered not educational, then?
"I think that the school didn't buy the equipment for email," is Al Harrington's opinion. What did you buy the equipment for, then? Educational internet surfing and typing? Great way to spend that much money. Though, true, the school didn't buy the equipment with email in mind, but that is an inseparable package. Buy one, get the other one free whether you like it or not.
I'm sure that the student body and the faculty could work together for find a reasonable solution to this problem. Just keep in mind that whatever the solution, we should seriously consider changing the rules. Email is just a way of life.