Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps because they're more into alcohol?

Does anyone attribute it to parenting?

The decisions that individual teens make? Of course!
The way parents handle drug/alcohol use in their kids and in their homes? Absolutely!
Whether a specific school (reputedly) has more issues with drugs or alcohol? Probably not.

When I was looking into schools for my own kids, the question I asked of friends/kids of friends was not whether or not the high schoolers use drugs or alcohol at parties. I assume that some kids at every single school in the area do use illegal substances. What I asked was, if an individual student chooses not to smoke/drink/take drugs, what is their social experience? Are they included? Teased? Pressured?

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps because they're more into alcohol?

Does anyone attribute it to parenting?

Perhaps because they're more into alcohol?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the story is that Gore deux was in trouble at STA for drugs or drink. Tipper tried to get STA to wipe his record clean and they refused. So he transferred out.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Pot.

You're not wrong.

Says something about both STA and Sidwell.

Pot smoking at a middle school dance. Sidwell was happy to have him and his social life was not a problem there. He was quite popular. Drugs are not a mainstream item or popular with STA students. Guess what many say the D in GDS represents?

Any theories on why drugs aren't bit with STA? What I've heard about GDS, Burke, Field, and a few other schools re: pot scares me.

The Palin/McCain rallies come to mind - "the N word" was all over the news and this is DC. Huckleberry Finn also comes to mind. Knowing the word and understanding are two different things. Using the word to degrade another human being is ia serious offense. It should be addressed, not ignored and all of the kids should learn a lesson about how abhorrent it is. The issue here is sensitivity and education - isn't that what schools are all about, no matter how prestigious? These children are not perfect, and even if the student is kicked out, the school and family should reassess how they are communicating the values of respect and tolerance within the community. We can always do better - the issue shoud be addressed head on and broadly - however ugly - it is a learning experience.

The word is out there, in songs, in literature in the news. I've spoken to both my children about why it is such an ugly, impermissable, word. I think it is naive to think kids haven't heard it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

other children at school
neighbors
random people yelling something on the street/metro/bus stop/store/etc. (Have you ever walked around the Wisconsin & Albemarle corner after school lets out at Wilson?)

It could be anywhere. And if the child had never talked with his (or her) parents about the word (which is entirely possible for a child of that age) that he wouldn't even truly understand how incredibly offensive the word is.

I have had conversations with my son about this word and others, and it's entirely possible a kid uses it after hearing it without knowing it's grossly offensive. Anyone who hears a kid use this word should view it as a learning opportunity, not immediately make judgments about the family.

Exactly. If I heard a child I knew use that word, I'd tell him (or her) that he shouldn't talk like that. I'd step in and correct at the moment, but I'd also tell the parents so they could have a full conversation. I certainly wouldn't assume that home was where the child learned to talk like that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

other children at school
neighbors
random people yelling something on the street/metro/bus stop/store/etc. (Have you ever walked around the Wisconsin & Albemarle corner after school lets out at Wilson?)

It could be anywhere. And if the child had never talked with his (or her) parents about the word (which is entirely possible for a child of that age) that he wouldn't even truly understand how incredibly offensive the word is.

yes, anywhere else but at home. and also a child of this age with an above-average iq hasn't a clue as to why the word is offensive.

Well that seems completely possible to me. I have nice friends and if I heard a word like that out of one of their children's mouths I would think the child heard it anywhere BUT at home. If the child comes from a nice family of course he wouldn't learn it there, and the parents surely have no idea he knows it and have probably never spoken to him about it (thinking he's so young, etc.). After all there are a LOT of topics parents don't discuss with their 3rd graders. Just because he has an above-average IQ doesn't mean he understands the social history and psychology of such a loaded word. He may think he's hip and knowledgeable because it's something he heard on a video of the Dave Chapelle show after all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

other children at school
neighbors
random people yelling something on the street/metro/bus stop/store/etc. (Have you ever walked around the Wisconsin & Albemarle corner after school lets out at Wilson?)

It could be anywhere. And if the child had never talked with his (or her) parents about the word (which is entirely possible for a child of that age) that he wouldn't even truly understand how incredibly offensive the word is.

I have had conversations with my son about this word and others, and it's entirely possible a kid uses it after hearing it without knowing it's grossly offensive. Anyone who hears a kid use this word should view it as a learning opportunity, not immediately make judgments about the family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

other children at school
neighbors
random people yelling something on the street/metro/bus stop/store/etc. (Have you ever walked around the Wisconsin & Albemarle corner after school lets out at Wilson?)

It could be anywhere. And if the child had never talked with his (or her) parents about the word (which is entirely possible for a child of that age) that he wouldn't even truly understand how incredibly offensive the word is.

yes, anywhere else but at home. and also a child of this age with an above-average iq hasn't a clue as to why the word is offensive.

Anonymous wrote:
Pot smoking at a middle school dance. Sidwell was happy to have him and his social life was not a problem there. He was quite popular. Drugs are not a mainstream item or popular with STA students. Guess what many say the D in GDS represents?

"Day"

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

other children at school
neighbors
random people yelling something on the street/metro/bus stop/store/etc. (Have you ever walked around the Wisconsin & Albemarle corner after school lets out at Wilson?)

It could be anywhere. And if the child had never talked with his (or her) parents about the word (which is entirely possible for a child of that age) that he wouldn't even truly understand how incredibly offensive the word is.

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

television
parents
older siblings

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, maybe I'm going to come accross as super naive...but how does a child, even at Beauvoirs 3rd grade level, know that word? I never heard that vile word until I was at least in my mid-teens.

Mommy and Daddy using the word at home, perhaps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the story is that Gore deux was in trouble at STA for drugs or drink. Tipper tried to get STA to wipe his record clean and they refused. So he transferred out.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Pot.

You're not wrong.

Says something about both STA and Sidwell.

Pot smoking at a middle school dance. Sidwell was happy to have him and his social life was not a problem there. He was quite popular. Drugs are not a mainstream item or popular with STA students. Guess what many say the D in GDS represents?