This could get real ugly

PEDAGOGY

Given the nature of the social structure of many high schools, this story isn't too surprising—as awful as it is.

Nine teens, including three juveniles, have been charged in connection with the death of a 15-year-old [South Hadley] Massachusetts girl who committed suicide after weeks of bullying on Facebook and at her high school.

Where the stuff is going to hit the fan has to do with administrators' and teachers' roles (or lack thereof) in all of this. The Boston Herald seems apoplectic, and the local district attorney is none too pleased either.

I certainly think this is one of the saddest stories of the year, and I believe all the administrators of the school should be fired. While it's possible that individual teachers were irresponsible in the episode, they are not the ones who make conscious decisions about the climate of a school. That is up to principals, assistant principals, housemasters, headmasters, or whatever they're called.

While I don't think the South Hadley case is comparable to what was going on at Columbine High School nearly eleven years ago, in both instances students apparently were allowed to belittle "outsiders" with impunity. When a school devolves to this point, education becomes virtually nonexistent and the school experience, which often isn't pleasant in the first place, becomes awful beyond description.