Student Life in the Bronx

I could not imagine a moment in my upbringing where I was ever afraid of telling on someone for something they clearly did wrong to me or to somebody else.  It's not that I run for help at every emergency, but I never talked myself out of it because I was afraid of the consequences of telling.

The student and social culture of no snitching is one that is quite pervasive.  And whether it is to maintain a level of integrity amongst peers or to protect oneself from retaliation, there's a lot of reasons for students today to keep their mouths shut when they really need to step forward and say something.

Though it is a tough lesson to teach, there's a tougher social stigma to address that goes beyond the walls of a school building.  The role of a snitch or a rat in society paints the picture of someone who has no loyalties and cannot be trusted - The Scarlet Letter comes to mind.

I have lost count of the number of incidents that I could report but cannot follow through because of the lack of details or the omission of details to take the disciplinary action to the next level.  Though this does not stop me from addressing clear behavioral issues, it creates a disciplinary impasse that not only allows for greater levels of disruptive behavior to go unaddressed, but creates a culture of fear or a culture of collaborative disobedience.

Some incidents are too complex to describe but the only complicating factor is the inability to tell the whole story...  People must recognize the complex social issues that really permeate these communities on a level that surpasses others.