We often hear stories of how people have gotten into trouble for posts on social media, yet we don't really think that those types of situations could ever happen to us. Yet, people have lost their jobs, friends, and even gotten their admission decisions rescinded. Harvard University made a strong stance in 2017 that has left many wondering how often these types of circumstances can occur. Please read the blog post below that can help parents begin or continue having conversations with their teen about appropriate and inappropriate conversations in writing or anywhere for that matter. As with the Harvard case, the chat was deemed "private". If we put something in writing, we have to be VERY mindful of how that can be used in any format. I always try to think- what would my grandmother say if she saw this? Would I be mortified for her to see the language that I was using, the manner in which I represented myself or others?
This situation is a teachable moment for our students. Think about the magnitude of this decision- what a tough learning experience for a student to have! They got accepted to Harvard! I mean think of all of the hard work, time, effort, and energy they had to exert to get into one of the most selective colleges in the world, yet they lost it all by posting inappropriate comments in a private chat. This circumstance gives us all a chance to think about who we are on the inside and how we want to represent ourselves to the outside world.
Admission Rescinded For Online Posts
