Teachers defend shock tactics in DWI program

Teachers defend shock tactics in DWI program

I'm probably going to be very lonely in my opinion about this piece. While it is extreme and, as some argued, made an negative impact, I actually found it a strategy that worked well.

I guess we all want to coddle our kids and protect them from emotional damage, but these are high-schoolers we're talking about. Having been a high-schooler not too long ago, I know that teens at that age (well, most people at any age, really) wouldn't really take anything seriously until it had a personal impact. And this did.

You can warn them about drunk-driving, show horrible vehicle accidents (or would that be considered abuse too?), but it probably would not sink in for majority of them because it's always someone else. But putting them in the inner circle of a drunk-driving tragedy certainly would leave a mark.

Some say it's a bad way to handle the matter, making the kids distrust authority figures. I would say give the kids a bit of credit; I don't think they'll never trust another adult again just from this. Besides, it seems in this case the uproar from the students were more from the "you made me sad, that was really mean" angle rather than just because they were lied to. Once they calm down, the parents too, hopefully they'll realize the bigger picture to the stunt, rather than focusing on how their feelings were hurt.

Let them shed tears, get angry, get emotional... those strong feelings might return the time they decide to go drinking and driving, or letting a friend do so. I sincerely hope they remember how horrible it felt hearing that a friend died from a drunk-driver--that they will think twice about possibly inflicting that pain on another. May it scare them to the point they won't drive with even a drop of liquor (or drink at all), and encourage others to do the same.

I only wish one day all these kids and their parents will come to thank their teachers and the policemen who cared more about the kids' lives than fearing backlash and lawsuits.

These kids may have lost a bit of their innocence, but maybe they gained enough to save a life.