Teachers, do you attend graduation parties?

[yoopermom]

(Inspired by booster club dilemma...)
I work at a tech college now, but all the years I taught in jr/sr high schools, I *rarely* attended high school graduation parties. DH/DS would go, and wish I would, but I was always afraid of being put in the position of seeing underage drinking and being obligated by contract to report it. I just couldn't believe how many party givers either outright or implicitly condoned underage drinking at these parties! I'm no prude, and don't want to argue what the drinking age should be, but, as a teacher, I didn't want to see it, and then have to be the "bad guy" and report it.

Anybody else in this position?

Terri

 

[wdw_girl_18]

Around here it's against teacher's contracts to hang out with students off of school property. Even though they have graduated I sure would not risk any chances of losing my job.

 

[akhenaten]

(Inspired by booster club dilemma...)
I work at a tech college now, but all the years I taught in jr/sr high schools, I *rarely* attended high school graduation parties. DH/DS would go, and wish I would, but I was always afraid of being put in the position of seeing underage drinking and being obligated by contract to report it. I just couldn't believe how many party givers either outright or implicitly condoned underage drinking at these parties! I'm no prude, and don't want to argue what the drinking age should be, but, as a teacher, I didn't want to see it, and then have to be the "bad guy" and report it.

Anybody else in this position?

Terri

Would the obligation to report only apply to students in your district or any underage drinking? If you attended a family party and teens were given a drink would you be obligated to report it?

I think you made a wise choice.... why put yourself in that position?

 

[Cinderella94]

I'm not a teacher, but a high school senior . I've seen teachers at my friends' grad parties, and we also sometimes see our teachers outside of school hours (not "hanging out," but some of us babysit for them or they have study sessions at Starbucks, stuff like that).

No problems.

 

[yoopermom]

Me, personally, I tried not to put myself in a position to have to make the decision . For example, up here, all the guys (and many of the gals) go to hunting camp in the fall, and do quite a bit of drinking. I'm sure many of the parents let their teens drink there, so I just don't go when invited.

My parents were both teachers, too (back in the day), and warned me when I was a teen that if I had friends over and drank at our house, that they could lose their jobs if anything happened (or if anyone important found out). Kinda tough when the drinking age (back then) was 18 so some friends could do so legally, and some couldn't.

Terri

 

[golfgal]

In our old town teachers did go to a lot of grad parties. It was a smaller town and you usually knew the family outside of school too. As a coach, I went to all of my senior's parties and never saw any underage drinking. Most people didn't have alcohol at the parties. Here, you will see a few teachers that go, mainly to students that were special to them or coaches going to team member's parties but again, people rarely serve alcohol and no issues with teens drinking. If you know that it is common to witness that at parties, no, I would not go either.

 

[cinabug]

I'm in the exact same position. I live in a very small town and am often related to one of the graduates. I rarely go to the parties. It can also work well to just drop by early, before things get into full swing. I've almost always been able to avoid the problem, except at the graduation of one of my cousins. I left when the alcohol came out. I'd probably get away with it if I stayed since it's very acceptable behavior for many people in my area, but why put myself in that position?

I take my cards with me to graduation and hand them out there. I can then spend that afternoon relaxing at home.