Teacher draws the line I am a teacher at a downtown charter high school. My students fall into the temptations of underage drinking everyday. They think that it is humorous to drink and party. I had a girl come to my class completely hung over from the night before. She threw up all over the floor and tables and played it off like it was nothing but funny. However, I haven't seen her since that day, so either she is too hung over every morning to continue coming to school or she is too embarrassed by her behavior to come back.

There is a limit to how much I can involve myself in students’ lives. I have to draw the line between school and home. A student walked into my class late one morning. I expressed my disappointment for her irresponsibility, and she quietly said that her dad was too drunk to drive her when school had started. She had to wait for him to sober up. I was sad to hear that her life had to be effected by her father's drinking habits, yet I was hopeful that her embarrassment of her dad would keep her away from drinking. It is discouraging to know that no matter how much you try to teach responsibility, there are always issues going on at home. It starts with the parents. If parents are responsible, the kids naturally have a more responsible attitude themselves.

A difficult thing for teenagers to understand is how underage drinking affects others. The population that I work with includes many pregnant teenagers. Being at an age where they want to go out and have fun and drink, they are putting their babies at risk. Out of the student babies that I have seen, over half of them are born underweight with signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Students also endanger themselves when they drink. Luckily I haven’t known any students that have been hurt from drunk driving. Teenagers have this idea that they are invincible. Parents should talk about stories that they have seen on the news or experiences that they have had themselves that have ended with negative outcomes.

I try to talk to the students about keeping their bodies healthy and staying away from alcohol, drugs, and other substances. I’ve shared with them how I have never drunk or used drugs. You would think that they would view me as a prude, but instead they respect me. They wish they could walk away from the temptations they have, but they get caught up in the moment; a weekend isn't a weekend without getting drunk, a party isn't a party without getting drunk, and home isn't home without being drunk. I wish they could see how much potential they have. They do anything to hide themselves, by coming to school high, drunk, or wasted. I wish that parents would take more responsibility for what their teenagers are doing. I wish that they would set an example for their children rather than enabling their teens to destroy themselves, their futures, and potentially the lives and futures of others. I hope that my opinions and stories on the subject of underage drinking will help parents understand their children and take more initiative in being responsible and setting clear boundaries for their teenagers. If parents and the community make an effort to work together, this issue can be overcome. Let’s keep our children healthy, safe, and responsible!

--Brielle, Anthem