Imagine this: You are walking through the hall, you drop your Chromebook and someone purposefully kicks it around. What would you do?

Imagine this: You are walking through the hall, you drop a library book and someone purposefully kicks it around. What would you do?

I guarantee half of you said you would, some way or another, “defend” the Chromebook and just let the library book be. Why is this acceptable? Both items are school property and you are responsible for them. You (in most cases, depending on the severeness of the damage) have to pay for both if they are returned damaged. Granted, the Chromebook would most likely be more expensive, but both payments could result in you or your parents losing money you had planned on using for other materials.

Students seem to rely on their parents for many things, so when the topic of paying for damaged items is brought to their attention, some immediately say their parents will pay for it.

How does this make it any more okay? It does not. Your parents give you a great amount, and by purposefully damaging items and letting them pay for it is disrespecting them.What this sounds like to me is that you are all okay with disrespecting your parents. Is this true?

Now, I know things happen. Sometimes you forget you left it on the top of your car and drive away with it up there, or you drop it while carrying it through the high school halls. Things happen, I know. I am not saying dropping your book accidentally is disrespectful, but when you drop it on purpose or your friend purposefully kicks the said item after you drop it, that is when it becomes disrespectful.

There is a certain level of maturity you, as high schoolers, should be modeling. Laughing at your friend as she kicks your library book across the school hallway is not the right level.

When will you understand that something labeled school property is not your play toy?