Daring and Thought-Provoking Senior Project
As you are probably aware, all Seattle seniors have to complete a year-long senior project as one of SPS' graduation requirements. One young woman in Toppenish took a decided risk and went for broke on hers - she pretended to be pregnant for 6 months.
Right there, makes you think, right?
Gaby Rodriguez is a 17 year-old honors student at Toppenish High School. She told her mother, her boyfriend and her principal but didn't tell teachers and other students, 6 of her 7 sibs nor her boyfriend's parents about her social experiment. She revealed the secret in an all-school assembly.
From the story in the Seattle Times:
The topic of her presentation: "Stereotypes, rumors and statistics."
"Teenagers tend to live in the shadows of these elements," she says.
Before removing her fake belly in front of the entire student body, she told her audience: "Many things were said about me. Many ... traveled all the way back to me."
Then, she asked several students and teachers to read statements from 3x5 cards, quotes people actually said about her in the past months.
So she lied but it was an social experiment that required her to basically give up a regular senior year for it. She had to learn things about herself and about how people were reacting to her new "condition."
It's worked out for her.
At least one college recruiter called the Herald-Republic in an effort to speak with Rodriguez. So did a local business owner who was so impressed with her story that she wanted to offer her a scholarship.
Greene (her principal) said he was caught off-guard by the reaction, but added that it likely will lead to an overall positive experience for Rodriguez, who has a grade-point average of 3.8.
I had to wonder about some of the comments from the Times' article complaining that she tricked her boyfriend's parents into believing they would have a grandson. I'd think most parents would be thrilled that their son wasn't becoming a father at 20.
When I was growing up, we wouldn't have had a pregnant girl at school, sad to say.
Right there, makes you think, right?
Gaby Rodriguez is a 17 year-old honors student at Toppenish High School. She told her mother, her boyfriend and her principal but didn't tell teachers and other students, 6 of her 7 sibs nor her boyfriend's parents about her social experiment. She revealed the secret in an all-school assembly.
From the story in the Seattle Times:
The topic of her presentation: "Stereotypes, rumors and statistics."
"Teenagers tend to live in the shadows of these elements," she says.
Before removing her fake belly in front of the entire student body, she told her audience: "Many things were said about me. Many ... traveled all the way back to me."
Then, she asked several students and teachers to read statements from 3x5 cards, quotes people actually said about her in the past months.
So she lied but it was an social experiment that required her to basically give up a regular senior year for it. She had to learn things about herself and about how people were reacting to her new "condition."
It's worked out for her.
At least one college recruiter called the Herald-Republic in an effort to speak with Rodriguez. So did a local business owner who was so impressed with her story that she wanted to offer her a scholarship.
Greene (her principal) said he was caught off-guard by the reaction, but added that it likely will lead to an overall positive experience for Rodriguez, who has a grade-point average of 3.8.
I had to wonder about some of the comments from the Times' article complaining that she tricked her boyfriend's parents into believing they would have a grandson. I'd think most parents would be thrilled that their son wasn't becoming a father at 20.
When I was growing up, we wouldn't have had a pregnant girl at school, sad to say.
Comments
stu
PS - Wanna bet Hollywood comes calling to make a movie about this? That might help her pay for college right there!
That's six months of believing your son is going to become a father before he finishes high school. Either way (hoping for a grandchild, which is reasonable, or upset that your son is a father so young) after six months your told it's not true, it was all made up...
I'd be furious.
Proud Top-Hi Graduate, 1970
I suspect this girl would not be seriously dating someone not thoughtful and mature. I suspect that the reactions of his parents were carefully considered. So, does that make it right or wrong? I don't know, but I figure I do not know the whole story, I do not know these people, so cannot judge.
stu
But if they had, my joy would have known no bounds.
Also, she really was experimenting on her schoolmates and others with deception, a project that would have a tough time flying w/ a human subjects committee. I wonder if a UW prof could get this by a committee. It would be interesting to see.
(Mary -- your kids don't try to deceive you and then tell you it was a science experiment? Mine have already tried that one on, and they're only seven and ten. So far it has't worked 'cause they had no credible evidence of the planned experiment. Someday, though. I won't be at all surprised.)
Is it deception? Maybe? Does it go beyond ethical practice - probably not.
That said, I probably would have left the boyfriends parents out of it (told them about the project). There were other adults available - teachers, other parents.
I have known plenty of people where this happened in their family, and they did not accept the situation or the baby...
I think the 'grandparents' were lucky to get a chance to examine their attitudes and responses before (the unlikely?) event that they have to face the real thing....
http://voiceofdetroit.net/?p=6582
This school had a 90% graduation rate. 90%! And Robert Bobb is Broad Academy graduate. But of course.