SNITCHING SHOULDN'T PAY

Kids should be encouraged to tell when they know trouble is brewing -
but not for pay.

Snitch, snitch, fell in a ditch, found a penny and thought he was rich.

A lot has changed in the years since many of us learned the sneering
singsong of the playground that warned against "selling out"
classmates to authorities - meaning adults of any kind. School
massacres, planned in cold blood and sometimes talked of in advance,
have raised the stakes. In response, some schools are offering money
for information about crimes, rewards of $100, or even $500.

That's pretty rich by kid standards, even today - and a very poor
lesson in civic responsibility.

Generations of parents and teachers have tried to teach children not
to turn into obnoxious little tattlers, but to tell when they know
that someone is doing, or planning to do, real harm to others.

Making the distinction between mean-spirited snitching and acting
responsibly is one of the most difficult lessons human beings have to
learn as they mature. Needless to say, children who lack the judgment
of age in assessing potential dangers should be encouraged to err on
the side of caution: When in doubt, put the word out.

And even talk about weapons should be reported at once.

To grow into worthy adults, though, children need to learn that good
citizens do not point a finger at others to reap a personal reward or
settle a score, but to protect themselves and others: no other pay-off
required.

If no such larger benefit is expected from "telling," chances are an
informant is not acting responsibly at all, but is simply snitching,
to cause trouble, curry favor or make easy money.

Better communications between youth and adults is a fine goal. But, in
their fear, authorities should not be seeding schoolhouses with spies.

Kids should know the difference. "No one is going to tell on their
friends for cash," a senior at one school asserted. But, "If someone
brings a gun to school or is doing drugs in the bathroom, no one has
to pay me to let the teachers know."

Freshman civics.