Tiller said having her son as a teenager motivated her to not only finish high school, but start college early all while working 30 hours/week and taking care of her son. The school administrators say the photo promotes and glorifies teen pregnancy.
Only 50% of U.S. teen moms receive a high school diploma by the age of 22, so Tiller’s accomplishment of graduating on time, with the rest of her class is certainly an accomplishment. In addition, as of 2011, teen pregnancy in the United States has reached an all-time low, although U.S. pregnancy rates are still twice as high as England or Canada, and eight times higher than the Netherlands and Japan.
You’ve all probably seen or heard of the controversial MTV show, Teen Mom, which follows the lives of four young women who had children while still teenagers in high school. While some praise the show for depicting the real life struggles teen moms often go through, the show has also received criticism that they too glorify teen pregnancy and make celebrities out of teenagers who made bad decisions.
So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of Tiller’s case? Does her photo and shows like Teen Mom promote teen pregnancy? Our current methods don’t seem to be that effective, so how should we address the issue of pregnancy with teenagers?” Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 15th, 2013. Don’t forget – our fundraiser for the Julian Center, a domestic violence shelter here in Indianapolis is still going on. You can access their wish list here http://www.juliancenter.org/Donate/Wish-List.aspx and bring any of the items to class during the month of March.
I think in Tiller's case that having her son in the yearbook with her wasn't such a big deal. The school more than likely has probably gotten to know Caitlin very well since she has had her son, knowing how hard she's working to provide for him. And even though Caitlin's perseverance for finishing school can be honestly credited to her son, the school basically didn't want to run that picture just for the sake of "keeping up appearances" with admins and that's just wrong.
ReplyDeleteI went to a high school that had a nursery for teacher and student use, and I think it didn't glorify pregnancy in any way. I think it showed how the school cared about keeping students in school, and it showed other students how hard the young parents had to work. The nursery was a visual reminder that helped (I think) keep that pregnancy rate down at my high school, not up.
I don't agree with the school not allowing Tiller to put her photo into the yearbook especially since she was willing to continue her education and even further it because her son was such a motivation to her which was what the school asked for a picture of. I've never watched the show Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, or any of the other shows that are like that. I do think that they somewhat glorify teen pregnancy though. Yes, they do show the hardships of a teenager growing up while having a child but just like any other of the reality shows on TV the media chooses to show and not show certain parts so what we see can only be taken with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteOut of the 200 students in my graduating class, 10 of the girls were pregnant and 5 of them had to get their diploma's later in the year because they were having a baby. My school never did anything about it other than saying that we couldn't bring our children to class just like Ai does here. Girl's also had the option at my school to take a health ed course where they received a life-like baby doll and they had to take care of it and nurture it for 3 months. The doll had a sensor on the inside that the teacher could plug into it and check to see how well it was taken care of. I personally never took the class, getting all the experience I needed taking care of my 2 little brothers growing up. I'm not really sure what kinds of things we could address to help the issue of teen pregnancy.
I really did not see the big deal. Many people have had family members in the year book picture with them, like siblings, parents,exct. Her son was a part of her family and made her push forward to make a better future for both of them. As for the reality show, well much like all the other reality shows they pick apart the film to get what the media wants to show. That is mostly about ratings and getting people hooked so they can make money. I think Tiller should have been in that photo with her baby, it shows other girls that if you get pregnant then take the responsibility and get an education for your babies future as well as your own. I would have done the same thing as Tiller. If he can not be in the photo then neither can I.
ReplyDeleteI think that if she finished school early, started working 30 hours a week while starting college early while taking care of her son she should have her picture with her son in the year book. She is not being a brat like those stuck up primadonnas on MTV or this one girl I knew from high school who had three kids with three different men before she graduated and is now living nicely off of child support. Honestly, how many people can say they know someone like Tiller? She is taking responsibility for her son to be sure that he has a future as well as one for herself. It's just a shame that people are more interested in Teen Mom mothers then ones like Tiller. (Face Palm)
ReplyDeleteSince Tiller's case was so positive and motivational, they should've included the photo and possibly a little caption somewhere explaining how much she's accomplishing. Is this way, I don't see it as glorifying teen pregnancy, rather, that it shouldn't happen, but this is a rare case. Or throw in some statistics as as well.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, MTV is glorifying teen pregnancy. One semester, a group of us touched the subject a little bit in Critical Thinking and we found that one of the biggest criticisms is that girls are getting pregnant so they can be one the show. Makes sense, considering the show can lead impressionable, younger girls, to believe if they get pregnant, they can get their own show, fame, and money.
I really do not see the big deal with having her son in her yearbook photo. She actually graduated and was working hard to support her and her son. Most young women that get pregnant in high school don't graduate. It shows that she actually took responsibility and that she isn't like the girls on Teen Mom. My high school class nearly every other girl was pregnant and most walked through graduation while actually pregnant or had their kids in the audience. Most girls went to our student academy to finish their high school degrees online. I think eliminating shows like Teen Mom would help.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the photo should have been allowed to be put into the high school yearbook. The fact is many high schools keep over reacting to many things that really shouldnt be a concern for them. the school is not running these kids lives, the kids and the parents are. The show Teen Mom is pathetic and needs to be canceled. I don't care about the life of someone who is famous now for making a huge mistake in their life. Most teen moms are still so immature and don't even raise their kids and the baby ends up being raised by his/her grandmother and thinks his/her grandmother is their actual mother and calls her "mom". I know what it means, and what it takes to be a parent and that's why I knew to wait until I was ready and prepared to have a kid. I still don't have a child and i will not have one until I know that that child is going to have a safe and stable home and family. At my high school there were plenty of girls getting pregnant and barley any of them stayed to get their high school degree. I think that there was only one girl who stayed and got her high school degree. I was happy and impressed to see her work so hard to get it too.
ReplyDeleteThe photo really should be allowed in the yearbook and should be used as a source of motivation for all of those other pregnant teenage girls out there. The MTV show, however, should just be taken off the air. I know our methods of informing teens about teen pregnancies aren't that effective, but the fact of the matter is that teenagers are going to do stupid things. I work at my local Dairy Queen here in Greenwood and our staff is populated with a lot of high school kids that go to the schools really close by. Some of our teenage girl crew members have gotten pregnant during their time working there and the baby daddies almost always run away. Teenagers are stupid. It's just something that's going to happen and is going to be a wake-up call to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI don't see what the big deal is about her having her son in the photo. The message behind the photo is what counts here. The photo should be used as a source of inspiration for teen moms. That show Teen Mom, though, should be taken off the air. I've seen the show and it doesn't really promote anything positive.
ReplyDeleteI think that Teen Mom sort of promotes teen pregnancy as a way to get famous, which is counterproductive, but Tiller's case doesn't promote it. Instead, her case gives a ray of hope to teenage mothers.
Sex education rather than abstinence e3ducation would probably help the teen pregnancy issue. Teenager are going to have sex (obviously), so the best course of action is to teach them how to protect themselves while encouraging them not to. Pass out condoms and encourage birth control and prophylactics. Teens are generally stupid, irresponsible, raging hormone machines, and thus it is our society's responsibility to except this fact and do something that's actually productive in preventing them from becoming teen parents or worse.
She made herself a better woman, takes care of her son, works a job, and still managed to graduate ahead of schedule. This should be seen as an accomplishment and an inspiration to other girls if they are to become pregnant at a early age.
ReplyDeleteTeen Mom was one of the few shows I could watch with my own mother when I was in high school to talk about sex. It even helped me see where the girls went wrong with their preventatives or forgot to use protection. I for one don't have a problem with it, but I only see that it can seem "glorifying" when they're getting a new cellular device every week.
Ultimately, we should have sex education in all forms of school. It is hard talking to parents about sex, but having a teacher might help start the conversation. There should also be a talk about ways to prevent teen pregnancy, and having safe sex. There should be a talk about the relationships you have with someone before deciding to have sex with them. This will not only help the parent talk to their child, but also help the child be more open to their parents instead of sneaking around.
Honestly in Tiler's case, the school should've looked at her as, she's taking the situation, and turned it to motivation; instead of banning her photo from the school yearbook.
ReplyDeleteWith every photo is a promotion, cause we capture a form of life as it really happens, so if Tiler turned a tough choice to a positive outlook; why not promote it? Teen pregnancy will not end cause some school decided not to support it's student even in a time of glory... Sounds so like the School system anyways.
I think that addressing the situation of teen pregnancy to teens, is like telling them; "Look, you're able to get pregnant; but don't, cause it's the wrong thing for you to do.", knowing some will think, if GOD didn't want me to have kids as a teenager, then GOD shouldn't have made it possible.
This country has put so much emphasis on what's the wrong thing to do, that what is natural is wrong at the wrong time. Tell you the truth, I support it. My mom was a teen mother, and a lot of my friends and family face that situation, and don't regret a day. Granted there are some that do regret it, and there are those that think it is wrong, or that is scandalous or something. But the fact is, it's reality. So we should all just take it as a responsibility.
Tiller's case just bums me out. I think that if her photo had been published it would have been an excellent tool in demonstrating how, although having a child while still in high school isn't exactly ideal, that scenario doesn't mean that your opportunities in life are taken away from you. It just means that you'll have to work harder to realize them. I say good on Tiller for making the absolute best of her situation. I have no doubt that she is a stronger person because of it.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, shows like "Knocked Up Teen" and "16 & Dumb As A Box Of Hammers" do exactly what they were intended to do: provide shock value and incur high viewer ratings. I feel bad for the children born into these situations. The exploitation of these babies by their "mothers" is probably one of the reasons why other countries hate us.
I think that in Tiller's case, her school over reacted pretty hard, but I can sort of understand why they did it. They didn't want to have to explain to all the other parents about the picture, but in turn now they have to explain it the other way on a much larger scale. They freaked out because they didn't want to advocate teen pregnancy but they did so in a manner she was meant to be almost shamed by having a child. It is an achievement, not like the gals on the mtv teen mom show. It's different when you have a camera crew and a slightly scripted environment and ratings. Plus one of them teen moms ended up getting slam-bo-ed by bangbros- real talk, just to stay famous. Anyway I'm sure the school administrators probably regret their decision and the heat they will receive for it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this young lady was promoting teenage pregnancy, but I do think that it was inappropriate for her to have her child in her school photo. I don't think that teenage pregnancy is promoted with Teen Mom, but I can definitely understand the stance on that show making these young girls something of a celebrity. People know and recognize these girls from a television show that was intended to discourage teen pregnancy and succeeded due to the amount of drama on the show. This sounds a lot like the typical reality show.
ReplyDeleteI recall a few years ago, when a group of teenagers confessed about have a pregnancy pact. Each of them wanted to get pregnant. Teenage girls are ignorant because they think that by getting pregnant they will keep someone around that they likely don't want to keep around anyway. The reality is that some of these teenage boys will run away in fear of having a kid at a young age.
Well first off it's the schools fault for being so vague on the regulations of the yearbook picture. They just said something they are proud of; I could have put in a tattoo I drew and had done and that would be something I would be proud of. If they wanted to keep the schools "look" a certain way they should have specified. At the same time it is a goal now in days to graduate from high school without being a parent. It doesn't glorify teen pregnancy, and if schools taught safe sex then this really wouldn't be that big of a problem. MTV however, does make it seem like its okay, that you could have a chance to be on tv. That we know is not true, those girls just got lucky. The school should let the picture be there and next time put tighter regulations on their stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think that they should have just let her have her son in the photo with her. if that's what gave her inspiration then she was the other 50 percent of teen moms that graduate high school. that could inspire other teen moms that don't go back to school to go back to school and receive their diploma.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that any of it promotes teen pregnancy. i believe that it creates awareness of what you would be going through if you were a teen mom. if anything she would be a huge inspiration because they're people out in the world that aren't teen parents and never graduated high school because of their own free will.
so no it doesn't promote teen pregnancy, its an inspiration and can motivate anyone to want to accomplish what she is accomplishing.
i think our methods are fine, in fact if people get pregnant at a young age then that's on them because they were completely aware of what they were doing. however, its not the end of the world for them, they can still accomplish their goals and life their life as well.
In Tiller's case, having the photo in the yearbook would be inspiring. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have to raise a child and still get your diploma. Most of these issues we've been blogging about are hardly even relevant to me, so it's hard forming an opinion of something I never really think about.
ReplyDeleteI had teen mom's in my class, and if I'm not mistaken, they had photos of them and their kids in the yearbook. I never cared about having a yearbook, so I really don't care about this subject. If Tiller thinks that she can do all of that, then why am I even talking about this?
YES, these god damned Teen Mom shows promote teen pregnancy and all of its wonder. It's still also a good way to scare dumb teenagers into safe sex; or to not have sex at all. Sounds like a bunch of teenage drama to me.
I think her case is ridiculous. I don't think her case promotes teen pregnancy but rather promotes responsibly. Her son inspired her and she took the responsibly of raising a child while finishing school. Not only did she finish high school but she continent to collage. Most people would not of done that. I think shows like teen mom promote teen pregnancy. It shows a lot of girls getting what they want and getting all the attention in the world. Show like this can make a girl want children just to get what they see on TV. Personally I think the best way to address the issue is by parents and schools talking to teen about teen pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI think its dumb because the school said greatest achievement, that means anything! If she is proud to be a mother and a parent, then other parents should definitely allow her to do what she did. If you just glance at the show Teen Mom then your going to be like, "oh, well i don't want my kids watching this," but that's because your not actually watching it. I have friends who watch it and they tell me about all the fun times and the struggles that the teenagers have to endure on the show for being such a young mom. Which I believe right there is actually showing people how hard it is to be a parent at such a young age. I think that the school system thought of just that glance of the picture and not the actual meaning of the photo to that one individual.
ReplyDeleteI Believe there isn't really much that you can do to stop teen pregnancy besides how a parent explains to their child and trusting them on the right decision. Most people don't learn either unless they get a pregnancy scare. That's just my opinion though.
Through the school's point of view, having a photo that is publically open within the community in which contains within it, the child of a senior graduate. Portrays that this school has a record of pregnancy, which majority of parents prefer their child to not experience during their high school career. Although Caitlin Tiller was entitled to have within the photo one achievement that represented her. In all regards she was wrongly treated by her school. This photo should have not been banned.
ReplyDeleteAs teenage pregnancy affect individuals physically, economically, socially and emotionally. It is important to prevent both teen and unwanted pregnancy that easily, 40% of high school students whom already have experienced sexual intercourse. The leading topic that should be required to be taught throughout each high school board is the concept of abstinence. This could be the building block to lowering teenage pregnancy. In correlation this should be used as a transaction into further teenage pregnancy by introducing the idea of contraception and communication.
I think the school should be praising Caitlin for not only finishing high school on time, but going on to also start college early, all while working and caring for a child- Most of the teenage mothers that I have known decided to put their education on hold, so instead of snubbing her achievements, I think her hard work should be recognized.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like Teen Mom does seem to glorify teenage pregnancy by making celebrities out of people who have made mistakes or wrong choices, but Caitlin I think is different in the fact that she is not reaping the benefits of a MTV show, and is instead working very hard to make sure that her child has a supportive future.
I believe, if our colleges were much less expensive, like they are overseas, we would not have quite as many teenage mothers and fathers. Making our education more affordable would open up so many more options for teenagers, and it would give them a more tangible goal to reach for while they are in high school.
I think Tillers case isn't a big deal, although it has big deal points. Yes she had her son with her in her picture. And i could see where the school is coming from. But to not put her picture in time for the year book, theirs some problems. If she did have her picture in the year book with her son,people would look at it either one of two ways. first would be she is a strong student/mother striving to make a better future for her and her son. Or she is just another teen that got pregnant in school and wants attention showing her son in the picture. What the school could of done is put a short story beside her picture explaining the struggle and obsticals it take to become a mom.
ReplyDeleteI don't t think that tiller is in the wrong here. She has overcome her obstacles and thats more than most teen pregnancies can say.for some reason unknown to me girls are thinking its OK and a wonderful thing to do. I think teen mom shows some struggles of having a chi,kid but until you live it I don't think it can be understood. I'm not really sure how we can spread prevention. You would,d think girls would realize the impact it would have on their life. I hope that one day I can raise my future children to be smart and preventative for things like this as my parents did.
ReplyDeleteNo. I do not think that her photo necessarily promotes teen mom pregnancy but it shows the will and determination of a mother able to go against the normal current in being able to still graduate. Teen mom... Well since its such a popular show the people involved "teen Moms" kind of become celebrities in a way and in the long run theirs more than likely to be merchandise branching from the television series which in turn would be promoting it. In addressing the issue... You know how Bob barker would always say have your pets spade or neutered? Lets light the candle on both ends with getting the message across to these discovery channel song lovers to wrap it before they tap it and or to take a pill before the thrill.
ReplyDeleteI think it is horrible that they banned the photo of her little sunshine. He is a part of her life, and I'm sure it wasn't any secret in school that he exists. I understand that they don't want to glorify teen pregnancy, but it is a real factor in her life and no doubt the most important. That is just what she chose as her personal accomplishment. I honestly don't know how I would propose to prevent it. People will always be reckless and fail to think about the obvious and expensive repercussions.
ReplyDeleteThe Tiller case made me want to punch the administration in the face honestly. I realize this would accomplish nothing so I have been sitting and thinking on why I would like to. I think the administration should have just let her run the picture of her son. The picture would show that even teen mom's can graduate from high school and be productive. The simple fact that she is starting college and working is a testament to how much she loves her son and how much she will accomplish I don't believe that they are promoting teen pregnancy. The shows are showing the truth and the hardships that young teen mothers go through to survive. I believe that having a teen mother go in and talk to the teenagers and show them how difficult it is to be able to take care of a child and go to school and work. There still would be teen pregnancies just because some people don't care about the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDelete