High School Hall Monitors

The hall monitors at my high school in Scarborough were more security guard than buddy, and half my interactions with them were "Take off the hat." There was really no test period, we went one year without security guards to having them the next year, no time to get used to it. Rules flipped around, hats were now indicators of gang activity, even pink visors, all students were possible shit-disturbers, drug dealers or gangbangers. Needless to say, we made their lives quite difficult.

That said, it's refreshing to see a hall monitor look like he actually wants to be there to help the students, his comments about seizures or problems they can't go to a teacher with (Especially since most schools no longer have full time guidance counselors anymore) were really what a hall monitor should be doing, being there FOR the students, not as an extension of surveillance.

As I am currently still going to high school, I will consider myself an expert. We've got a hall monitor and I haven't seen a single fight or a single deal go down. Then again, I go to William Lyon Mackenzie... so really nothing would be happening without one either. Unless a game of Magic: The Gathering went awry.

I also still in highschool, and go to Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. Though it is a very peaceful school with very little problems (unlike many school in the city that actually require a hall monitor) we have a full time hall monitor. His name is Bob, he's an ex-cop and he does his job fairly well, but the issue is that I feel his work is required much more in other places, rather than trying to find problems with a school with very little. Firstly, there are about 2-3 fights per school year, all of which take place off school property, are regarding a childish disagreement and most don't even escalate very far. Almost all students, like you said, buy, sell and smoke weed; however I don't consider that a problem unless it's drastically affecting a student's grades or involves interaction with dangerous (outside of school) drug dealers.
These aside, Bob's main activities are comprised of pestering kids for loitering in the halls, being late for class or causing minor disturbances. He does keep up somewhat of a 'buddy' persona with students and is generally friendly, but is nowhere near as effective as the hall monitor featured in the video. However, if you were to ask other students at my school, you'd find that Bob isn't to popular, most likely to student's experiences being hassled for something insignificant. Bob falls somewhere between security guard and mentor-style hall monitor, yet being at a school such as mine is redundant, annoying and a waste of his 'policing' services. A hall monitor similar to the one featured in the video would much better fit my school, and I believe every school should have such a person to keep watch over the general student body, without being an enemy.

Thanks for some inside perspective from a student's point of view. Your impressions and opinions are appreciated!

i went to a high school in high park and we had hall monitors, even really obviouslooking narcs. this was 99-2002

What makes the narcs stand out? The fact that they're like 25 years old and uncool?

I went to Harbord in the mid-nineties and we had hall monitors, I don't think this is an entirely new thing.

Ok - this is completely unrelated to your blog entry *but* I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a photo of the outside of Silverthorn Collegiate and was hoping you had one from your time there? I've recently discovered that John Silverthorn, who originally owned the land there and the whole Markland Wood area..was my 7th Great-grandfather.