Facebook, Twitter, and the internet as a whole has been a remarkable tool for me to keep in touch with students whom I haven't seen or talked to in years.
About twenty or so years ago I started working at an American correctional school in both the Dominican Republic and United States and have seen literally hundreds of students come and go.
Until now, many of these students disappeared without a trace, without me knowing what happened to them.
Some of them express feelings of gratitude and joy for what the residential youth care facility has done for them.
Others, unfortunately, have utilized the social network and the wide range of media to express feelings of contempt, bitterness, and outright hostility.
Several years ago, before our school was closed down due to financial issues, an ex-student from several years back was doing research for a book she was writing.
Her research included getting input from a blog she had established on an internet site.
I decided to read some of the comments upon the recommendation of a supervisor.
What I read was shocking, to say the least.
There were hundreds of people who voiced feelings of outrage, bitterness, and downright hostility toward the school that wronged them greatly.
Some even expressed desires to see the school burn to the ground or the founder of the school burn in hell.
Since then, news broadcasts, web sites, and even a pending documentary have permeated the mainstream media and cyberspace, expressing the hardships and alleged abuse endured by ex-students.
About six years ago, a young man was crushed to death in a youth care facility during a restraint.
Although charges were dropped, reports like this only exacerbated and further vilified youth care facilities.
Even students I have talked to recently on Facebook express feelings of depression, anger, and confusion about why their parents or guardians sent them there and why they had to endure such abuse.
One question I have concerning this subject is why now? Some of these organizations have been in business for 40+ years and nothing was said about it.
All of a sudden, it seems like a deluge of bad publicity has been released onto the public about these boarding schools.
One of the reasons I see is the fact that three is a greater ability to communicate with others and publicly voice their thoughts, stories, and feelings.
The internet has been a remarkable tool for those who desire to keep in contact with others.
Another reason for the increase in this kind of activity lies within the characteristics of this generation.
Generation Y, or the Milennials, is a generation who seem to be very expressive about feelings, good or bad.
With my generation and the Baby Boomers, we were taught to keep our mouths shut and opinions to ourselves.
Moreover, I also believe that when a few people start opening up about their experiences, it seems to give permission for others to express their feelings about similar experiences.
Keep in mind that not all experiences at youth care facilities like the one I worked at were bad.
I've seen a few Facebook postings where students have voiced gratitude toward the workers who helped shape their lives for the better.
They acknowledge that it was a difficult time, but there is a sense of value to what they learned.
One ex-student was so moved by the fact that our program shut down, he did whatever he could to see if it could open again.
I could tell he was passionate about it, to say the very least.
I firmly believe that those who have benefitted from their boarding school experiences have moved on, deciding not to dwell on their past.
They take the lessons and concepts from their teachers, workers, and counselors and do their best to be a more productive member of society.
The youth care facility where I worked for nearly twenty years has definitely raised either some very staunch believers and skeptics.
How successful have the skeptics been in closing down the facilities that allegedly wronged them in the past? Although I believe that these people were somewhat influential in the schools undoing, the closing of a school is very complex.
As much as I disagreed with some of the points of view on either side, there was an element of truth to each story.
As a parent who is considering sending their child to a youth care facility, it's important to get both sides of the story.