No matter who you are in life, there are always going to be rules. At the same time, though, not everyone abides by those rules.

For example, if you're under the age of 18 you're not supposed to use your cell phone while driving, but nonetheless I know countless numbers of teenagers who text and drive at the same time. It's not a matter of simply obeying the rules; it's a matter of finding a way around them. If you were to see a police officer pull his car up next to you, most people would immediately shove their phone down into the seat. Then once the policeman pulls away, they would continue with their text messaging.

Within the Uni High community, though, we don't typically have police officers wandering the hallways to enforce every single solitary rule. Instead we have our own Uni rules (as stated by the student handbook) and have administration and faculty to uphold them.

If teachers see a fight in the hallway, they are obligated to break it up and discipline accordingly. The same concept applies to things such as cheating, disrespectfulness toward a teacher, as well as many other activities.

But what about the stuff that happens outside of school? Police officers deal with law enforcement within the city, and teachers/administrators seem to me to play the role of secondary police officers within the school (though maybe a bit nicer and less intimidating).

Therefore, what happens when teachers or administrators become aware of illegal activities outside of the school? Should they feel obligated to enforce disciplinary action? Or should they simply leave it to parents and "real policemen" to deal with the situation?

It seems to me that if students keep their home lives disconnected from that of their school lives, then Uni faculty members shouldn't have to feel obligated to enforce any discipline. It's not their jobs to be tracking down each individual student and keep a record of what they do in their spare time.

On the other hand, I think it's a completely different situation when the student brings such things to the school. When someone walks into the building loudly discussing his or her weekend out drinking and smoking and doing other such activities, I don't think it's right for the administration to simply turn away and pretend nothing has been said.

In my opinion, if students are willing to put the information out there (or even feel mature enough to participate in illegal activities in the first place), then they better be willing to accept the possible consequences and take responsibility for their actions.

I have walked down the hallway in the morning, during lunch, after school and time and time again I hear students proudly declaring their version of "last weekend." If you're going to do it then keep it to yourself, and if you're not going to keep it to yourself then there should be no guarantees that you won't be punished.

Without some discipline, students will never learn. Yes, at other schools it may happen more frequently and students may run a lower risk of getting caught … but when they do get caught they are typically automatically cut from sports teams, and the school can immediately step in to declare a suspension or other punishment.

There have been very few kids who have actually gotten disciplined through the school for their activities after school hours. I understand that you feel if you do it on your own spare time then the school shouldn't have a right to interfere. At the same time, though, coming to school and talking about it is making it part of the school and therefore the school's problem.

It really surprises me how much the teachers and administrators look the other way. I know that teachers can't hear everything. And I know they can't make accusations on a student based purely on rumors. At the same time, though, I think students are becoming a little too comfortable with discussing their personal lives at school, and in life you can only bend the rules so much.

It isn't fun to get caught. It isn't fun to be in trouble. But if you're going to do it, and bring it to school, then you can't complain when you do get brought into the principal's office. Students should just be grateful for all the trouble they aren't getting in when faculty members decide to overlook some of their actions.