Memoir Writing

In Ed Week there is a nice piece by Greg Graham here describing how encouraging memoir writing often helps students emotionally as well as academically.  My comment:

Yes, I agree.  But I also told my high school students that I would not share their writing with anyone UNLESS it seemed to me that it raised a flag that they were a danger to themselves or others.  I would try to get them first, but if I couldn't, I would alert their parents and the Guidance office.

I had to do this a number of times.  On awful time I was reading a paper over the weekend and it was story about a suicide attempt.  I was a little uneasy:  should I call?  But it was just a story.  I should have called, because that weekend the girl did make a suicide attempt which, thank you, thank you God, was not successful.  But boy, after that I never hesitated, and often walked students up to Guidance myself.    

Plus, if the student is a minor, every teacher is a mandated reporter if there is any suspicion of abuse.