For three years, she also taught college English to prison inmates.ĮB: What do you think is an appropriate response to a discovery like the one in Colorado, where such a large sexting ring has been uncovered?īV: There should definitely be consequences, but I think felony charges are too extreme when students are voluntarily sharing their pictures with other minors. Her jobs have included teaching, serving as a principal, and directing student support programs. I still believe that lots of teens don’t want their nude pictures shared–especially with more than the one person who was the intended recipient.ĮB: How long has sexting been around? When did you first become aware of it?īV: I first became aware of it about ten years ago when guidance for parents and educators started being published.īrenda Vicars has worked in Texas public education for many years. Does that surprise you?īV: Yes–that number is way larger than I expected, which may be partially attributed to the loose interpretations of what “sexting” actually means. But I just read that more than half of all college students report that they sexted before the age of 18. First of all, I guess I thought sexting was a passing fad, and assumed most teenagers would not be involved in this kind of thing. She gave me the following interesting interview.ĮB: Brenda! Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions. Brenda is an experienced educator, a former teacher and school administrator. I immediately thought about Brenda Vicars, an Austin area author who wrote Polarity in Motion, a YA mystery that revolves around the issue of sexting. School officials, parents and police are at a loss to understand and respond–as I can well imagine! “A dazzling, richly textured YA debut.” KIRKUS REVIEWĪ small town in Colorado was recently shocked by a “sexting” scandal involving 100 high school and middle school students sharing nude photographs of themselves and other students.

Polarity in Motion by Brenda Vicars