Most of us own and drive a car. While we know that highway is filled with dangerous drivers, that fact doesn’t usually cross our minds when we buckle up. Internet usage is increasing daily. As we become more comfortable using it, we may not be concerned enough with powerful dangers it can present. Logging on to Information Super Highway puts us on a broad road where dangers are extreme, potentially harmful, and often subtle or unseen – especially for children.

Would you allow your children to spend one-on-one time with a known sex offender? Of course not! But letting them surf an unfiltered Internet could lead to that very scenario. Sexual predators usually operate alone. However, communication power of Internet has allowed them to seek out victims with anonymity, greatly increasing their ability to both strategize their approach and avoid detection.

Using instant messages, emails, and especially chat rooms, they pose as a minor and look for an unsuspecting child and develop a relationship with. The patient process often begins by showing attention and sympathy – particularly in those areas where child has disagreements with a parent or other authority figure.

Northwestern — a beautiful, old granite building — was a boarding school. A hundred boys lived there, ranging in age from seventh grade through twelfth, although building could have accommodated maybe twice as many. The school had been in existence for about a century. The hallway leading to gymnasium was lined with photographs of all graduating classes

The entrance to school featured two wrought iron gates and a long driveway that wound through extensive grounds. Trees, flowers and shrubs added to park-like atmosphere.

Northwestern was both a military and a naval academy, and some of its graduates had served in World War I and World War II. A couple of those who had been killed in action were buried on grounds. Considering age of building and its history, I suppose I should have expected ghosts — or rather, I should have expected ghost stories.

But I didn’t.

Not until one fall morning when my students came to class so upset that they couldn’t concentrate on their school work.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” one of them asked finally.

“Yeah, Ms. Ralph. Do you believe in ghosts?” several others chimed in.

While I was attending university to earn my teacher certification, none of professors had mentioned how you were supposed to handle a question like this.

“Well,” I said, “I think there are probably many things in this world that we don’t understand.”

By now, all of my students were giving me their utmost attention. If only they were this interested in English.

“Have you ever seen a ghost?” one of them asked.

I shook my head. “No. I’ve never seen a ghost.”

“We have,” said one young man.

“Really?” I said. “And when was this?”

“Last night.”

“In our room.”

“We did, too,” said a couple of others.

“What happened?” I asked.

“It was just after lights out. Our curtain started moving.”