(Just for today we are going to take a break from the norm, sass-humor, and get a little heavy.)
School shootings are a tragedy, which seem to be recurring across the U.S. at an outstanding rate. Students/children, are gaining access to fatal firearms, and wielding them without regrets. In the wake of yesterdays Ohio tragedy, where 2 students were killed, and 3 were injured, when a 17 year old boy opened fire in a cafeteria, I feel it vital, as an educator to address the topic.
Since 1999 there have been more than 280 students killed in school associated violent deaths; fifty percent of which have occurred in the months, of February, March and April, (schoolsecurity.org). Children are taking their own, and others lives, due to bullying, personal pressures, mental illness and many, many other factors. While in reality, the amount of school related violent deaths have decreased in the past 10 years, (infoplease.com). The concentrated media coverage has intensified every recent act of violence. Thus our students of today, are not only submitted to these constant tragedies, but immersed within them.
During a class discussion today, on the Ohio shooting in comparison to Columbine, a student asked, “Why would we let psycho kids in school?” The student was referring to the statement made, that the shooter in the Columbine massacre, was found to be mentally unstable. The discussion then moved on to whose responsibility it was to notice, that this boy, and the many others like him, were suffering from some sort of inadequacies. At first the students immediately blamed the family, noting that they “should have known, or seen something,” but yet, after some thought, they also named friends, and teachers, as responsible parties. One student commented that “after all it is you guys (teachers) who see us constantly, sometimes more than our families, during the week.” As the tension rose, and the students became more heated within their discussions, we had a sudden break, a sudden answer that seemed plausible,
“Sometimes we just suffer in silence. Everyone seems to busy, to deal with our issues, so we just deal with them ourselves.”
Could it be that we as a nation, of responsible adults, charged with the care and upbringing of children, are TOO BUSY, to notice a critical cry for help?
If that is the case, then maybe it is time to slow down and look around, for the sake of our children.
Sources:
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/school_violence.html
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