Violence in schools has progressed from bloody noses to
bloody gun shot wounds. Kids now days observe so much
violence its almost predictable that they act this way.
People are SO desensitized to violence from TV, video games,
videos. Kids tend to imitate what they see exposing them to
violence before they can understand it doesn’t help them.
With the moral decay of our society, people act without
regard for others, kids having babies, fatherless families,
unsupervised and unwanted children don’t always get the
necessary attention they need to function acceptably in our
society. Nationally representative data from the 1991,
1993, 1995, and 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were
analyzed to describe the percentage of students in grades 9
through 12 who engaged in behaviors related to violence.
Overall response rates for each of these years were 68%,
70%, 60%, and 69%,. To value the statistical importance of
time trends for these variables, logistic reflux analyses
were conducted that differentiated from sex, grade, and race
or ethnicity and together deferred linear and higher-order
effects1. Many kids are being raised in violent surroundings
and know no other way of setting conflict.
Many children haven’t been properly loved and nurtured
and therefore see no future for themselves. They want
recognition like everyone else. “Acting out” brings
attention they so desperately crave, like bullies bully
kids for the attention. Researchers found that violent
deaths associated with schools are similar to violent deaths
among young people in general, suggesting that "when high
levels of violent behavior exist among young people in a
community, some of that violence will be played out in and
around schools. Therefore, a rational response to the
problem must consider school-associated violence in the
larger community context. In such efforts, schools can serve
as a focal point for broader action."2
The only way to prevent these horrendous acts to help
the child, teen, whoever it might be to understand what they
are doing, the consequences. If a child is exposed to
violence to a point to where they see it as no big deal, its
On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire on Columbine Highschool killing twelve fellow classmates and one teacher. School violence changes our youths morals. From bullying to peer pressure, youth are exposed to school violence everyday. What is school violence? School violence varies from accounts of “death, homicide, suicide, weapon related violence, in the US.” (c1) School violence can occur to and from school, while attending a school sponsored event, on a bus, or at an activity.
Cho poked his head in the room a couple of times and looked around before exiting and entering a different room. The first shots were heard across the hall, in the hydrology class. It sounded like a nail gun or hammer hitting concrete blocks.
We humans have always sought to increaseour personal energy in the only manner wehave known: by seeking to psychologically steal it from others—an unconscious competition that underlies all human conflict in the world. (James Redfield, 1993, The Celestine Prophecy, New York: Warner Books,65–66)
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” I have often heard. We know people kill people. The real issue now is whether or not people can change people. Some are of the opinion that we are capable of doing so; by implementing new reforms and tightening school security, people are, in effect, saying they have the solutions to the problems. The violence of recent school shootings has wrought anxiety and fear in parents, teachers, and administrators across the nation. The massacre of Columbine turned a public school library into a cemetery. The shooting in Oklahoma ripped us from the comfort of a stereotypical and easily recognized threat; now popular straight-A students pull guns without black trench coats. The violence has become unpredictable and, in all cases, extremely frightening. In response to the threat, schools have engaged in extensive prevention programs, often banning book-bags, implementing dress codes, setting up metal detectors, or requiring students to attend anger management classes. Such attempts at reform sound efficient on paper and may to some extent alleviate the anxieties of parents, but they are like storming castle walls with slingshots. The object of reform in this case is not tangible or always plausible. The object of reform is the human heart, the internal person. We need to understand that the problem is bigger than a trench coat or a gun; therefore, dress codes or metal detectors cannot solve it. These reforms are often vain attempts at prevention. They hinder education and provoke students. Policy makers and schools need to be aware that no simple public mandate can suffice as a solution.
"Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood" (Teen Violence). As generations continue to pass, the issue of teen violence remains. Why do kids act the way they do? What factors into their violent behavior? Questions like these do not have straight answers; instead, they seek out people's differing opinions. John Leo, Mike Males, Gloria Steinem, Charlie James, Chuck Shelton, Annette Fuentes, and James Garbarino share their opinions about the controversy of teen violence through newspaper and magazine articles. Each article has its own unique points, whether they are strong or weak. "Children in a Violent World" by James Garbarino offers the most convincing causal analysis and helps reveal the problem of teen violence to his readers.
School violence has become an increased peril, affecting not only those involved, but the society in itself. The underlying reason for this phenomenon is that it is derived from bullying and easy access of weapons. It can even happen by the hands of a person who does not attend the school where the act takes place. Bullying has become an epidemic in America amongst school children. Though there are rules enforced about weapons at school, the weapon is usually not detected until the incident takes place. I have witnessed violence in the form of fighting while in school, however, I have never imagined that it has become so aggressive and affects children at younger ages. We must take a bold stand to stop these incidents from occurring!
While school violence can increase through neglect, it can also occur at any spontaneous moment. The alleged growing surge of school violence led the general public, state, and government to demand a higher need for security and harsher rules in the twentieth century (Packaged Facts 2000 as cited in Simmons, 2009). These strict rules and security produces the birth of a neo prison industrial complex within schools through heightened forms of surveillance and SROs.
obtaining weapons to ensure their safety. Nearly half of all males and one-third of all
be affected by school violence due to two reasons. First, middle school students are in an
As a society, how should we respond to the violence taking place in schools? How do we respond to the traumatic events of the twentieth century, where a series of school shootings lead by students at 12 different schools planned and carried out violent shootings that resulted in the deaths of several students and teachers at each school? These events alone have come from the United States, in fact from Washington, Alaska, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida, and California (Daniels 2011). In July 1998, President Bill Clinton said that this series of school shootings had "seared the heart of America." Our society feels impotent and concerned and most of all aware that this is a situation that needs immediate attention. Call it an epidemic of violence threatening all American schools as some news reports have published.
Zewe, C. (2008, August 4). Violent schools: perception or reality? Retrieved April 23, 2002 from http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/24/school.violence/
Over the past several years, incidents of school violence have intensified. Disasters like the shootings at Columbine High School are not unheard of, and precautions for school safety are on the minds of numerous communities. Johnson and Johnson claim that “Teaching is different from what it used to be. Fifty years ago, the main disciplinary problems were running in the halls, talking out of turn, and chewing gum. Today’s transgressions include physical and verbal violence, incivility, and in some schools, drug abuse, robbery, assault, and murder” (1995). When examining school violence, researchers have begun to investigate how society has redefined violence as normal and acceptable, claiming that this is the root of the problem. In addition, I have considered other factors that lead to violence in schools. As violence increases, pressure for safe and orderly schools does the same. I feel that the first step to ensuring school safety is to work with the students themselves to establish a safe school. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the occurrences of violence in schools across the United States and to articulate strategies to promote school safety.
Violence and crime in schools is a rising problem. This problem has created fear among many students and parents. A lot of research does show that higher violence is related to city schools, though there is still a significant amount in schools outside of the city. School violence does not actually begin in the school. Violence and crime in schools is related to the home life experience of the children committing these terrible deeds. Children that are allowed to watch TV shows that have violence or play the popular style of video games with violence have a higher chance of becoming actively violent at school. “Statistically speaking, 47% of the violent acts on television do not harm the victim, 86% of the violent acts have no negative repercussions, no one dies, no one goes to jail, and no one’s life is ruined. And 73% of the time the "bad guy" goes unpunished” (11 Menhard). Violence has become the center of many media aspects and this teaches the children of the world today that it is acceptable to be violent.
(2014, February 19). Clip of violence between students and teacher causes outrage | DTiNews - Dan Tri International, the news gateway of Vietnam.
like. Many people think that there is a stereotype of a kid that would have violent