Violence in our Schools
Children today are growing up in an increasingly violent atmosphere, both in society in general and in their schools. While there is no easy answer as to how to end this violence once and for all, we can look at some of the causes and take steps to contain that which we can. The main contributing factor in all recent school shootings has been the shooters’ feelings that they were bullied by and alienated from the rest of the children and were made to feel that they were not as good as their peers. Being targeted by the other children and having nowhere to turn to for help can cause a build up of more anger until, finally the alienated child is unable to take anymore. They struck out at their peers in what seems to them to be the most effective way, by eliminating them. Although several factors enter into school violence, the most obvious way of preventing violence is to eliminate these feelings of being outcast by one’s peers. If we want to put an end to school violence, we need to put an end to bullying behavior (Shore, 1996).
Many instances of bullying behavior can be linked back to the climate in which a child was raised. Those who are raised in poverty or who have no good role models will frequently suffer due to the lack of examples of adults in productive roles. If the “coolest” guy in the neighborhood is a gang member, then his or her bullying behavior will be emulated by the children in the neighborhood, continuing the cycle of abuse. This pattern usually leads to other negative traits such as becoming easily provoked and developing an inability to solve problems effectively. When these traits are continued in the school system, they are compounded by peer-pressure and the lack of faculty support. The bullies soon learn that they are free to abuse whomever they wish, and although faculty and staff help when they can, there are simply not enough resources necessary to catch and prevent bullies from targeting their peers (Bennett-Johnson, June 2004 p199).
One way that children are targeted is based on how he or she is treated by teachers and faculty. According to Andrea J. Cook in Columbine Author Speaks Out, those who are “just right” or are smart, attractive, and good at sports, are treated well by teachers, because they appear to be everything a teacher wants in a student. Those who are not “just right” are treated po...
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...ents in their academic accomplishments. Recognizing successes of students and teachers and celebrating the positives brings back school pride and willingness to make a difference (Shore, 1996).
Reference:
Hernandez, Thomas J., Seem, Susan R. (April 2004), A Safe School Climate: A Systemic Approach and the School Counselor, Vol. 7, Issue 4, P 256, Retrieved from EBSCOhost 2/11/05
Shore, Rebecca Martin, (Jan. 1996), Curbing School Violence Through a Personal Approach. Greenhaven Press, Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, Jan. 27, 2005
Rabinowitz, Dorothy, (2002), Bullying is not a Valid Reason for School Shootings. School Shootings. Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, Feb. 5, 2005
Bennett-Johnson, Earnestine, (June 2004) The Root of School Violence: Causes and Recommendation for a Plan of Action. Vol. 38 Issue 2, p 199, Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Jan. 30, 2005
Cook, Andrea, (2004), Columbine Author Speaks Out. Reclaiming Children and Youth,
Retrieved from ESBCOhost database. Feb. 5, 2005
Wright, Jeanne, (2000), The Chaotic Atmosphere of School. School Violence. Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, Jan. 27, 2001.
Violence has become the growing problem in the United States today. School violence is the se...
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Indicators of School Crime and Safety; 2003. Retrieved April 28, 2005 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/crime03.
When talking about school violence, it’s rampant in school and among the student is the cause of it, there are many students from a different background that they were brought by different behavior. “Studied of school violence have variously used terms a teen aggression, conflict, delinquency, conduct disorders, criminal behavior to describe the sources of the problem,” (Meadows 2014 pg.126), Some children have violent behavior in their blood may be because of what they have faced in their early life, their experience, even some are influenced by peer pressure and family, all this violent behavior make majority of student be a victim like peter case, what I think is lack of tolerance and he thinks people should be treated the way he was treated and the revenge is the solution to his problem. Some student doesn 't realize that a school is a subcultural place they can meet different race, skin color, physical appearance, religion, ethnicity and cultural difference, but being tolerance to other people is the key to solving the problem.
In conclusion, School Violence is a widespread issue that must be addressed. School shootings and bullying are some of the biggest issues in today’s school system. Many times the seed of the issue begins with bullying and ends with consequences like suicide and school shootings. They affect people as early as elementary school all the way to the college level, some even ending with death. Only together can we stop school violence if we take a stand and change the world.
Koch, Kathy. "School Violence: Are American Schools Safe?" 9 October 1998: 32. CQ Researcher. 30 Nov 2009.
Kalman, Izzy. “Bullying Contributes to School Shootings.” Juvenile Crime. ic.galegroup.com. Web. 2012. Feb. 11, 2015.
Bullying, often dismissed as a normal part of growing up, is a real problem in our nation's schools, according to the National School Safety Center. One out of every four schoolchildren endures taunting, teasing, pushing, and shoving daily from schoolyard bullies. More than 43 percent of middle- and high-school students avoid using school bathrooms for fear of being harassed or assaulted. Old-fashioned schoolyard hazing has escalated to instances of extortion, emotional terrorism, and kids toting guns to school. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of all incidents of school violence begin with verbal conflicts, w...
What would cause students or minors to act out with violence, rage, assault, bullying? Many students show signs of breaking down, snapping, but no one really notices. When students stop doing what they enjoy, shutting everyone out, or even failing to do good in school that’s a sure sign that students may be ready to snap. “Each year more than 20,000 minors are are killed every year due to violence or shootings in schools” (Behrman 39-54). Studies show that that most of the shootings are caused by people feeling rejected, bullied, individuals that feel different than their peers, or they are self conscious that they won't be accepted or won't fit in with their peers (Stephen 3). Studies have also been done to show that white males are more likely to open fire rather than African American males, the same study will also show you that it is a cause of bullying or teasing from homophobia. The boys who are teased and bullied achieve the psychological resilience that enables them to weather adolescence without reecourse to random school violence ...
Schwartz, W. (1996, October). An overview of strategies to reduce school violence. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. Retrieved October 21, 2001.
Even since the shooting at Columbine High School caught the attention of America and all the world on April 20, 1999, high school shootings and other forms of violence at schools has been plaguing America during the last ten years. It is also found that most of the violence that occurs in high schools is caused by young men. Students aren’t feeling safe at school anymore and parents are enraged that students could bring the weapons to school in the first place. Many people have brought their own opinions into play about why violence in schools occurs. Such causes range from violence in the media, being treated poorly by peers and administrators in school, all the way to poor parental decisions. Although these are only a few of the possible causes for violence in schools, they are defiantly the most prevalent reasons.
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
One of the components that consist of the student success includes their environment, in other words, the school itself. School is a place where the students spends most of their time, interacting with people and friends. As I recall, high school served as a second home for me, in which I felt very comfortable and safe in. Most of my days I was in school surrounded with friends and teachers that supported me, causing me to keep moving forward and succeed. In Dangerous MInds, the school was first shown with a positive appearance as its location seemed to be in a so to say “white” neighborhood; no grafitti, spacious residence zones, and people from high incomes who are able to afford houses and cars (2.25). Though that was just a facade; inside the school was not very appealing because of the way students behaved themselves, which mostly involved Ms. Johnson 's students. An example was when a student threatens Emilio to death because
Society has suffered from various factors that are contributors of school violence. These factors are personal, family, school, and environmental.
Shootings and physical violence are only part of the problem in schools. More than twenty percent of students have encountered bullying whi...
Many of these problems were present in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the adolescent murderers from Littleton, Colorado, but were not adequately addressed before the tragedy. Dylan and Eric had been quiet, intelligent boys and respectful to their teachers throughout middle school, but as they entered high school, things began to change. Dylan and Eric began to alienate themselves and became "loners". They would play violent games and were easily agitated. For a class project, Dylan and Eric made a video featuring gunmen in long coats shooting athletes in the school hallways. They were often made fun of by the "popular" crowd. Why were these signs left unaddressed?