jo, i was pretty shocked to hear about it too. hit a little closer to home with us.........my brother's best friend, his wife teaches at that school and my cousin is a junior there. they're both ok, but it's very sad day indeed.
Not Again...And in my backyard...
by joannadandy 17 Replies latest social current
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SanFranciscoJim
Hey,we have bullying in the UK but kids don't generally shoot each other.
Have you considered not having guns so easily available!?!?
Good point, Simon. I don't think any of these youthful killers will become the next "poster child" for the NRA. Unfortunately, as long as the gun lobbyists are a strong influence in Washington, more and more of these incidents will occur. The Constitutional right to "keep and bear arms" was meant expressly for the defense of the country against invading enemies (i.e.: you Brits, LOL ). While I am not entirely against ownership of firearms per se, (hunting, protection of one's home against thieves, etc.) I believe that the individual applying for a gun permit should be required to state on his/her application in express detail what the gun will be used for. If the permit is approved, and the gun is used for any other purpose, then the owner should be held liable. It is just too easy to go to a gun show, say "I want a gun" without giving a valid reason for having one, and purchase it.
I was also a victim of merciless bullying as a student. I was overweight, unathletic, and wore thick glasses - the perfect target for bullies. I had my arm broken during a game of "touch" football in physical education class when I was tackled by a thug. I had several fellow students grab me by the arms and legs and throw me into the deep end of the high school swimming pool. I could not swim at the time, and nearly drowned. Those are only two examples of many, many incidents. The taunting was daily. I grew despondent, my grades dropped dramatically, and I eventually dropped out. My way of dealing with the cruelty of my fellow students was to leave, thus depriving me of further education. This happens all too frequently in today's school systems.
When I was a student years ago, the worst thing that ever happened to us (frequently) was someone calling in a bomb scare from a pay phone. Carrying weapons to school in those days was unthinkable. Now, students in many major metropolitan areas have to walk through metal detectors in order to enter classes.
I do, however, stand by my earlier statement that the students who bully others should be sought out and disciplined. If they taunt a student to the point where they commit a horrible crime against their fellow students, then the bullies should be tried as co-conspirators.
The school systems in this country in large part have turned into "education mills", more like an assembly line than actually caring about the welfare of the children. If the current regime in power in the White House had any common sense, they would spend billions on revamping education, including, but not limited to, a diversity and sensitivity curriculum for both bullies and the bullied. They would have guidance counselors experienced in psychotherapy who can deal with bullied students exhibiting signs of mental illness before another incident like this occurs. Unfortunately, the Bush regime is still living in the 1950s "duck and cover" mentality, and prefers to spend its billions fattening the pockets of its cronies by arming (repeat, arming) our young men and sending them off on missions to invade other countries.
You always hear about the students who kill others. Unfortunately, the media does not give equal coverage to those who kill themselves. In Canada, there is legislation pending to criminalize bullying after the suicide of a 14 year old boy whose life was made so miserable by bullies he felt he had no other way out. I salute the legislators, and hope that similar legislation will eventually be enacted here. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and maybe the life of the next child.
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joannadandy
I agree bullying needs to stop. Who doesn't agree with that? But how do you do it? THat's the kicker. Just like any other form of abuse the bullys don't always do it out in the open. Sure you can stop teasing and name calling in your classroom by just not allowing that sort of behavior by explaining it won't be tolerated.
I would counter that the majority of teasing goes on in locker rooms, bathrooms, hallways, and after school, sometimes not even on school grounds. As a teacher who has to deal with 175 kids everyday (and I am talking just in my class) how am I going to be able to tell when two students just don't like each other, and two that are ready to kill each other?
I am not trying to be rude or inflamatory, but trust me--this is a huge issue and school, and something no one seems to have answers for. So if any of you have answers I would love to hear them. As woman who is only 5-4, I don't really want to be hurling my body between two 6-3 200lb 18 year olds who are foaming at the mouth and may or may not have weapons. As a teacher, there are plenty of ways my hands are tied from the word go. There are certain reporting procedures that have to be followed, expelling kids usually doesn't work. And sadly the nature of the school system is that whoever acts physically first gets punished. That's usually the kid who was bullied. It's not fair, it's not right--but it's how it works.
I know some schools try peer mediation. Well that's usually a laugh and if nothing else is going to make things worse. How many kids that are bullied step up and tell someone it's happening? There are a HOST of questions that go along with this issue.
I want to see bullying stamped out as much as the next person. But I agree, there is something far more socially complex going on that allows kids to believe that acting out a revenge fantasy is the only option open to them. And then again, not all kids who get pushed around are going to take it to that last step.
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talesin
This is very sad, it's happening more and more.
Personally, I think it's just another sign of the deterioration of our society. Don't get me wrong, I think guns are far too accessible, but the truth is that well-adjusted, reasonably happy kids don't go on shooting rampages.
We care more about possessions and making money than we do about personal growth. A lot of kids are not nurtured and taught how to love themselves and others (it's not teachers' job to raise kids, they have so much put on them already), they are taught that they need make money, be rich.
What is a bully? A kid who needs to feel 'power over'. Why does so much of this go on? Why is such violence acceptable among the children? Is our society a violent, uncaring one? Our culture is filled with violent images, sexualization of both men and women, and consumerism.
Dreams are about having an expensive home, big car, etc., not about having a loving partner, enough possessions to be comfortable. How to change it? I don't know, I just try to live my own life differently and strive for peace and joy, the money seems to take care of itself.
talesin
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joannadandy
We just need Jesus back in the schools...
With a bullhorn and a baseball bat...oh sorry--sometimes I forget where I am...who am I?
Tale--I agree with you 100%. There is something seriously wrong with a society when it says having power is more important than having general respect and love for humanity.
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SanFranciscoJim
As a teacher......how am I going to be able to tell when two students just don't like each other, and two that are ready to kill each other?
You may not be able to tell, unless you take extensive courses in psychology. Children who are so disturbed from mistreatment that they are becoming deranged do exhibit specific symptoms, but are not always evident to the untrained eye.
I agree bullying needs to stop. Who doesn't agree with that? But how do you do it?
By criminalizing it, prosecuting the offenders, and setting the example that it will not be tolerated within the educational system. I'm not talking about clowns who "make fun of" other students. That is unavoidable, and happens to be a part of childhood, childish as it is. What I am talking about is continuous, cruel (sometimes vicious) bullying. Students who engage in behavior which is in blatant disregard for the welfare of another student need to be prosecuted and penalized. Their parents need to be involved in the prosecution process as well. Cruel bullying is a learned behavior. Likely, most of the more vicious bullies come from dysfunctional households where beatings are common and rage is king.
It is a shame that our society has degenerated to the point where the only solution is to prosecute the damaged individual, rather than try to repair them. Unfortunately, with more and more children being brought to the brink of homicide/suicide by their attackers, the situation is already well out of control. Now is the time for enforcement of strict regulations in our schools regarding students' treatment of their peers. Make the bullies think twice before they inflict their cruelty upon others. The cycle can be stopped, but only when school systems are willing to take responsibility for their students, and admit that the problem exists.
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Badger
This is just awful.
I'm thankful I work in an inner city school. Not much bullying when you know that everyone is packing.
you can be sure that this will lead to another flood of "The Dangers of Public Education" talks and articles
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Elsewhere
Students tell KARE 11's Brad Woodard that the shooter had been the subject of teasing recently.
I wonder when schools and parents will start taking bulling seriously.
True, there are fewer shootings in the UK where few people are able to posess firearms, but the bottom line is that students WOULD be shooting each other if they did have access to them. Taking away the weapons simply hides the symptoms of a much more serious problem: Bullying. Take away the problem the and the shootings will stop without taking away people's rights. The fact that kids are willing to kill over bullying should tell you just how serious of an issue it is.
I have no pitty for bullies who are shot at school. They make a living hell out of the lives of the people they hurt... and don't even give a rat's a$$.