Some Thoughts on the Current School Crisis

The latest incident in Colorado demonstrates a problem that is not limited to one group but to society as a whole. The solution to this problem isn't going to come from teachers, parents, school administrators, clergy, law enforcement, politicians, or any other group, but from all of us working together. If we want to prevent these senseless tragedies we have to cultivate a better community; we must be willing to work hard together to make it so, we are just as guilty as the children causing these tragedies if we do any less.

Making our schools into fortresses with metal detectors, cameras, and police will only make the situation worse, not better. By doing this we are acknowledging that there is a problem and that the only method to correct it is to make our schools into military zones instead of positive learning environments. This teaches children that there are no alternatives to force except by more force. When adults decide that the only method for working out our differences is to go to war, we have lost any chance of teaching peaceful solutions to our problems. This leads us into finding a more constructive solution for the Kosavo crisis and the Middle Eastern problems as well.

What we must do is come together as communities and cultivate a more caring and loving environment for our children to learn and grow in. Those who ask "who will pay for all this?" need to consider the cost of allowing more of these tragedies to occur. I think it helps put the whole thing in perspective. Some things that will start us in the right direction are:

• More Involvement, less blame: We spend so much time looking for someone to point the finger at because we cannot believe that this irrational horrible event has no rhyme or reason behind it. We cling to the idea that "goth" music, lack of parental supervision and involvement, or violence in videogames, TV shows, and movies must have somehow "influenced" these children to do what they do, because the truth is so much harder to face: These things happened not because something influenced these children, they happened because our entire society is sick and many people in it need mental help. The bigger question is who put those ideas into our minds in the first place? Yep, the news media did. The news can only show us so many shots of the mourners weeping over fallen friends and family, and of the students escaping the school building before they have to find something else to talk about. They want to keep a story like this around for a while so they can squeeze as much "news" out of it. So the news media starts speculating (often blindly) about what might have set the shooters off and everyone goes into a national hysteria over these things calling for stricter gun controls, censor of "goth" musicians, tighter controls over the internet, putting the parents on trial, and stopping the production of violent content in video games and the media. This in a sense "creates" more news for the news media to cover. What we need is people to get involved in healing, not blaming. There will never be a rational explaination for why two young men would storm into a school building and blow away fellow students with guns and home made bombs. Blaming and speculating won't make the senslessness of this tragedy go away and many of us well never understand why it had to happen. Better we get on with making sure it never happens again rather than blame everyone and everything associated with these two teen's lives.



• More After School Resources for Children whose Parents both Work- programs and places for children whose parents both work to go and stay out of trouble from 4-8PM. Places where children can do homework, participate in sports, find others to talk to, and keep them from getting into things they don't need to be doing.



• More Parent Resources- Parents need to have more resources available to them to help them learn how to be parents. They need to know to keep an eye on what their children are doing and they need the ability to take time from work to spend with their children. Parents should be allowed to bring their children to work a number of days per year, and spend a number of days with their children in school. Parents also need to be able to work with teachers, administrators, community leaders, and other parents to make their community a caring community that watches out for one another, and gives hope back to towns. The "town meeting" should happen more often in every community, and everyone needs to be encouraged to participate.



• Teacher Enhancement/Communication- Teachers need to talk about children they are having problems with. They need to be taken seriously when they refer a child who is having emotional and academic problems. Teachers also need more training in how to handle troubled children, how to react in a crisis situation, and help learning how to defuse problems. Sensitivity training and character education movements will go far to help teachers and administrators deal with children in the schools, and provide more positive learning environments. Schools that work together at all levels are more likely to be able to see and prevent crises and tragedies rather than schools where everyone works alone.



• Comprehensive Teacher Retirement Incentives- Get older teachers whom may be burned out away from the children. Burnt out teachers do themselves and the students no good. There is a surplus of teachers right now and the young, enthusiastic, and eager teachers are being lost because the older ones won't give up their jobs. It is cheaper to give older teachers retirement incentives than to keep them hanging on when they really aren't doing what they are paid for anymore. Younger teachers will likely be more receptive to change and be willing to take the time to work with troubled students if properly trained and motivated to do so.



• Less talk and more action from politicians and school administrators- Politicians and school administrators seem to talk a good game but they never seem to be able to work out a viable solution to most school problems. Whether because of interest groups, political or personal agendas being met, many politicians seem to talk tough about education but don't deliver. Politicians also follow bad advice from supposed "experts" in the field who haven't taught in a classroom in 30 years. Education needs to change and keep up with the world around it; it can't do so when it takes a back seat to political games and people who are afraid of change.

If we're going to turn this thing around, we all have to lend a hand. If even one group holds back, it could be disasterous for life as we know it in America. Rome fell due to similar circumstances: the apathy of the general populous, degeneration of youth, loss of a sense of community. The result: the barbarians take over.

© 1999 J. S. Brown