Why are schools such easy targets?
I was appalled to come onto the internet to check my email and instead find that there was yet another school shooting. This one was in Pennsylvania, in an Amish schoolhouse. The gunman killed at least three girls and then killed himself as the police tried to get into the schoolhouse. Last week there were two more such incidences. On Wednesday, a drifter went into a Colorado school and took six girls hostage. He then molested them and killed one of the girls, and then himself as police closed in. On Friday, a 15 year old student fatally shot his high school principle.
What is going on?! Why are schools such easy targets for this kind of violence? Is it only because of the large numbers of children congregated at school? And how can these people continue to get into our nation's schools? Are we going to have to resort to metal detectors and guard dogs outside of every school in our nation? Is there no way to protect our students and our teachers from this kind of atrocity?
This is appalling. How can our government just stand by and watch this? Obviously, there is something wrong. And I know, as a future educator, it scares me because we will all be in educational institutions soon.
Something needs to be done, and I'm feeling kind of helpless right now because I don't know what we can do.
posted by Alex @ 4:05 PM
3 Comments:
It is frightening what can happen in schools. Schools are, for the most part, easy targets. I don't believe enough is done to keep our children safe. Sure, there are signs on the front door that say "visitors must get a pass from the main office," but if someone has the idea to come in with vicious intent, that sign is not going to stop him or her.
It is difficult to come up with a way to really keep our students safe without talking about metal detectors and armed guards. While I hate the thought of schools resorting to these types of precautions, it would be worth it if it meant that no more children would die from violence in our schools.
I do not believe that it is the lack of security that is causing schools to be “easy targets”. I personally do not want to work or for that matter go to a school where I have to walk through a metal detector everyday and have my bags searched. When I was in high school, my trombone case was checked for weapons everyday. I do not want my students to go though that. It is not only inconvenient, but embarrassing as well.
However, the majority of violence in schools is instigated by the students themselves. The teenage years are very difficult for all people. It is a bridge between adulthood and childhood, where students are trying to define themselves. Obviously, students who participate in school shootings have extreme emotional problems. However, we as teachers should be able to recognize these problems. I think the key is to really try to connect to each and everyone of your students. If a student feels cared about, they are less likely to be violent.
In response to Jenna, I am referring to violence in schools coming from the outside, such as what happened in Pennsylvania last week. We must protect our students from random strangers walking into our schools unquestioned.
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