Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you! I’m back today and I’m talking about something that is near and dear to all our hearts. I’m talking about violence in our schools. We’ve been back to school for about a month now and we’ve gotten back into the school year routine.
I have to confess I got the idea for this topic from this website. http://www.securitydegreehub.com/securing-schools/
It’s a great site to visit to learn about the history of violence in our schools, but it also shows the steps school and government administrations are taking to crack down on this violence.
However, it leaves me the question, what is the underlying cause of all this violence? Of course, I started doing some research and according to this site. http://www.crf-usa.org/school-violence/causes-of-school-violence.html
Violent incidents in our schools have increased from seventy one percent to eighty-one percent over a five-year period. (1999-2004). This study was conducted in 2006.
This article also went further and stated some of the underlying causes of this violence.
Family Environment Even though society expects the family to model and reinforce positive behaviors, it makes it extremely difficult to do so. For example, both parents usually have to work, making it difficult for parents to spend quality time with their children. In addition, there are more single parent households now than ever before and more teen mothers. These two factors alone contribute to the fact that children are not getting their emotional needs met, which causes frustration and anxiety. And this can lead to violence.
Community Environment Studies show that most youth violence occurs between the hours of 3 PM and 7 PM. This is the time when many teens are unsupervised, especially if both parents work. If a community doesn’t offer any after school programs, this can lead to boredom, frustration, and violence as well.
Another interesting tidbit is school size also reflects violence. There are more incidences of violence in larger schools than in smaller ones. Again, for more information on this, click this link: http://www.crf-usa.org/school-violence/causes-of-school-violence.html
Cyber Abuse This occurs when bullies use electronic media to taunt, insult, or threaten their peers. With all the cyber bullying that occurs the result is more violence in our schools.
Access to Weapons Studies have shown that 35% of all homes with teens under the age of eighteen have a firearm and many teens can acquire a weapon illegally very easily.
So there you have it. Some of the underlying causes of School Violence. Now that we know the causes, is there anything we can do about it?
What I see as a solution is parental involvement. The more involved a parent is with their teens the more likely they’ll discuss things that are bothering them. The parent can help them deal with the frustration and anxiety that they may be feeling. However, what can a single parent do when they’re strapped for time and cash? Especially when many single parents are responsible for more than one child. I would recommend reaching out to the Big Brother Big Sister organization. They are always willing to help a family in need. Here’s their link: http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5962335/k.BE16/Home.htm
If a community doesn’t have an after school program and the teen isn’t interested in sports, maybe he or she could get an after school job or volunteer in some way. To check out volunteer opportunities in your area, click on this link. http://volunteennation.org/
As far as the access to weapons, the governmental agencies are trying to crack down on the illegal purchase of firearms and they are making strides in this area. Click this link to learn more: http://www.securitydegreehub.com/securing-schools/
Thanks for reading my post today! If you have any ideas on how to end violence in our schools, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
****I’d like to thank the following websites for providing some of the information in this post.
http://www.securitydegreehub.com/securing-schools/
http://www.crf-usa.org/school-violence/causes-of-school-violence.html