Blog post #2 Examining Violence in Schools Across America

      Hello, this week after reading and watching the material provided in the module, I have chosen to reply to the prompt “ Discuss any information you found in the documents and the film that was  1) surprising to you, and 2) not at all surprising to you. What experiences have you had (or not had) that made these facts surprising or not surprising?” 

     After reading the article from the CDC, I also realized that when I heard the term “school violence” I automatically thought of school shootings. I was quick to realize that the term covers much more than that.  I learned that bullying, sexual violence, and gang violence also falls under the umbrella of school violence, and that it not only includes what goes on within the 4 walls of a school between 9-3, but also what takes place commuting to and from school. Some  surprising information that I had learned while reading was that  “8% of high school students had been in a physical fight on school property one or more times during the 12 months before the survey, and More than 7% of high school students had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property one or more times during the 12 months before the survey.” (CDC) This information was astonishing to learn and if further enhances the point that even without school shootings, students are still afraid for their safety while in school. Lastly, some information that was (thankfully!)  not a surprise to me was that school violence can be prevented, and that prevention efforts that are made by students and teachers have been shown to reduce the amount  of violence within a school. 

     A piece of information that I have learned that was very surprising to me was that in the article from the PEW research center, a statistic claimed that more than half the students interviewed (57% of them) claimed that they were worried about a school shooting taking place at their school. This is an overwhelming amount of children who are genuinely concerned and I believe that this just goes to show that steps need to be taken to enhance the safety in our schools across America. Students should not feel unsafe or scared when they go to school. Another interesting statistic from this article was that nearly 80% of students believed that there should be mental health background checks on people before they purchase a weapon. This idea was more popular than what I thought would be the more popular solution which was to simply just ban all assault style weapons. As someone who has been personally affected by gun violence, I did not think this opinion would be as popular among teenagers. This was eye opening for me and gives me a new perspective to view this manner on. Prior to reading this article, I was under the impression that mental health screening would be easy for determined people to cheat through, but many of the surveyed students do not think this is true. It is interesting to see how the opinions of people who go through similar experiences have different solutions to a similar issue. Lastly, some statistics that did not come as a shock to me in this article was how demographics played a role in the rate of concern ( of a school shooting) among students and parents. Black and Hispanic teens have different statistical rates than white teens on their level of concern for these issues. Unfortunately, this information did not shock me especially after reading last weeks module on how non white students are already more prone to facing violence within schools, this just further enhanced the point. 

     The video “Bowling for Columbine,” starts by showing how easy it is to obtain a gun in certain parts of America. One bank offers a program where if you open an account, you receive a gun. I also find it astonishing how many Americans glorify gun use, and how they believe that it is “their duty” to protect other Americans by carrying guns. I feel like this type of glory that is instilled in children that are surrounded by this ideology are more prone to bringing a gun to school. Also, if children are shown that using guns are the only way to solve problems, they will act on this and cause harm. The video also shows how guns are so promoted in children’s toys, video games, and tv shows. This kind of violence instilled into young Minds from a young age is  Harmful because They will not be able to meaningfully  solve their problems and come up with healthy ways to cope with everyday situations. Prior to watching this film, I did know that people were in support of carrying weapons, but I had no idea if was to this severity. It’s shocking and concerning to know that there are people out there who have this viewpoint on how all guns are a “god given” right, and that it’s described as an “American” thing to do. 

     In an article I found from PBS Newshour, called “Digging into Data: Do Gun Safety Laws Decrease Child Deaths?” Opened my eyes to remember that all of gun related deaths are preventable. This is such a major issue in America that is completely preventable. I feel that many people forget this. The article also discusses the relation between gun related injuries in children, and the strictness of laws within a state. Only 12 states have background check laws, and within those states, there is a 35% less of a chance in child firearm fatalities. 

     In conclusion, I am lucky enough to say that I have never been bullied or have faced gun violence in a school setting, but that does not mean I have not thought about it happening at one point or another. I feel like as a student in America any time there is a school related event that surrounds guns many of us felt unsafe. I remember one time my school went on lockdown because there was a man with a gun walking up the road. This obviously made many of us worried and we pondered if he was coming for the school, or what his motives were. This is a scary reality that many children face and it’s not right that children as young as 5 years old need to worry about such events.  Hopefully, with stricter laws and increased awareness this will soon not be a worry for many teachers and children across the nation. This weeks readings and video really made me more aware of the fear that students face. In my future classroom, I am going to try and incorporate ways to try and calm my students down before my class. I will keep my eyes and ears our for any suspicious activity, and immediately report anything that raises suspicion. I will also look for ways to incorporate mindfulness into my classroom  with activities such as meditation and reflections. I believe that short activities like this can really improve students anxiety and set the tone for a great lesson and learning experience for all. 

                                                                                       References 

Graf, N. (2018, April). A majority of U.S. teens fear a shooting could happen at their school, and most parents share their concern. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/18/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-fear-a-shooting-could-happen-at-their-school-and-most-parents-share-their-concern/

Moore, M. (Producer & Director) (2002). Bowling for Columbine [Film]. United States: Dog Eat Dog Productions/ YouTube https://watchdocumentaries.com/bowling-for-columbine/ OR https://youtu.be/wScIMiWT_dw 

Newshour, P. B. S. (2019, July 17). Digging into data: Do gun safety laws decrease child deaths? Northwest Public Broadcasting. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.nwpb.org/2019/07/17/digging-into-data-do-gun-safety-laws-decrease-child-deaths/ 

( article and picture ) 

Preventing school violence. (2019). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Fyouthviolence%2Fschoolviolence%2Findex.html