Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

School's In

Two young men were arrested in California yesterday and charged with plotting a Columbine-type assault at their school. Their plan was hatched to "get back at all the people who were mean to us." Most of us would find that a bit of an over-reaction, but school can be a tough place to be, especially if one is not in the mainstream. But killing? I'd hoped we had sensitized our students since the rash of violence. I think our school has done a pretty good job. We have administrators who seem to be in the hallways talking to kids every day. I also see a few board members at school on occasion interacting as well; teachers seem to be mostly heads up when things are happening. Many of our students also take an active role in diminishing conflict. Still, it's not easy for students to always find someone to talk to. We deal with such issues in health class and hope to strike a chord relating to acceptance, problem-solving and avoiding violence. Our speaker on date violence the other day really helped to point to the trouble spots in kids' lives and gave sound, practical suggestions to our students.
Our guidance counselor frequently stops by my classes to interact with students, and this familiarity makes him all the more accessible when they need it. Sure, we're a small school with money problems, communication lapses (from time to time), and a degree of uncertainty, but I think we have the resources to handle what being a kid is REALLY about: how to grow into a positive adult who can solve problems utililizing resources at hand. We don't need metal detectors and hallway guards, but we do need to be aware of all our students and remember how tough it was for us to be teens.

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