Six steps schools can take to end school violence (2023)

It's school again and this year parents, children and school staff are feeling great.Distress. Will there be another episode of school violence?

There is a great deal of activity to implement the best security system that any school can develop. Some are hiring more security, others are creating training programs for students. This advanced preparation will not only potentially reduce the harm done to students, but will also give students, teachers, and parents a sense of control. Something is being done.

At the same time, survivors of school violence are renewing their campaign for greater gun control. Denying children access to guns can certainly make a world of difference. But it's important to know that studies show that kids in gun-free cultures use knives to attack other students. The message seems to be that even if we close the doors and windows of the school, this violence will continue. The enemy is within.

What motivates a child to enter your school with the intent to harm students and adults? Anger, feelings of helplessness and despair. Therefore, the key to ending school violence is to provide emotional support to children. While I believe that school violence is a societal problem and we all have some responsibility for the cause and its solution, schools are on the front lines of the crisis so they need to step up and take primary responsibility for now.

Here are some steps schools can take to end school violence. The programs I have described are based on my more than 30 years of experience as a school counselor. They are doable and they work.

1. Schools must identify children with problems who are at risk of becoming involved in school violence.

As students enter schools this year, educators need to focus on students who have a specific emotional profile. If you look at past cases, you will see that a child who engages in this violence is often bullied, lonely (or spends time with another child with similar issues), depressed, angry, and isolated. Sometimes a child who uses violence is a child who is often aggressive at school. They may bully others or react unpredictably to students and teachers. There is usually a confluence of factors derived from family, school and social issues that excite the child, which drives him in that direction.

It is important to identify these children as early as possible. As a school counselor, I have worked with three-year-olds who go to preschool and show anger from day one. These kids are constantly hurting other kids and even the teachers. As they get older, their teachers and administration find it difficult to control their behavior and are often harsh. As a result, the child slowly builds up anger and resentment towards the school and administration and may become vindictive. Recognizing these problems early and giving children the help they need can change the course of events in a child's life and help prevent violent crime in schools.

2. Schools must have mental health professionals on their staff. A trained counselor, social worker, or psychologist understands children and is trained to intervene in their problems. You can help the children before it's too late. This is a necessity, not a luxury. And there must be adequate coverage for the size of the student body. Kids going back to school this year are scared, and these professionals can help. They can help identify children at risk for school violence and educate teachers and children on how to watch for warning signs. Professionals may observe children daily in their classrooms, in the cafeteria, and in the hallways to monitor the emotional state of the children.

Once a child is identified with emotional or social problems, professionals can counsel them, discover the cause of their suffering, and help them find solutions. Or refer the child to an outside source if necessary. Teachers, staff, and administration must work as a team to share information and make decisions, and may contact authorities if a child poses an imminent threat to the school.

As part of the assessment and healing process, it is essential that the provider meet with the parents to discuss the child's problems and explore possible causes of the child's distress in the family setting. For example, maybe someoneharassmentthe child at home, so he tends to harass others or end up being a victim in relationships. Parents have more information about a child. What does the child talk about at home? What posts do you make online? What do you complain about? Is his behavior very aggressive at home? When family problems are overcome, a child's anger and dissatisfaction usually dissipates.

When you read the news about a Sagittarius, even though the neighbors describe the family as typical and uneventful, there are usually deeper forces at play. A professional can uncover underlying issues that are troubling a child, unnoticed by the family.

Parents are sometimes reluctant to get involved because they fear that the child's problems are their fault.

The goal is not to blame parents, but rather to teach them techniques that help their children feel better and function better in life. It would be helpful for schools to talk to parents at the beginning of the year about the importance of their involvement in their children's problems.

3. Schools must train and support their teachers. Teachers are under enormous pressure.to emphasizedaily. In the event of an attack, they know that they must cope on their own and make quick decisions that have a major impact on the well-being of the children. You must learn skills to deal with these emergencies.

Teachers also need training in dealing with problem children; how to effectively intervene in bullying and how to communicate positively with children. There should be weekly team meetings with teachers and professionals to discuss struggling children and develop strategies for dealing with challenging situations.

4. Schools must provide emotional support to students. Today's schools need to realign their mission. You can no longer focus on raising kids from scratch and producing kids with good grades. Schools must focus on the whole child and address the emotional and social needs of students. There should be weekly group discussions with the children to talk about their feelings and the social problems they face. Children must learn skills to express their feelings positively and strategies for conflict resolution. If a problematic topic comes up in these discussions, the child can get help from a specialist.

There should be workshops to sharpen children's sensitivity to each other. For example, there could be a presentation on bullying with a series of short skits in which children play different roles, such as the bully, the supporting bully, and the victim. This activity will increase children's awareness of each child's experiences and give them insight into their own behavior.

School can destroy childrenSocial isolationB. establish a buddy system, where each child has a buddy or is part of a small support group. A teacher may be responsible for this group and oversee the emotional well-being of each child. A child who is not alone with her problems reacts less negatively.

5. Schools must establish policies that promote a nurturing and caring environment. They should emphasize positive values ​​such as inclusion, positive communication, and respect for students, as well as a shared responsibility for the well-being of each child.

When children feel cared for and valued, they build a positive imageAdjunctgo to school and feel less alienated and angry. Signs with messages such as “We Care About All Students” or “We Care About Our School” can be posted in hallways. Any student can participate in school and community service projects. The old model ofTrainingVonpunishment/The reward should be replaced by positive communication and emotional support.

Every school should have a system in place for communicating about children who express a desire to harm others or themselves. For example, there may be an "alert box" where children can anonymously provide the name of another child they are concerned about, report bullying incidents, or share their own distress. There should also be designated staff that children can come into contact with.

There should be a zero tolerance policy towards bullying with certain known consequences, such as loss of privileges. However, the approach should also include counselling, parent-teacher conferences, school attendance and pedagogical tasks to sensitize the child. Schools need to change the message that when a child is bullied, they have to deal with it themselves.

6. Schools must educate and support parents.

The school must give parents an important role in ending school violence.

Parents are very angry about the violence at school. School staff should support them emotionally, involve them in making plans to keep their children safe, and provide guidance on how to talk to their children about the problem.

There should be workshops for parents to make them aware of the key elements of a Sagittarius profile so that parents can recognize these signs in their children and inform the school. Discuss how parents can monitor their children's computer use and limit their access to negative material. Parents can also help protect children at school. They may monitor the hallway during school hours or patrol the grounds around the school with cars during school hours.

Schools must offer educational workshops for parents.EducationIt is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Parents need to understand their children and learn positive communication skills. You need tools to deal with childrenthat,Depressionand social problems. Parents should have the opportunity to meet with staff professionals to learn how to deal with difficult situations at home when they arise. Positive parenting based on understanding, love and support creates happy children. You will not harm others.

The final burden of school violence falls on everyone's shoulders. There must be an understanding of the urgency of adequate federal and state funding for mental health services in schools. Children as young as twelve grow up here and their futures are shaped.

Along with increased gun control, there is a need for increased surveillance of the movies, video games, and television programs available to children. Our children are fed tolerance for violence. They literally spend hours filming the characters in violent video games. Even the most benign TV shows contain phrases and behaviors that encourage toughness in relationships.

Social standards for how people should treat each other have been lowered to the point of increasing bullying and violent crime. Our social and political environment must become one that discourages people from bullying one another and promotes the highest value of human life. Otherwise, these episodes of school violence will not disappear.

Children's social vision should also improve. We must value children, treat them with the utmost respect, and constantly seek more positive ways to communicate with them. They should not be treated as second class citizens because they are small and powerless.

We also need to realize that every harsh word adults say to a child doesn't just hurt them.Self-esteem, but you may end up raising an angry and unhappy child who will hit and hurt other people.