Scared at School: Violence, Shootings, and Changes

Introduction

My School Experience

I started elementary school in the late 1950's and graduated from high school in the late 1960's. My school district was located in a predominantly, white, middle class suburban community. Many of the students walked to school with the older children acting as guides as we crossed suburban residential streets. Police crossing guards were stationed at the busy intersections to ensure our safe crossing. Children who lived close to school were permitted to walk home for lunch. Children who lived on unsafe walking routes or lived more than a mile from school were bussed to school. There were no car rider lines because very few children were driven to school. Traveling to and from school was safe.

Main Digest

My School Experience

I started elementary school in the late 1950's and graduated from high school in the late 1960's. My school district was located in a predominantly, white, middle class suburban community. Many of the students walked to school with the older children acting as guides as we crossed suburban residential streets. Police crossing guards were stationed at the busy intersections to ensure our safe crossing. Children who lived close to school were permitted to walk home for lunch. Children who lived on unsafe walking routes or lived more than a mile from school were bussed to school. There were no car rider lines because very few children were driven to school. Traveling to and from school was safe.

When we arrived at school the doors were unlocked and remained unlocked throughout the day. The only metal detectors we knew about were the detectors people used on the beach to search for lost coins and jewelry. Our classrooms, with approximately thirty students, were quiet and orderly. There was the occasional late student, the student who did not complete his work, the talker and the class clown.

Our teachers were respected by the students and their families. Disputes were resolved with parent teacher conferences and/or meetings with the principal. Occasionally a student was moved to another class or another school.

Teachers had more control over their students, but the discipline dealt by some teachers was harsh. Even though I was rarely in trouble, those were the teachers that scared me and whose classes I feared. We had teachers who spent extra time helping students who were struggling and those who berated students for their poor performance. When I was in seventh grade the majority of the class failed a math test. Instead of reviewing the material or evaluating her own teaching techniques, the teacher berated the entire class while making the student with the lowest grade on the test stand in front of the class. That student was me!!! I dreaded that class.

The cold war with the Soviet Union was looming when I was in elementary school. We had the monthly "duck and cover drills" where we sat along the hallway walls with our heads between our knees. Having been through WWII and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, our parents feared the chance of a nuclear attack. As children, we were incognizant of the reality and destruction of a nuclear attack. For us, the couple of pictures we may have seen of the horror in Japan was far away and, in our short lives, long ago.

Schools Today

Schools have changed drastically from the time I entered school as a child until the time I retired as a teacher seven years ago. Fewer children walk to school. Parents walk or drive their young children to the bus stop. No longer are older students given the honor of being a safety to assist the younger children when traveling to and from school. Hall monitors are no longer older students given the responsibility of guiding young children to class and helping them in the lunchroom. They have been replaced by adults either volunteer or paid. Many schools have school police officers (SPO) doing the jobs our parents and young teens once performed. Schools keep their doors locked. ID badges or other forms of identification are required to enter school buildings. Schools are installing metal detectors, bullet proof glass and fences to protect children from school shootings and other forms of violence. Shelter-in-place drills have become as common- place as the monthly fire drills. We are turning our school into prisons, but are we making them safer?

"For good or ill, police officers, fences, metal detectors, bullet proof glass signify safety, even though for the most part, not much evidence suggests they contribute to safety." (James A Densley, professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan University- St. Paul, Minnesota)

School Shootings in the United States

The United States, since 2009, has had fifty-seven times as many school shootings as all other industrial nations combined. (Chip Grabow & Lisa Rose, CNN) There are many theories and divisive political rhetoric analyzing why this is happening, leaving the onus on the schools to keep their students safe. Children in preschool come home and relay stories about having a safety drill where the class had to huddle in a windowless bathroom or had to stand quietly against a wall for a "bad Man drill." Older students are experiencing lock downs, either within a classroom or within the school building. They have experienced school shootings in and around the school, or view it almost daily on television and the internet.

Violence in the Classroom

The news is filled with stories about school shootings, fights in high school hallways and cafeterias, students being bullied, and staff members having inappropriate engagements with students. These are serious infractions that need to be reported and extinguished. What does not receive attention outside of the school setting is the violence happening inside elementary classrooms. Maybe this is because of the young age of the children. Teachers are having to usher their children out of their classrooms when a young child becomes disruptive, putting the entire class in danger. Teachers are being injured when trying to protect their students. Student elopement has become an issue in some classrooms.

"Teachers estimated they lose nearly two-and-a-half hours of instructional time each week as a result of behavioral disruptions, which adds up to nearly three weeks of lost instructional time each year." (EAB)

Why is this Happening?

Why is this happening? Many factors are contributing to why our children and teachers are afraid at school. There are many conclusions.

"It is the pandemic, lack of trust in our institutions particularly law enforcement, the presence of guns, and the toxic divisive, contentious time we live in." (Stephen Sawchuck: Education Week, Nov. 1, 2021).

When I look back at my own childhood, I remember my home and family as being my center and my support. Today, children are spending increasing hours in daycares and afterschool programs so parents can work to support their families. We are pushing them at a younger age to engage in competitive sports rather than letting them play freely where they learn to experiment, organize, compromise and that it is ok to fail sometimes. Are young children receiving the individual attention they need? Are we setting them up to fail by being competitive too soon? What role has social media contributed to the violence?

Teachers are doing their best to help our children, but they are being bombarded with paperwork, testing, and ever-changing curriculum requirements. While diversity, equity and inclusion are excellent policies, there are some children who are unable to succeed in a general education classroom. While continually evaluating our schools and asking them to do more, we need to study how the environment outside of school is affecting our children.

"We need to have professionals out in our communities, visiting with families and children and doing outreach support. It's going to be families, parents, teachers, and social workers. It's going to be everyone to prevent fighting." (AEB Gloria Reyes, a former law enforcement officer)

NOTE: As I write this blog, I am listening to a report of another school shooting in a US school. The U.S. has more guns than people who live there.

Author Credentials:

Kathleen M. Cleaver holds a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and the education of children whose primary disability is a visual impairment (TVI). During her thirty-year career as a teacher, Kathleen received the Penn-Del AER Elinor Long Award and the AER Membership Award for her service and contributions to the education of children with visual impairments. She also received the Elizabeth Nolan O’Donnell Achievement Award for years of dedicated service to St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments. Explore Kathleen's complete biography for comprehensive insights into her background, expertise, and accomplishments.

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Cite This Page (APA): Cleaver, K. M. (2023, March 28). Scared at School: Violence, Shootings, and Changes. Disabled World. Retrieved September 8, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/blogs/school-violence.php

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