Focusing on Preventative Safety in Schools

April 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

For some reason, violence in schools is escalating. Of course the causes are being debated extensively with multiple reasons and causes being cited and blamed. But regardless of which side of the debate anyone is on, one thing is certain. Something has to be done; these problems are becoming too common and frequent. The truth is, the cause is no longer relevant. The safety of innocent children must be the foremost concern in these topics.

Most people have strong ideas about why such things happen. In an ideal world we would be able to identify a specific, singular cause, address and eliminate that issue and return to the world that we either thought we lived in, or wanted to live in. It’s time to accept that is not the case and turn our efforts towards prevention. With that goal in mind, it is up to everyone to step-up and become a part of the solution.

As human beings everyone has both the ability and capacity to make a difference when it comes to violence in schools. Improve awareness through the creation of a preventative safety programs. Encourage “the buddy system” for walking to and from school. Both students and teachers alike should be aware that these issues exist and take a pro-active role in identifying potential issues before they have a chance to become problems. Additionally, teachers and administrators should take each situation seriously for the ultimate safety of the children under their charge. It may not be simple to identify why violence is increasing in our schools, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be difficult to address.

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Danger signs teachers should look out for

February 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Student violence needs to be controlled at most basic level – the classroom – and it is the teachers who can detect violent behavior among students the earliest. Teacher need to be trained in identifying and tackling bad behavior and acts of violence committed by their students in order to fight school violence effectively. Here are some warning signs that teachers need to keep an eye out for in the classroom:

1. If you notice that a student that has been performing well in his or her studies suddenly stops paying attention or loses interest, then chances are that they are suffering from some form of psychological pressure.

2. Students showing an inclination towards violent and aggressive games generally use such sports to vent out built up frustration. Try to observe if the student likes inflicting pain on others during sports such as rugby or basketball.

3. A child who remains isolated from the rest of the class and seems depressed may be suffering emotionally. Without proper counseling, such students have the potential of becoming serious aggressors.

4. While checking creative essays, notice trends in a child writing. If you notice that a child is regularly writing depressing or negative essays, then he or she may be suffering psychologically and should be observed further.

5. A child who is unable to control his or her anger and frequently has outbursts where they argue and fight with classmates is more likely to commit acts of violence at school so keep an eye out for students with temper control issues.

6. Students who have repeatedly been caught for bringing weapons to school most probably carry them for a reason, be it offense or defense. Try to find out from such students what makes them feel the need to carry weapons.

7. Students who are violent but are afraid of doing anything to classmates often tend to take their frustration out by committing acts of violence against animals.

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How teachers can reduce school violence

February 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Teachers interact with children at a basic one to one level and do so on a daily basis making them the perfect medium to influence children to stay away from acts of violence. But what can a teacher do to curb the violent streak in students? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Be aware of what goes on in the corridors of the school once your class is dismissed. Most bullying and violent acts happen in between classes and during breaks so make it a practice to conduct rounds of the corridor and school grounds during this time. If you notice a student being bullied or targeted, intervene immediately, sending out a strict message to the aggressors and reassuring the victim of security.

2. Keep an eye out for students displaying discriminatory mindsets. Student often show their prejudice against others when they speak out in class. If you notice such behavior, try to change the child’s mindset in a tactful way. If the behavior continues, you should bring it to the attention of the school authorities who might want to have a word with the child’s parents.

3. Listen to what your students say during idle time in between classes. Classmates are often aware of students planning an act of violence or talk about ones who have been behaving badly. If you  hear such talk, take the child into confidence and try to get details which should then be passed on to the administrator.

4. If your school has an anti-violence program, sign up for it! If it doesn’t, then try to have one organized. Get your students to help out with the program for it to be more effective and successful.

5. Students often hesitate to report acts of violence committed against them for fear of repercussions. Talk to your students encouraging them to report such acts and assuring them of anonymity and safety.

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A Systemized Approach Towards Addressing Violence

February 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The rising incidents of violent behavior by students has made school rethink how they can tackle such behavior most effectively. While enhancing security arrangements on the school premises can help in controlling the number of violent acts being committed, the key to eliminating the problem at its root is to identify and treat the causes of bad behavior among students. Here is a step by step approach that schools can take in order to take the issue of violence by students:

1. Take a feedback: If you want to know what the problem areas are, you need to go to the source – the students. Create a questionnaire asking students to identify factors at school or in their personal lives that incite them to violence. Allow students to answer the survey anonymously to encourage a more honest response.

2. Analyzing Data: Once you have received the results of the survey, analyze the data to identify areas that maximum number of students have mentioned as influencing or encouraging them towards violence. The analysis will allow you to shortlist the major causes of violence by students and prioritize which problem should be addressed first. Take teachers, other administrative staff and, if possible, get parents involved too in setting clear and actionable goals to gradually address the issues.

3. Brainstorming: Again, keeping students in mind and taking feedback from teachers and parents, devise strategies and action plans on how to attain the goals you have set towards the resolution of problems with violent students. Make realistic and time bound action plans. Once plans have been made, assign the responsibility of executing the plans to teams and provide them with required resources.

4. Implementation: Individual teams need to follow up on their action plans which may include detecting acts of violence, identifying behavioral patterns, counseling as well as corrective measures. Regular update meetings to monitor the progress of each team will ensure that they are motivated to see the action plans through.

5. Re-analysis: Once the decided time of implementation is through, conduct a follow up survey and analyze the success of the process.

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Causes of Students’ Violent Behavior

February 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

To treat any illness, it first vital to note the symptoms and identify the cause. The same applies to violent behavior in students. It first has to be noticed and their causes to be identified in order to effectively remedy such behavior. Here is a look at some of the causes of violent behavior in students:

Learning and Behavioral Disorders: Several children suffer from learning disorders and disabilities which hinders them from behaving normally in social environments. Their inability to cope with their challenges and the lack of understanding from parents, peers and teachers leads to extreme behavioral responses. Some children isolate themselves and might go into depression while other react far more aggressively often resorting to violent acts to vent out built up frustration.

Dysfunctional Families: A child’s mind is greatly influenced by the kind of family they have. Healthy family environments with caring parents who take time to interact have fewer instances of violent child behavior compared to children brought up in dysfunctional families. Domestic violence and a lack of proper upbringing have a severe impact on a child’s psychology and emotions.

Bad Neighborhoods: The community n which a child lives influences their concept of right and wrong greatly. If a child is surrounded by adults who carry weapons and regularly indulge in violence end up believing that such acts are a part of normal life and don’t think twice in acting similarly at school.

School Administration: Most violence at school is triggered by unchecked bullying and harassment. Bullying was earlier considered a common childish trait but its effects have long since been identified as a cause of violent behavior among victims. Bullying includes physical assault, sexual harassment, discrimination as well as spreading false negative rumors about a student.

Media and Entertainment: Children are surrounded by several forms of entertainment that expose them to unchecked levels of violence. This includes television shows as well as video and PC games. Heroes are often portrayed as trigger happy gun wielding macho men who eventually become ideals to young minds. Anti-heroes with questionable values are glorified in the name of entertainment.

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Administrative measure to decrease violence at school

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Shoot outs at school in recent years have shocked the community and have raised concerns about growing incidents of violence at school. The formation of gangs, increased incidents of bullying, even the development of online bullying over social networking sites make young students all the more vulnerable to emotional imbalances that may lead to acts of violence against other or themselves. Such acts may be committed on the school premises or else where but as a result of the environment prevalent at school. While school administration can’t control what kids do away from school, certain measures can be taken to prevent violence on premises:

1. Take regular anonymous surveys where you ask student to list out any factors that are contributing to a negative environment at school. It is important to keep a check on the students’ grievances.

2. Installing electronic security check points at school entrances to detect any weapons that children may be carrying including pocket knives. Strict control measures should be taken against students regularly caught carrying weapons and they should be given intensive counseling.

3. Plan a strategy to engage students at a personal level to understand their mindsets and identify any alarm points that may be missed by teacher observation. This will help in isolating trouble makers and students with a potential towards violence to be monitored in the future.

4. Arrange for all the school staff including teachers and administrative members to be trained on how to observe and identify negative behavior and take effective corrective measures. Most acts of violence can be prevented by early detection and control at class room level.

5. Strictly control and punish bullying and other forms of harassment which should include sexual harassment, discrimination at various levels and spreading gossip and rumors. Students are less likely to commit acts of violence if they are sure that retribution will follow.

6. Encourage students to report bullying by providing absolute anonymity as well as giving counseling services to both victims and aggressors. It is vital that students have confidence in the school’s administration to protect them if they report aggression.

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How to Keep Your Kids Away From Gangs

January 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It’s hard to turn on the news or read a newspaper or web site without seeing mention of a gang somewhere, whether it be locally or clear across the country. They’re very real entities and are always on the lookout for new members. Gangs typically tend to prey on kids from single-parent families. Why? Because the parent isn’t around as much and the children end up spending a lot of time by themselves as a result. Kids in need of friends or who just need something to do make great targets for gangs.

Because sometimes it’s hard to be with your kids as much as you’d like to be, it’s important to know what your children are doing when you’re not around. If you’re worried that your child might be susceptible to gang activities, there are some simple steps that you can take to prevent it.

  • Keep yourself informed about gangs and gang activity. The more you know about gangs and their activity, the better equipped you’ll be to inform your child about them. Staying in the know will also help you be able to pinpoint the signs that your child may be involved with a gang.
  • Enroll your child in extra-curricular activities or after-school programs. These programs will give your child something to do after school instead of spending time alone at home or wandering the streets. Make sure you sign them up for something they’ll enjoy. This way, they’re less apt to skip out and do something else.
  • Talk with your child. Making sure he or she knows about gangs and gang life is one of the best ways to keep him or her out of one. Be sure to thoroughly explain the harsh reality of being in a gang. A gang may seem “cool” to some kids, but once they know about what it entails and what can happen to their lives, that view usually changes.
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Filed Under: Kids, Violence Tagged With: , ,