The Answer to School Violence is Education and Community, Not Firearms

When thinking about the state of affairs that our country is in regarding firearms and their inappropriate usage in our society, I can't help but be quite concerned to say the least. Just watch the evening news for a half hour on any given evening and it is astounding the amount of violence carried out with the use of guns, not to mention all the other incidences of aggression. Our society is becoming one of solving problems with extreme acts of violence. There is little regard for human life. It seems to be growing trend and somehow, needs to be immediately addressed.

As an educator of middle school children, I deal with many different issues on a daily basis. Some of these issues are easy to resolve while others are much more complicated. Many of our children come from homes where aggression is commonplace. Many of these same children spend much of their time on the streets without much supervision at all. That doesn't mean all these children are violent or will grow up to be violent adults, but the facts do speak for themselves. Violence is rapidly on the increase and firearms play a significant factor. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is in many of our small towns and larger cities. Many children are raising themselves; the positive guidance outside of the schools just isn't around for whatever reason. At this point, I don't think it's productive in any way to pass blame. Our society is what it is and we need to make efforts at making it less violent.

Our schools are a microcosm of the society in which we live. The difference being, we can learn from the negative we see happening around us and better control the school environment to make it safe and positive. Obviously, this is so much easier said than done but efforts are being made by our schools and progress can be observed daily. We all strive to live in a civilized society. Ramped violence, in my opinion, is not very civilized and most school districts will agree. Rep. Frank Lasee (R) had apparently come up with the idea that arming the teachers in
Wisconsin
may be a solution to the necessity of protecting our children. Do we combat violence with a show of potential violent behavior, I don't think so. As I sit and ponder this very thought, I don't agree that training teachers with firearms is the answer. My thinking may change some day in the future but as of now, I don't think it is a good idea. I can't resist the uncomfortable feeling of contradiction when I think of teaching and stressing education as a tool to counter aggression while concealing a semi automatic handgun on my body. I hope we don't get to that point of having to carry a weapon to protect our children. On a positive note, we currently have many drills, lock doors, install cameras, search lockers, and provide guards all to provide a safe environment. However, we need to do much more. We must stress educating the children before we resort to arming our teachers. Education is the key.

Education is the foundation of a civilized society. I firmly believe that teaching and providing knowledge for our children and adults will conquer many of the challenges we see today. Our school programs have been proven to be effective but after school is also a concern. Many of the after school programs that have been eliminated due to financial reasons need to be reinstated. We must get our children off the streets after school hours. Yes, it takes time and the almighty dollar but something needs to start changing now. The children in the community need to be involved in activities and sports engaging their brains and bodies. Better yet, the very same adults that reside in the same community need to be the ones running these activities interacting with the children. Too many programs have been victim to government cuts. It is imperative that we get these programs running once again and people off the streets.

Rep. Frank Lasee (R) can continue to push for the arming of teachers but personally, I think more energy should be expended to get better after school programs available for the children. Our schools can and generally do an excellent job educating their students. O
ur
communities must do the same. Community members need to step up and take over the streets and their communities. More than ever before, everyone needs to buy into the notion that an entire community raises a child.