In the book “Columbine” by Dave Cullen, several unknown truths are unfolded about the school shooting that shocked and confused many. Upon the beginning
On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold left the world in a state of shock when they embarked on one of the most perilous school shootings in American history. The Columbine High School shooting left thirteen dead and a total of twenty-two injured. After this massacre took place, many wondered what triggered these boys to attack their own school, and if there was any way it could have been prevented. The novel “Columbine” by Dave Cullen illustrates why this may not have been possible. The attack on Columbine High School was inevitable because of the deranged behaviors of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
The book “Rampage The Social Roots Of School Shootings” written by Newman et al, offers many different views and theories behind the issues of Rampage school shootings. In this paper I will give the reader an in depth overview and evaluation of the aforementioned book. Offering researched based reasons to why these school shootings actually happen. They explore the communities of Heath and Westside, the grounds of two horrific acts of rampage shootings by Michael Carnell, Andrew Golden and Mitchell Johnson. They explain various angles of there research such as identifying an issue, how signals given by children can be misinterpreted, the effects of social capital and how mental factors play a role in the acts of the shooters.
This article examines Seacrest High School that had major violent episodes between Asian-American and African-American students. While trying to decide how to deal with the violence and school safety, the other components of the school went by the wayside. All of this was chronicled in the media and an ensuing court order forced the school district to take measures that secured the safety of the students that attended the school. Although not done on purpose, the subsequent result was a neglect of academics and the overall school culture. The focus on safety, created during a chaotic approach to school improvement, led to a loss of focus of content knowledge, critical thinking skills, social-emotional support for students, and moral reasoning.
Reflection 50 Myths& Lies To begin, the book 50 Myths& Lies that Threaten America’s Public Schools covered a variety of topics such as why teachers are quickly blamed publicly along with their unions, how to make our schools better, equality of schools, money, and how schools make students college and career ready. With each of these topics were smaller sub-topics such as the importance of money, bullying, teachers’ abilities, and the various choices of schooling. With each topic/sub-topic the authors guided us through each subject uncovering myths and lies that surround them.
Columbine High School Massacre and How it Impacted Public Security “Do you believe in God?” This was the last thing Rachel Scott, a recently born-again Christian, had heard before telling Eric Harris yes and then being shot to death at point blank range. This quote is from the infamous Columbine High School mass shooting in Littleton, Colorado. This incident caused much outrage and questioning from many parents and students about the safety of their well-being while in school. The concerns quickly leaked into the minds of US citizens, as nobody felt safe anywhere in public after the tragedy.
Open campus high school helps improve student behavior. “Research shows that teen drug use and other dangerous behavior is highest between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. - the unsupervised hours between the end of school day and the time parents get home from work” (Merino 89). The mistakes or little flaws of a few students should not affect the students who did not do anything wrong (Saslow). At Frankfort High School some city school leaders hope that reviving open campus will better connect students with their community (Schanding). Open campus is not a matter of closing opening the campus (Saslow).
Symbolic interactionism illuminates fundamental elements that attribute to school shootings. According to Jeanne Ballantine and Joan Spade in their book, Schools and Society, A Sociological Approach to Education, “Symbols are the concepts or ideas that we use to frame our interactions” (2015:19). Symbolically, a sense of self and hierarchical place is determined by social interactions (Ballantine and Spade 2015). Students find themselves determining how they see and feel about themselves by how their cohorts, parents, siblings, teachers, and others interact with them. Sadly, the young perpetrators of school shootings have derived their sense of self from their social experiences of isolation, bullied harassment, and low hierarchical status, producing skewed and biased self-perceptions.
There have been 18 school shootings across the nation since January 1, 2018, which includes shootings where guns were fired accidentally and no one was injured, according to www.bing.com. This is a major problem because many students, staff, and families are being affected. It is a trend that mental illness is the root cause of the shooter’s actions. This is a small part of the reason; however, I believe there are many other reasons: grandparents are raising children, guns are too accessible, violent video games, social media, news media, and the internet. Mental illness is a true problem with citizens who are not seeking help to treat their mental illness.
“The tragedy did prompt President George W. Bush to sign into law the first federal gun control measure in over a decade” (Cooper 2). School security measures have increased. “Besides the installation of metal detectors at the school entrances and hiring security guards at some schools, there have been several studies on the various factors that could possibly lead to incidents of studies on the various factors that could possibly lead to incidents of school violence and steps to prevent violent incidents before they happen” (Cooper
A nonprofit group that attempts to prevent gun violence called “Everytown for Gun Safety,” released a statement about school shootings. The organization claimed that the school shooting at “[Marjory Stoneman Douglas High] is the 18th school shooting in the U.S. in 2018.’” (Cox and Rich). In less than three months, there have been eighteen school shootings. This shows that schools are no longer a safe environment.
Many people think that most American schools are satisfactory. That is far from what is actually happening. The harsh reality is that schools that are unsatisfactory do exist. In Jonathan Kozol’s “Fremont High School”, he points out the flaws of a high school located somewhere in Los Angeles. This helps shine light on differences in the quality of education in various areas of the country.
School shootings are a reoccurring problem in the United States. As of 2018, there have been over 18 school shootings in America (Cuddy). However, this is nothing new to us. Every year they are countless reports of school shootings ending in injury or death. It should be obvious that schools are the safest place for parents to send their children during the day, the sad truth is, it is not.
As the video moves on, they use Columbine as an example of childhood violence. Being from Colorado, I remember what an impact this had on my school security. I didn’t notice it much in elementary school, but more so in middle school and especially high school. Getting into my high school was a task, there were many check points and security guards. My school was in a very privileged area so any time they thought there was any sort of threat the cops were there in a second, but rarely anyone was
Envision waking up every morning to put on the same outfit and walk out the door, stress free. People would not have to worry about what fits, or what is fashionable at the time. Schools would not have to worry about inappropriate clothing but at the same time, that clothing may be a way for a student to express himself. Many schools view uniforms as a solution to several problems, but many schools view uniforms as a lack of self expression. School uniforms should continue, even though children may not get to express themselves, because they prohibit violence, provide cheaper lifestyles, and promote better education.
