We've been researching what we feel should be done to keep our schools safe. We took this research and created position papers. Share your paper here. Then read at least 2 other papers. Leave a positive comment about either their idea or their craft moves as an author (you can do both!).
ReplyDeleteSchool shootings have been getting more and more eminent in recent years. In fact, since the infamous Parkland School shooting there’s been an average shooting rate of one every 12 days. Parents lose their kids, and kids lose their lives because of something that is almost entirely preventable. A portion of schools have already practiced safety, made infrastructure improvements, and have some form of mental health outlets. However, all of these factors lie around one question, Is it good enough?
The majority of these school shootings have been done by current or former students, and 80% of them admitted to not being mentally well. Giving the students more than just the ability to go to the guidance counselors office or hide out in the bathroom when they feel aggravated or are in times of trouble could be extremely beneficial to our school and others around the nation. Implementing a special place dedicated as a safe place for kids to go to calm down or get help could prevent them from taking out their emotions in a violent way that could easily be resolved with a break away from other students and their schoolwork.
Another crucial factor is teaching kids that warning signs are warning signs and they should be taken seriously. Slideshows such as “Say Something” done by Sandy Hook Elementary should be shown in addition to mental health units, so they recognize the warning signs before the shooting actually happens. Shooters often tell others about their plans before they go through with it, and every voice counts towards preventing fatalities. Similar to warning signs are coping strategies for students, so they can help lead themselves or others away from a plan that involves hurting themselves or others.
Finally, students need to feel safe in the schools that they spend a large portion of their life in. Giving the kids the ability to reach out to someone they feel comfortable with should be encouraged, before it gets too hard to handle. Mental health units in health classes should be more focused, and helpful. Rather than just the facts, there should be a list of ways you can cope or reach out and get help. These units should have way more focus on the way they’re directed at the students, as more of a way to provide exposure and help rather than the only purpose being to prepare for a test.
Everything can be improved, and this includes schools. The more people who contribute to projects that improve the way things are taught and the building itself the better, as every action counts towards the bigger picture. Giving the students a safe and positive environment to go in times of trouble, more exposure to warning signs, and teaching them coping strategies could be the thing that saves lives. After all, safer schools are not impossible to create, and the first step starts with you.
Annabelle, I really liked your hook and your tone throughout the whole essay. Good job.
DeleteWow. I like your intro.
Deletelove the tone of the essay.
Delete1 in 4 students deal with mental illness. Mental illness has a very immense plethora of diseases that deal with a chemical imbalance in your brain. It is not uncommon for students to have mental issues and illnesses. Sometimes, these illness can urge people to harm themselves, close themselves off, and harm others. In some cases, they might commit suicide from being in their state of depression, anorexia, bulimia, etc. Schools need to focus more on mental health for the safety and health of their students and the ones surrounding them.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, there are many types of mental illnesses and some of them are more common than others. Depression is one of the most common of them all. Depression makes you feel unusually sad and make you want to do irrational things to yourself or others (in some cases). Depression could lead to any other mental illness. Anorexia is another one of these common illnesses. Anorexia makes you not want to eat and a lot could happen from not eating. You could get unbelievably thin and possibly starve yourself to death. Bulimia is similar. While having bulimia you eat food, but later make yourself regurgitate the food you ate after absorbing the nutrients but it avoids bodily weight gain. There are many causes for all of these illnesses.
Secondly, there are too many causes for depression to list. It could be parents getting divorced, being bullied, home issues, school issues, etc. It could be one thing or a combination of many things. According to Center for Discovery, about 20 percent of students experience depression before adulthood and only 30 percent of those students seek help. Now students with eating disorders have unclear and complex reasons why they are developed. It could be a branch off of body dysmorphia based on weight. They might be encouraged by other anorexic/bulimic people who think they're doing nothing wrong. While there are no roots to the causes of the eating disorders, we can take an educated guess. 95 percent of people with eating disorders are in the age range of middle schoolers to college students according to the Healthy Teen Project. There are ways americas schools can reduce these rates.
Lastly, teachers and other school staff need to be trained to find the warning signs of mental illnesses. Depression has a copious amount of warning signs. A few of these signs include sadness, hopelessness, low self esteem, not caring about their appearance, physical ailments, etc. There isn't much teachers can do to notice the signs for eating disorders. The best they can do is is try to notice extreme weight loss, extreme thinness, and extreme weight gain. Now, there are many reasons why there should be professional help available at school. If we had staff at school who were professionally trained to help students, it would make it easier for them to seek help. Sometimes students don't want to seek out help because they don't want to admit that they're depressed or they don't want to tell anyone. Having a professional might help students who are dealing with those fears.
To sum up, there are various amounts of types to mental illnesses, and some weren't not even mentioned in this essay. There is so much we could do to help students who are dealing with any illnesses. Some of the ways to help are teaching the importance of mental illness, noticing the warning signs in your students, and getting a professional to help your students. Maybe one day, the world could be rid of all these awful mental illnesses, but this is where to start.
I love the way you used current issues in your essay!
DeleteLoved the transition words, and cool word choice
DeleteI love that we chose to use the same hook, :))))))
DeleteI love how you expanded
DeleteI love you expanded with explaining onto what each mental illness is like
DeleteSince the first major shooting there has been a numerous amount of shootings major and minor and there doesn’t seem to be a stopping point. For kids and teachers across the country its bad, having them see the news about a shooting and then having them wonder if their school is next. But there are many ways to help prevent break-ins, one of them is School Guard glass. School Guard Glass will reinforce the windows so they don’t shatter on impact of the first bullet.
ReplyDeleteThe first part is understanding how this new glass works. SGG (School Guard Glass) is made up of polycarbonate, a synthetic material with a strong impact strength. It is thin and when cracked it will stay intact for some time. Many different schools around the country are buying this glass and it has a quick installation by being only an inch and a half and seven pounds it can easily replace existing windows.
The second part is to know why it works. According to tests done by Jeff Besse SGG is strong enough to stop machine guns, bricks, hammers, and steel toe boot kicks from a minimum of four minutes to a maximum of ten. That precious amount of time would be just enough for class to get to a safer location or escape, and for the police to arrive. It can also stand up to minor blasts that would normally shatter standard windows. It could be said that cameras would be better but those are only useful when someone is inside of the building, but does nothing to keep them out.
To help ensure that break-ins and shootings don’t happen schools should use SGG to reinforce the windows so they don’t shatter immediately after one shot. If schools across the country used SGG it would stop intruders from harming as many people as they could. With the extra time it gives and the protection it offers SGG is one of the many things we could do to help put an end to school violence.
Good job with your credibility!
DeleteThe idea of a school shooting is very frightening to any middle schooler, including me. At any given point in time, a person can suddenly barge into the building and many people will end up losing their lives. Sometimes, the shooter can be someone you recognize, they could even be a friend, or a loved one. Some kids, even me, worry that our school is not safe enough if an attack on our school ever happened. In order to increase school safety, schools have to practice active shooter drills.
ReplyDeleteTo start off, the way active shooter drills work is simple. A staff member or a police officer will pretend to be the ‘gunman’. They usually carry a toy or fake gun around. The ‘gunman’ will then try to enter the classrooms and the students practice staying calm so that the ‘gunman’ will not notice them. Students have to practice hiding in the room and some schools may also have the students do other additional activities. Schools sometimes also have the students and staff try the emergency routes out of the building. Schools usually should only have to do an active shooter drill once per school year.
Next, active shooter drills are crucial to have because they help prepare everybody for any scenario that could happen. One major reason active shooter drills work is by reducing the amount of stress put onto the staff. A school shooting is a scenario teachers never want to deal with. But, if the staff knew exactly what to do in a school shooting scenario, it would help them to stay calm and help students. It is important to teach students safety, so a drill can teach students how to be safe in any scenario. This shows that active shooter drills are important because it teaches everyone what to do when a shooter enters the building. When interviewed by John Rosales, Dan Kivet said, “Drills really help staff consider the “what if” scenarios. If it’s a hurricane or fire, what do you do? If it’s a shooter, where do you go?”.
Although there are many things that have to be done to make schools as safe as they can be, active shooter drills should be a high priority. Active shooter drills work by having a person pretending to be the ‘gunman’ and students practicing what to do. Active shooter drills work because all students and staff learn what to do in a school shooter scenario. With this in place, everyone will know what do and act if a shooter ever came into the building.
I like your transitions!
DeleteA teacher’s job at school is to teach and provide information to students. A school’s job is providing a safe and secure place for kids to learn and grow. Bullying was, is, and always will be a problem whether we like it or not. That doesn’t mean we should just let it slide. Keeping kids safe at school is critical, so one way that we can prevent school shootings and all around violence, is to have bullying prevention programs in place where kids can go to get help if they are being bullied or harassed.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, having bullying prevention programs would help out with a lot of the violence that goes on in schools across the globe. Especially teens, who are just getting to the point of being nasty and rude. In a report done by UNICEF, teens that are more susceptible to violence and bullying are kids with disabilities, those who are migrants, poor kids, and LGBTQ+ kids. Also could you imagine having to deal with knowing that there are approximately 200,000 homicides each year with ages ranging from 10 to 29? Back to the subject of bullying, 25% of teens reported being bullied in the last month. Additionally, 1 in 3 teens reported being bullied in their whole school career. I bet that’s why suicide is the third leading cause of all deaths of youth. Surely that’s not what you would think about when you think of bullying, is it?
Now we are at the point where you are considering my idea and wanting to know how it works. Well, for starters, bullying prevention programs would address all the factors of social ecology. On the bottom, there is the individual levels of bullying and harassment. Then the relationship abuse, community bullying, and the societal bullying. Bullying prevention programs would address all the bullying that goes on all of those levels. It would make a big impact on the way the environment is at school. These programs that would be put in place would also teach students and staff the warning signs of bullying. For example, if you witness someone who just randomly developed a sense of fascination with weapons then that might be a sign they were bullied and are thinking about hurting themselves. These programs would teach you that.
With that being said, you are probably wondering where’s my proof that it’s worked? The UNICEF bullying program called ROOTS that was placed in Indonesia reduced the amount of bullying by 30% in its first year alone. If all of the schools across the globe put this program in their day, the amount of bullying reduced would be fairly significant. If this was in place, there would be more reason to like school, resulting in more kids attending. Kids would actually feel safe going to school instead of being constantly antagonised.
While there are many things that need to be done to improve school safety and decrease violence levels, adding bullying prevention programs is at the top of the list. They would be the most cost effective and you wouldn’t need to add time to the school day or take time away from classes. Schools would have higher attendance rates if kids weren’t afraid to go to school from being bullied or harassed. To keep kids safe at school, these programs rule.
Noice conclusion
DeleteI really like your conclusion!
DeleteReally good hook!
ReplyDeleteIn 2019 alone, there have already been 27 school shootings. That may not sound like much, but it is a significant enough amount to show that they do happen. A school shooting could happen to any school; who’s to say we aren’t next? Bartels Middle School needs protection. Out of the many different ways to protect a school, reinforced glass can be one of the simplest and most effective ways to do it. To keep its students safe, Bartels Middle School requires reinforced glass, specifically School Guard Glass.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, what is School Guard Glass? School Guard Glass is a brand of reinforced glass that assures great protection against attackers. How does it do this? The windows, made of polycarbonate plastic-coated glass, do not shatter after one blow. Instead, the special plastic coating allows the glass to stand up to multiple attacks. The windows are also relatively light and thin, meaning they will fit comfortably into most window frames. These qualities make the windows excellent at protecting our school.
Why would this product be effective? After all, no window would be able to withstand the powerful force of a gun forever. Eventually, the intruder would manage to shatter the glass. However, this window pane is built to last long enough for more help to arrive. According to The New York Times, police officers take about three minutes to respond to emergency situations. This glass can resist a beating for roughly four to six minutes. This also gives sufficient time for students and teachers to retreat to a more safe location before the intruder enters the building. If installed in the door windows, School Guard Glass also protects students from shooters breaking out classroom door windows and shooting randomly. The glass improves protection in the case of a shooter outside and inside the building.
I believe that BMS requires this product to protect the students from break-ins. The windows provide time to evacuate dangerous areas in the event of a shooter, gives the police time to arrive, and protects students inside classrooms in case the shooter manages to enter the building. The glass is also conveniently similar-looking to normal glass, allowing the building to remain a welcoming and safe location for students to learn and grow..
Noice hook
DeleteMany students around the US have mental illnesses that they constantly have to fight, but they don’t have to fight it alone. Sometimes their mental illness can go far enough to drive them to do unimaginable things, like harm themselves or harm others with tools they have at hand. Our schools around the nation should take action by targeting students who have or might be showing signs of a mental illness.
ReplyDeleteOne in five children live with a mental illness. Half of them do not get help, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, the brains of the children who do not get help get stunned with growing, learning, and developing. If we do not do anything about them, they will fall back behind their peers, and then when they try to catch up, they will feel more burdened. Also suicide is the 3rd most popular death in ages 10-24, and 50% of kids who are fourteen and older dropout of school with a mental illness. Some of the reasons that these children are facing these mental illnesses is because of school pressure, bullying, and Natural Deficit Disorder. Natural Deficit Disorder is a phrase found in the book “Last Child in the Woods”, by Richard Louv. The definition of the word is when students are stuck inside all day because of too much homework and rarely go outside, according to Newport Academy as well. This can all affect a child or a young adult both on an emotional and psychological level, this can later affect them in their life.
To decrease mental illnesses in schools, we should have more supervisors and mentors around during school where bullying would be popular or if there are places that seem suspicious of bullying. Schools should also put a limit on how much homework they give out a week. School should be a safe place to grow and learn, not a place where students are being hurt. Our schools could fight mental illnesses along with mental illness organizations. Another alternative could be to get a school psychologist for every school. School psychologist are professionals in the field of working with children who had behavioral problems and mental illnesses.
In conclusion, to stop mental illnesses and to keep growing in our youth, we as a nation need to step up together and help our young adults in need. We need to provide a safe haven and people they can talk to. This is a real problem that we need to finally take care of and find a solution to. These children are being broken or hurt at too young of an age and could take that anger out on the wrong people.
Really good hook to start of your essay!
DeletePart 1
ReplyDelete1 in 4 students suffer from a mental disorder. This staggering fact should be concerning.
Sadly most schools do not have a substantial mental health program or awareness to be able to help and educate students. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, depression has raised 40% since 2005, signifying that it is more important now than ever to have a good handle on this situation. Anxiety and depression can both be linked to things like students self harming, irrotic behavior, and sudden, sometimes violent, outbursts.
Mental disorders have been a common recurring factor among the individuals who have carried out a school shooting. At least 59% of mass shootings in the public were carried out by someone who had some sort of mental illness and 62% had the possibility of one. Many had also abused different substances. With the U.S. having a higher rate of untreated mental illness compared to many others, it seems to be followed by a stigma. This stigma causing those who suffer from it to shy away from getting the help they need. Schools usually have some sort of class to teach the basics of mental health, but often come up short in helping students recognize signs and how to to help a classmate in need. Without knowing the signs and having trusted adults, things could go unseen have the possibility of a bitter fallout.
In a school there are many watching eyes. This includes the teachers, students and other adults in the building. Trained to see the signs of mental illness, they could be used to prevent possible life threatening situations and stop school shootings in their tracks. To do this, one proposition is that we broaden our lessons on mental illness and different disorders. Our school goes through a lot of the physical disorders linked to it. This can include things like anorexia and bulimia. On the other side of the spectrum, if we teach students to look for the smaller signs it could lead to positive results in the aspect of no school shootings, less violence in general, and a better overall sense of well being throughout the school. To do this, good lessons to have in place would be bringing in someone who has had depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, or a different mental illness and talk to the class about how they got through it and things that can help. Another idea would be to discuss the consequences surrounding the actions of a school shooting and why we want to work as hard as possible to stop the possibility of one. Students want to know what is going on. Sharing the adults’ concerns from around the school could be beneficial in the light that the students might have ways to help. Finally, a lesson that we should apply is one specifically about school shootings. This includes how to spot the signs that someone is planning one, what is safe to do to try to help them, what is not, and what to do in the event of one. We do not currently have a unit in our health class about school shooting safety and that would be very beneficial.
I love how you used long words and looked really formal
DeleteI like that we have the same hook :)
DeletePart 2
ReplyDeleteA different option to combat this problem is by having as many adults as possible trained and able to talk with a troubled student. A great portion of the time kids have one teacher that they really connect with and most of the time this isn't the guidance counselor. Since they think the counselor is the only one they are allowed to talk to about their mental issues with, they might not go and instead keep it to themself. If all the teachers had a least a couple of classes on how to handle situations like this and how to listen to a child in need, the student could go to a different adult they felt comfortable with. This lessens the chance that a student will go unheard. This also gives teachers greater skills to use in the classroom. Being more empathetic or sympathetic can help them have a greater connection to everyone in the classroom and have a better understanding on how to teach the class.
People often say that a good offense is the best defense and this seems to be the case in this scenario. Stopping the problem before it escalates is key. If we can find a way to stop the shooters before they start and get them the help they need, there will be less of a pull for infrastructure add ons, grief counseling for families, and the overall trauma one can inflict on everyone involved. Although implementing these other plans is also important to keep kids safe, the mental side of the issue should still be taken seriously. This is why if we start early and help the people who need it before they act out, we can avoid all this and focus on what school is really for, learning.
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ReplyDeleteNice use of PATHOS!
DeleteOne big “Epidemic” in the county is mental health and just overall unawareness. There are things that need to be done about the crisis of school violence. And shouldn’t we do something before our school is known for being a hostile place once bombarded by police for something that could have been prevented ?
ReplyDeleteYou can do many things to help improve mental health. One big thing you can do is create a program that assesses mental health and teaches people about school shootings. Now there is counseling and such things. But, there is no program set in specifically for school violence/school shootings. The word “Program” is implying that we bring in an officer to speak to the kids and middle schoolers. This officer would talk about safety procedures of shootings and other violence acts. As well as the consequences of having guns in school and fighting or other violence. The part where we teach consequences would be almost like a scared straight type of thing. The program would setup a feeling of security, but also remove any doubts of wanting to do things like kill or harm others.
Why would this work. Now this has never been tried in schools. However a similar program you may have heard of is D.A.R.E. Dare is a drug program in the U.S. whose goal is to stop people from using drugs. Since introducing the DARE program and similar programs to schools around the U.S. the amount of people abusing cigarettes is down 20%. Now you could say this has no relation, but 75% of schools in the U.S. have a DARE program.
Now the costs for this program could be anywhere from $0-700 which sounds like a lot. But, if a bill can get passed saying that there needs to be a program like this in place rather than having the school pay for things like the instruction and demonstration tools you can have a government fund. This would make it much easier for rural schools to afford this program which are where a big part of shootings happen.
There is the side to it where it might be a bit expensive. But, there are grants out there that we can get to help fund these type of programs. There is the concern of oh, it might not work. But, you have to look at it with an open mindset and a dignified side or nothing will ever get done.
The statistics don’t lie for the other programs. The other programs worked. This may only be one small step for schools. But this is a leap for our safety. So, once again. And shouldn’t we do something before our school is known for being a hostile place once bombarded by police for something that could have been prevented ?
I strongly believe that it is the teachers’ and students’ right to feel safe at school and that safety at school is a colossal problem in today’s society. It seems like there are multiple school shootings nearly every single week, with over 70 deadly shootings so far this year, 27 of which taking place in schools. Schools are continuing to become safer but not fast enough. There are an abundant amount of changes that can and should be done but improved school infrastructure is a superior fix.
ReplyDeleteSchool infrastructure can make or break the sense of safety. There are many different options to improve upon this. Metal detectors can be used to inform the staff that someone has a metal object like a gun or knife. Gunshot sensors can be put around the school or campus to make the area safer. These sensors immediately alert the selfless police when a gun is fired within the perimeter. They are also becoming so advanced that they can detect the caliber of the gun and no longer confuse fireworks for bullets. Lastly, are face recognizing cameras. These high tech cameras can be used in a variety of ways such as tracking who goes in and out of the building, and most importantly they have the ability to identify the school’s threat, if they attend the school they are attempting to shoot up the school, which is around 51 percent of all school shooters from 1970 to 2019. When put in combination with each other it would be very difficult for there to be any mass killings.
All of the infrastructure stated previously help in a variety of ways to keep students and staff safe. The metal detectors are like the walls to a castle, not letting anyone intending to do harm inside. The gunshot detection sensors are like sirens for help by signaling the noble police and allowing them to be informed of the dangers they’re getting into. The face recognizing cameras are like watch towers, being able to identify the danger in a crowd of innocent people. When put together these devices stop harmful people from succeeding at disgusting acts of violence.
These implementations are the perfect fit for Portage Public schools. The changes will make students feel safer and potentially be able to focus more on their school work. Portage is also not known for being the best place in the world but better infrastructure could make the school among the safest in the world.
All in all the world is having serious problems with safety at school and many schools are taking action by improving upon this in numerous ways. Some are hiring new school officers while others are improving their design and security systems of the school. The automated devices are way more reliable than humans, especially when fear enters the mix.
PART 1
ReplyDeleteSince January 1st, 2009, there have been 288 school shootings in the US. There are many issues that contribute to this staggering and ominous total, including unprepared staff and students. I believe that in order to keep students and staff safe at school, everyone at school should be taught self defense. Kelly Herron would agree after she escaped an attack after remembering the training she received from only one self-defense course. She knew it wasn’t a “fair fight” but she was prepared. Self-defense could provide students and staff with this self-assurance and a plan.
When it comes to surviving school shootings, there is by no means room for error, which means a sudden plan or escape route isn’t a safe option. There are many ways to increase the safety of students and staff, including implementing and practicing a plan of self defense. According to self-defense expert Alon Stivi, in an interview with Men’s Health, “the majority of deaths happen in the first five, ten minutes”. This is before the arrival of police or a form of help. Stivi believes that students and staff who wait bring themselves more harm and refers to them as “sitting targets”. A lockdown is the plan for many schools which means the lights go off, the door gets locked, door windows are covered, and anyone in the room immediately relocates to a spot in the room out of view of the door window. The students run this drill numerous times throughout the year and they all know the plan. However, Stivi believes that it isn’t effective enough to ensure that the lives of our students are safe. “A lockdown without barricading is self-entrapment,” he states. Barricading can make it more difficult for the shooter to see or get into the room. Sometimes, however, the shooter doesn’t need to see into the room. Most often, the shooter comes prepared with a plan and has specific targets. They most likely are more prepared than the people in the school. Therefore, shooters know where people are hiding and that they go into lockdowns. When you add up all of the concerns, a lockdown equals a risky plan. How can we ensure our students safety?
For every problem there is a solution. However, school shootings come with many problems so many solutions are needed. One solution is self defense. According to the Wisconsin criminal statute, “a person has a right to act in self-defense, without being convicted of a crime”. Therefore, if you were to be faced in a situation where self-defense was necessary, you know that you have the right to act in such ways. Self defense can be practiced and implemented creating an instinctive plan comparable to the way we look left and right before crossing a street. We know to look and do it without thinking of the possibility that we could be hit by a car and die.
Mental health programs in schools were talked about especially after the Parkland shooting. There was a document that had been revised and worked on by a group of people and has been supported by 200 universities, national education and mental health groups, school districts, and more than 2,300 individual experts have signed on to support this document. They say that instead of hardening schools make the schools softer and improve social and emotional health. To keep student safe at school they should provide required days for students to talk to counselors.
ReplyDeleteMental health is a big issue in America and is a key role in a lot of mass shootings. I believe that mental health programs for student would help students cope with stress and any problems they may be going through. Students that commit these violent acts are usually building up anger and are anxious, lost and in need of help. If students are in such a state that they really do need a lot of help but sometimes reaching out is harder than it seems, in times these students truly need help they can’t because their to afraid and don’t know how to reach out so they release their anger in all the wrong ways. Students would meet with counselors at least once a month or more depending on the student and 10 minutes and up depending on the ’students’ condition. This time would be used for students to express concern and or any feelings that they need to express in a safe environment.
Mental Health programs would work for multiple reasons. Students need a person to be able to talk to and share their real feelings in a safe environment. Students are going through some of the most critical developmental stages during their middle and high school times. The students need to be able to express themselves and sometimes students just can’t. So having set times where students have to talk to counselors they are much more likely to express themselves. Research has been done and people with mental illnesses are much more likely to commit a violent act such as school shootings. If we have this set time for students counselors would be able to help out these students and stop these kids from making horrible, cruel mistakes.
I believe that BMS would greatly benefit from adopting a mental health program. Half of all chronic mental illnesses start at or before the age of 14 which is 8th grade and below so many of these kids lives are being heavily impacted and they don’t know who to turn and talk to. Another fact is that 59% of all mass shootings are caused by people with mental illness. If the school has mental health programs they are able to snuff out the hostile problems by treating and or helping the students cope with their mental illness. In the school there are multiple kids that would really enjoy this and be able to express themselves better.
To keep students safe at school they should provided required days for students to talk to counselors. Mental health programs in schools would be one of the many stepping stones that can be used to help make staff and students have a safer learning experience.
PART 2
ReplyDeleteSelf defense can become a habit and just as routine as looking left and right. While self defense may just be acting against a threat, it helps to have a plan of action. Running up to a shooter and punching them in the face may appear to be a sound idea, however, the shooter has a gun and coming at them within their direct line of vision won’t work as well as you might think. Instead, use the element of surprise. The shooter will be looking down the barrel of their gun to aim which means left, right, above, and behind are all much safer places to attack from. This phenomenon is referred to as tunnel vision or target fixation. The shooter’s eyesight can affect a lot. Not only does target fixation put you at an advantage, but their eyes adjusting to the light can too. When you turn off the lights in the room, it takes them a second to adjust to the change. If the lights are off in the hallway they came from and their eyes are already comfortable with the dark, throw something at their eyes. They will instinctively flinch or cover their face. This split second of hesitation can provide you with all the time you need to attack. Any short amount of time will work to give you the upper hand. For example, when they are reloading their gun. This is another time when you could attack and at this point neither of you are armed. Once you have a time to attack, you must take it because it goes as quickly as it comes. Don’t waste time going for the groin either. While it is a sensitive location, it is easy to protect with a quick move of the knee. Instead, start with a swift hit to the knees to bring them to the ground. Then, target other vulnerable locations such as facial features, ankles, and now the groin. Kick the gun away or take it. Then suppress the shooter using strength in numbers. After that, leave the room. Help will arrive or may already be there to apprehend the shooter. A simple way to remember these steps according to Sree Ram, a Krav Maga instructor, is the acronym DONE, Defend, Offend, Neutralize, and Exit. This can be drilled and run by staff members like tornado drills. It also can be taught by programs like COBRA, an association that teaches self defense to workplaces and schools to provide preparation and a plan for possible shootings or dangerous situations. According to COBRA, “a basic understanding and education in this area can save lives.” Prepared students and staff can mean confident students and staff who are willing to take charge to ensure the safety of those around them. Even if schools do not hire programs like COBRA, there are videos and training sessions for teachers who can implement it and teach students. Having such a plan is just as important as practicing it. Basketball players who practice more often tend to be more confident and self-assured. The same goes for students and staff who have a plan and have practiced. Overall, self defense is one solution for school shootings that is simple and effective. If it were to be taught in schools, it could bring comfort and be a big help to schools and their safety plans.
In the end, the safety of all students and staff is what is most important. Self defense is a form of preparation that we should take to ensure our schools’ safety. “I could die today,” should be the last thing on anyone’s mind as they make their way to school. With only two hours of self defense under her belt, Kelly Herron saved her own life. Imagine if every student and staff member knew self defense. I believe that teaching self defense to staff and students is a measure we should take to increase safety. Doing all we can is so important, especially when lives are on the line.
Noice hook
ReplyDeleteThroughout America, school safety has become a major issue. Since 2009, there have been 288 school shootings in America alone. That’s 57 times more than the major industrialized nations including Germany, France, Japan, and the UK. People are trying to figure out ways to stop these shootings from happening. To stop them all together, and make schools safer, we as a society have to get right down to the source: kindness. Many of the people or students who feel the need to bring a gun or weapon into a school setting tend to be bullied by the very people they attend school with. Aaron Stark was one of these people. In 1997, during his highschool years, he was almost a school shooter. Aaron was almost a school shooter because after one person was kind to him, he realised that what he was planning to do was wrong. One of his most iconic quotes is “If I had a rifle, I would have been a killer, but if I had love, I would never had wanted a rifle.” In order to keep students safe in schools, people must learn to be kinder to one another.
ReplyDeleteThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interprets bullying as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, involving an observed or perceived power imbalance.” Behaviors that are “repeated multiple times or are highly likely to be repeated.” Actions such as name calling, physical violence, the spreading of rumors, cyberbullying, playing of mean jokes, and many more, harm the victim or target of this violence. Students in schools who are bullied, no matter the age, tend to be pushed away and outcast from groups or activities. Being neglected this way over and over again causes harm such as physical aches and pains, mental, social, and/or educational distress. IKEA did an experiment on kindness throughout GEMS schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They took two of their own plants and placed them in said schools. Each plant was played a recording of either compliments or hurtful phrases. At the end of the month long experiment, the plant that had been bullied was drooping and dying. It had lost most of its color and was no longer quite as green. While the plant that had been listening to the kind words was flourishing. Now replace those two plants with humans, classmates, siblings, teachers, friends, and even strangers. The effects are the same, but those who are bullied tend to be better at hiding their pain than plants are. The human brain can only handle so much stress and pain before it takes it out on others or itself. Different people are affected by bullying in different ways. For some it causes headaches, stress, sleep problems, and educational failure. For others it may be more extreme, causing anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance abuse or even suicide. Most bullying situations occur around school property, school sponsored events, and to and from school. This issue can be solved simply by this little thing, called kindness.
First and foremost, bullying can be resolved by involving families and communities in programs that educate people about the negative effects of bullying and how being kind can improve the lives of many people. Studies show that being kind to others improves happiness and could possibly extend your lifespan. One act of kindness causes serotonin, your bodies natural antidepressant, to be released throughout the giver, recipient, and bystanders of that act. Serotonin also helps to heal wounds, calm a person down, and simply makes one happy. When witnessing kindness, another hormone is released which is called oxytocin. Oxytocin lowers blood pressure and improves the health of the heart, which then helps you to live a longer, heart-healthier life. Oxytocin not only lowers your blood pressure but increases self-esteem and optimism. Feeling good about yourself helps confidence grow in people around you because you aren’t worried about who you are or what you’re like. The effects of kindness are almost limitless. While increasing happiness and generosity, it decreases physical pain and depression. Relationships grow stronger and anxiety levels lower. Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia did a research project and they found that when you’re kind, your brain's “reward center lights up.” This is called “helpers-high.” Imagine if all students got “helpers-high.’” Stress levels in the school environment would decrease drastically. A study was done and based on the research gathered, it was found that continually being kind and caring towards others, causes your brain to have 23% less cortisol (a stress hormone) than the average human body. When stress goes down, energy goes up. Random Acts of Kindness did a study on the effects of kindness and about half of the participants said they felt stronger and more energized after aiding others, some even said their self worth increased as well. Kindness is a very powerful thing and when used properly it can change the lives of others. When an entire school is kind, the power the students hold in their hands could potentially change the world.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned earlier, Aaron Stark was almost a school shooter. Growing up, his family struggled with drugs and alcohol. Aaron was often kicked out of the house and forced to sleep either in his friends garage or a field. He said “I was told, often, that I was just completely a worthless piece of s***. That I was - there was nothing good about me at all and that I would never amount to anything.” He also struggled with self harm. One time Aaron went to social services to get help but they sent him home with his mother after she told the workers that he was over exaggerating and he just wanted the attention. While on the way home, Aarons mother told him that next time, if he would have done a better job, she would buy the razor blades for him. The same razor blades he used to cut himself. In an interview on this topic he said, “That was the worst sentence anyone’s ever said to me in my life and it completely shattered me.” A counselor who he went to for help after that, told him that she couldn’t help him at the moment. When coming up with the idea of a school shooting he made arrangements to get a rifle from local gang members. Before he received the gun however, his best friend, Mike, told him it was going to be okay. That he wasn’t the monster he thought he was and what Aaron was going through was a reasonable way to respond. That he was normal and would make it through it all. “It had nothing to do with the people, it wasn’t about the targets. It wasn’t about taking revenge on the bullies. It was about causing as much damage as I possibly could to destroy myself and to show my parents they had raised a monster.” That was the anwer Aaron gave when asked to explain why he felt the way he did about getting his hands on a gun. The conversation he had with Mike made Aaron think about what he was doing. About why he was doing it. That conversation, filled with love and kindness, made Aaron Stark change his mind. He never went through with the shooting and is now happily married and raising a daughter. He gives TEDx Talks and is sharing his story more and more. “If we can start to see people as human and look past the superficial barriers, than maybe we can start to fix it.” If we as humans choose to follow Aarons example, schools could be made safer for all who attend it.
ReplyDeleteStudies from RandomActsofKindness.org show that performing one act of kindness everyday can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. It can also make a person calmer, healthier, and happier. Applying this knowledge to a classroom could potentially make schools safer and more comfortable to be in. With the reduction of bullying of any kind, students won’t feel so left out or attacked all the time. Although there are many other ways to make schools safer, the only way to prevent the issue of school shootings altogether is to simply be kind to one another.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteSince the Parkland, Colorado school shooting, by CNN's count, there have been at least 31 incidents at K-12 schools in the United States in which someone was shot or even killed. That averages out to be one shooting every 11.8 days. In those shootings, 19 people were killed and another 44 were injured. Do you think that these schools were doing anything to prevent these horrific school shootings from happening? The answer is no. These schools should have been aware about what was happening around the country and improve the schools’ infrastructure which would keep students and teachers safe. I believe that schools should take the extra steps to improve their infrastructure to ensure that these student’s worst nightmares will not come true. In order to keep students and teachers safe at school, we need to change the infrastructure in all schools across the country to ensure their safety. One way to change the infrastructure to increase safety is to add metal detectors to the entrances of school buildings.
First, metal detectors have the ability to find and confiscate weapons from people entering a school building. Metal detectors would, in theory, be placed at every entrance in a building of a school, and would detect every person that walks through them to ensure safety to, not only the students of a school, but also the teachers. Metal detectors that are best suited for a school environment cost anywhere from $4,000-$5,000. This investment would be very intimidating for a school, especially if the school was already on a tight budget. But, if you were to think about it as an investment, in the end it would be worth it if it were to stop a violent school shooter that could murder hundreds of people. Would you rather have metal detectors that may be a big investment or have hundreds of student or teachers killed?
Part 2
ReplyDeleteSecond, studies show that metal detectors have found 37 out of 52 box cutters that have been smuggled into schools. Out of 52 knives, 36 were detected by metal detectors. 8 out of 10 guns were detected by metal detectors according to NYPD data. These results aren’t perfect, but these metal detectors are discovering many more weapons that have been smuggled into schools than schools that have rejected metal detectors have. The presence of the detectors may be frightening enough to prevent violence if the attacker had a tiny bit of apprehension. The presence of the metal detector could also help stop attackers that were previously unaware that the detectors were there. Someone who has a little bit of hesitancy with their plans about pursuing violence will probably reconsider it the moment that they see the metal detectors. As US Rep. Kay Granger says, “when we decided to make airports safe from armed terrorists, we installed metal detectors and dramatically increased safety. It’s time we did the same thing for our schools.” This evidence shows that the installment of metal detectors would create a safe environment at school for many of different reasons.
Third, Bartels Middle School needs metal detectors for many different reasons. One being, it will decrease the rate of weapons that could be entering the school and may decrease the violence rate as a whole. If you think about it, there could be a number of weapons entering the school each day that no one knows about. Those weapons might just be the ones that kill someone. By installing metal detectors, this problem would decrease. Another reason being how it would make teachers and students inside the building feel safe. If the people that are inside the school knew that there were measures being taken to prevent harmful objects coming into the building, it would make them feel protected knowing that there is something being done to prevent anyone capable of violence from coming into school buildings. The last reason being how it would show other schools just how much this subject needs to be taken seriously and set a huge precedent for them to follow. Altogether, Bartels Middle School should definitely consider putting metal detectors at their entrance into the school building to ensure others safety.
To sum up, in order to keep students and teachers safe at school, we need to change the infrastructure in all schools across the country to ensure their safety. Metal detectors would find weapons being smuggled into schools that would otherwise go undetected. The metal detectors appearance alone might just be enough to prevent violence from the vengeful attacker. The presence of metal detectors could also stop attackers that were previously unaware that they are there. Metal detectors would help to make the students and teachers inside a school feel safe and protected. Additionally, metal detectors would show that the schools, and the government, are doing something to protect the community’s school. Lastly, the presence of metal detectors would decrease the number of school violence acts all together. Although the presence of metal detectors might not stop school violence altogether, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
Everyone knows that school shootings are bad and can hurt lots of people. What if we could fix that though? Some shootings have little to no casualties, but in Parkland Florida last year, 17 students and teachers were killed. It may take more than one thing to fix the issue, but I think there is one idea that can help a lot. In order to keep students safe at school, I think we should try to have a School Resource Officer in every school.
ReplyDeleteSchool shootings are an issue and have been on the rise for a while now. Over 200 school shootings have occured since 2000. Another example of a major school shooting would be Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. A man went there and opened fire, killing 26 children and adults. School shootings are a terrible thing and can affect all kinds of people. Not only do school shootings affect the students and teachers but it will also impact the lives of the parents and sometimes even the entire community. So how can we stop it?
School Resource Officers (SROs) are a good start to help keep our schools safe. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that there are already between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs nationwide. School Resource Officers are police officers who are assigned to schools. They have the same training as all the other officers but some SROs have to get more training to learn how to properly deal with student situations in schools. Their job isn’t just to stop shooters though. They also form bonds, befriend the students, can be mentors to students and can even teach kids about law related topics.
Last year in Illinois, at Dixon High School, a school resource officer was praised as a hero for stopping a school shooter. The officer, Mark Dallas heard the shots and went running after the suspect. Nobody had gotten hurt except for the shooter. Matthew Milby, the shooter, was later put in jail and has 3 charges against him. Also, in Florida, a school shooter was stopped by a resource officer. These two instances go to show that School Resource Officers are a big help. Without them there, it could have taken longer for police to arrive on the scene and there would be the possibility of more students or teachers getting hurt.
Keeping students and staff safe is what it all comes down to. This issue can’t be fixed by just one thing but this is a start. In situations like a school shooting, minutes can be a big difference for a lot of people. Minutes it takes for the police to arrive on scene. But with Resource Officers this can help to be avoided. Not only do they help prevent and stop shootings but School Resource Officers can help keep students out of trouble, can teach them new things and give them a positive role model to look up to. I think that adding a School Resource Officer in all schools can really help keep everybody safe and create a good learning environment for students and teachers. Isn’t that what we want for our kids?
School safety is an immensely important issue in the U.S. It affects every school and student in America. An astonishing number of students report being bullied each year. And sometimes bullying results in unsafe situations in the schooling system that puts youth at risk. In order to keep students and staff safe at school, mental health treatments and programs need to be provided.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, the issue must be brought to light. Mental health issues in America are at an all time high. 21.4% of students from ages 13-18 experience severe mental illness at some point. This shows us that students are under stress at home and in school. The most crushing thing about this is that most of them don’t have access to proper treatment, or a way to get their anger out properly. These issues are threatening students and putting them at risk of getting injured because people can’t get the help that they need. 26.8% of school shooters commit suicide afterwards. And in yet another study up to 49% of students reported being bullied in the past year. There could be a direct correlation between the two seeing as school shooters were more than twice likely as victims to have been bullied in the first place. It’s quite tragic that students are experiencing these things and they have no way to relieve themselves of the issues that bullying brings them.
Next, how can this fatal and incredibly important issue be resolved? What should and needs to be done is an efficient anti-bullying and harassment program needs to be put in place. And this program needs to be required for every public school in Wisconsin. The program will be unique to every school as it will have to fit perfectly because every school has different traits and needs...but the program will have the same basic goals and outcomes. The program will seek to eliminate new problems, reduce antisocial behavior, mental issues, and violence. Although a bullying and harassment program could be expensive, there can be funding in the school system set aside just for this. And the benefits to this program outweigh the negative aspects of it. If it is planned and coordinated properly, the program that will be created will strike down on bullying. As well as creating a better school environment for everyone.
Lastly, why a program should be put in place... An anti-bullying and harassment program should be put in place because there is proof that different programs have worked at various public schools. For example the OBPP Program. Also known as The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. A study done on a school that adopted this program showed immense improvements and satisfactions throughout the school and throughout staff. There was a 50% or more decrease in student reports of bullying. That shows that the program had a positive affect. The study from the school that used this specific program also showed significant reductions in fighting, truancy, and vandalism. This data clearly shows that a program would be beneficial and helpful to prevent bullying and harassment...Which could possibly lead to bad mental health, which could eventually put other students at risk of a school shooting or different acts of violence at school.
In conclusion, action needs to be taken to prevent further school safety problems. No one should ever come to school worried or wondering if they’re going to get hurt. What the first step needs and should be is to create a program against bullying and harassment. The problem needs to be faced head on. Seeing as so many students are bullied it is clearly an issue that needs to be resolved immediately for the safety of students and teachers alike.
Have you ever felt unsafe in your school? Kids feel like this everyday and they shouldn’t have to. School safety is an issue everyone hears about, yet no one decides to step up and help solve. School officers being present at all times could tremendously put a new twist on this issue. The idea of having safety, and feeling safe is what every kid should know is available.
ReplyDeleteThe topic being touched base on is school safety and what our environment needs to make it better. The solution to this issue could be school officers. Looking at records, the topic of shootings was shone upon the most when it came to school safety. The team ALERRT has done research and came across the discovery that 5/5 schools in Pennsylvania are able to prevent any injury or damage immediately when having school officers available at all times. The idea is that school officers would be able to show up at any point when needed for almost any issue. They would be able to prevent property damage, violence, injury, or even death.
School officers being able to patrol the school all day would minimize almost all negative activity. The reason for this is kids wouldn’t have as much of a reason to act up if they know there is a police officer in the same building as them ready to handle any issues. In addition to that, not everything could be stopped, but during the occurrence of a school shooting 82% of schools have had a school officer be the first to respond. This information shows the efficiency and abilities school officers would be able to have in smaller “interruptions”. Besides just being there for safety, school officers would also be there to help kids feel safe and have the feeling of knowing someone is around at all times to protect them.
Bartels Middle School would benefit from having school officers because it would be a much safer environment. Our school would not only have more security and protection, we could solve another problem. The other issue that could be helped with school officers is mental health and students being able to tell someone authorized if they need help. Not only would we have armed officers and better stability, we could skip the controversial idea of arming teachers.
All in all, school officers could be a tremendous help to school safety and students lives. School officers can protect all day, minimize any unwanted commotion, and help with behavioral problems. Our school will be largely impacted with this addition and could take a turn for the better.
“The people that the schools least usually have the most problems,” said a Bartels Middle School student. Mental health issues are a topic not all schools address as much as they should. These issues could lead to fatal injury before anyone realizes what is wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn 2017, Wisconsin had 124 suicides from citizens aged ten to twenty four. 70% of people that have attempted suicide have told at least one person. Wisconsin is not the only place with this problem. In Texas a school shooting broke out in 2017. Afterwards, one in eight students have attempted suicide. Out of 5,000,000 students, 600,000 have attempted suicide.
Out of all diagnosed mental disorders only 65% are ever treated. This is even less in children. Not even half have seeked treatment! If citizens with mental issues/disorders seeked treatment there’d be more faces here today.
“When I had a problem I never could bring myself to see a counselor,” stated a Bartels Middle School student. The student later said he’d have seeked more help if there was a way to anonymously speak to a counselor. Out of ten people, six said that they’d rather talk to a counselor anonymously than talk face to face.
One of the ways we can make schools safer is to acknowledge mental health better. We can’t bring back lives lost but we can prevent them.
What can you do to make our schools safer?In order to make our schools safer, we need extensive mental health programs that are made for the health of the students, and to prevent, and treat issues in their lives. A proposal is that we should put psychiatrists in each building to help treat possible mental problems early in their life. Experts recommend that you need to start treatment early, and put them in a safe, accepting environment. Most critical mental illness start in eighth grade, or younger, so we need to start early, and prevent this or else we will have a threatening, and worrying future for our students.
ReplyDeleteSecond, We will talk about how this a problem. Most school shooters have mental issues, and a reason to do this violent, fatal act. Most of these issues are drawn from physical, or mental issues like physical deformities, depression, bipolar and a ton of other issues, or it could just be they are rejected and have no one. They have one to vent and worry for and no one to care for them. They could have issues going on at home, and at school but starting therapy in a accepting environment early can really help these. Lanyman, a professional on mental health advises therapy for children as soon as symptoms start, otherwise they will more than likely have a bleak future full of hatred of themselves, and others. If the have this pessimistic view on life early that no one will help them, they will feel threatened more, overwhelmed, and irate on others along with other issues and these can lead to mass shootings, violence, and other unspeakable acts.
Next, well talk about a Solution for this problem. Every school should have an on-campus child psychiatrist who check on students and how they are doing. Students who are also at risk should be checked more for signs of violent behavior. Doing this, I feel we could prevent the problem but not fully eliminate this issue. In order to do so I think we also need additional and improved school infrastructure, and more help for increased needs students.
Finally, How big of an issue is this? As of March 25 2019 and the beginning of the year, 23 school shootings have occured. That means that nearly 2 shootings happened every week up until this point, and at a point it seems people have become accustomed to this and not worried, but this is a issue and needs to be addressed. Even worse, 70 mass shootings occured at the same time frame and yet no one seems to be worrying about these disgusting acts. We need to make a change to our world and we need to do it quickly. This come out to nearly 5 mass shootings every week.
Overall, The need in our schools for more extensive mental health programs are necessary, and required for the future and safety of our schools. Increased infrastructure would help to, and we need to teach students to be more kind and accepting to others, starting at an early age to lead to a better future for themselves and others. This is how we keep schools safe, and help the future.
Prepared is better:
ReplyDeleteIn 2017, nearly 109 people died every day from gun violence. School shootings like the ones at Parkland, Columbine, and Sandy Hook are some of the most remembered, but there are many cases and each has lost a number of lives. After the school shooting at Columbine High School, America started it’s trek to making schools safer. Many groups and programs have been started, and school infrastructure has changed to fit the problem. But many students and teachers still don’t know how to handle the events that have caused so much strain on our families, friends, and peers. In order to keep students safe at school, drills and training for teachers and students should be incorporated into the everyday activities at school.
In 2012 a tragic story took the United States by storm. Sandy Hook, an elementary school in Connecticut, was part of a large school shooting. 26 students and adults from ages of 6 to 56 were tragically killed in the shooting. Among the students killed was a young, 7-year-old boy named Daniel Barden. This wholesome and fearless child’s life came to an end that fateful day, but Daniel’s family has chosen to help prevent more devastating feelings of loss. Daniel’s parents, and some family members that lost loved ones in the shooting as well, formed an idea to help prepare students and adults for unfortunate events. They called their idea the “Sandy Hook Promise”. SHP has a large number of supporters on social media and many programs for students and staff members to learn, including the Know the signs and the Start with Hello programs. These programs help teachers and students to know what to do in terrifying situations. They teach how to identify behavior, assess threats, and how to properly intervene in order to help.
Many people in the community are unprepared for events like shootings. And as school shootings sadly become more common, staff and students need know the basics of how to protect themselves and others. According to Mark Barden, the father of Daniel Barden, in 4 out of 5 school shootings, the shooter has told someone their plan, but due to many not knowing what to do in the situation, they were unable to prevent the following disasters. Also, the matter of bullying, assault, and suicide are a common problem in schools, but many students and teachers are not aware of the warning signs that could help prevent future awful cases of school shootings or suicide.
As school shootings have become a more common issue, people involved in the school system should be prepared. Drills and training are a helpful fix. The SAVE students act requires schools to educate students in the matters of violence, it also requires schools to teach the warning signs of violence and suicide. They must be taught safe ways to reach out for help. Programs that help rule-off violence are common, including the SHP and ALICE. ALICE which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evaluate, offers to develop self-defense skills and tactics to be alert and prepared for every situation.
Students safety is a top priority for schools, and training and drills throughout the day will keep staff and students prepared. Concerned students, staff, and citizens have implemented many things into our schools to keep students safe. However, parents should know if their child is coming home alright, and students should feel safe and happy at school. Although there are many things that help with the safety of teachers and students, training and preparation are key. Should we really just rely on some locked doors and metal detectors to keep our students safe?