http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/6-0&fd=R&url=http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20080120/OPINION01/801200326/1014/OPINION&cid=1126693546&ei=jheVR6DEPI_sqgPl1PzqCA
The article linked above from New Jersey caught my eye. A cafeteria food fight apparently esscalated to a stabbing. The student in question had a knife on his person at the time, and stabbed another student. Few details were given, but what I found most relevent is the question raised by the author at the end of the article:
Why does any student feel the need to take knives, or any weapon, to school?
This is precisely the question I am out to answer. My personal feeling is that the student brought it for one of two things, either because he was afraid for his safety, or it made him feel more powerful, more in control. Any thoughts anyone has on this article are most welcome.
My focus in this blog is the sudden increase in school violence. My interest specifically is not gang-related violence, but the trend in ‘lone gunman’ activity. The last decade has tought us that no school seems to be immune from these terrible incidents. From Columbine, Colorado to Virginia Tech, it really can happen anywhere.
As future educators, I believe it should be a priority to identify the root causes of this problem, rather than the prevention of it. Metal detectors in schools may keep the guns out, but they are not stopping students from being driven into the state of mind that causes the violence in the first place.
Hopefully we can come to a larger understanding of the root causes of this terrible trend.
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