Where Do I Go From Here

It's been one month since I had a student threaten to kill me. I've had a lot of time to reflect on the situation. I don't know what sort of long-term impact it will have on me. Initially, I thought that teaching was not for me anymore. Then, I had colleagues tell me that they had been threatened. I was shocked that so many teachers had been through something similar in the past. Although, it was inspiring to know that others have been able to come back from something like.

I've had some time off. The position I was subbing for was filled. Now I'm subbing for a lady on maternity leave. I still do not feel safe in the building. I continue to scan rooms and look around in the halls. Even though I do not feel as safe as I would like, I've found that I missed being able to teach students.

I devoted my blog to looking school violence issues. I research a number of preventative measures. The most important thing I've learned is that you cannot take anything for granted. Grade point average and discipline record in no way indicates how sincere a threat of violence is.

This has not been an entirely negative experience for me. I've seen how wonderful the staff is that I get to work with. They have given me so much support. I could not imagine working with another group of people. I'm growing as a person and as an educator. Specifically, I've chose to no longer be naive. I'm making a concentrated effort to be aware of my surroundings. I realize that there is no foolproof safety measure a school can take to deter violence, unless we turn our work environments into a prison. We can't control the mindset and behavior of others. We can, however, control ours. I know I've got to remain positive and empower myself to be vigilant in paying attention to the things that go on around me.

Thanks for listening. I've enjoyed blogging about school violence. I hope you've learned something that will be useful in the future.

Gun Violence Pledge

I have investigated a number of school safety measures administrators and teachers can implement. I've discovered one that asks students to be responsible for schools safe. It's called the Student Gun Violence Pledge. You can visit their website at http://www.pledge.org/ .

According to the website, this concept evolved from the Senate in 1996. It was called the Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence. President Clinton made it an official presidential proclamation. Over ten years later it is still going strong. Each year a day in the month of October is disignated for students to sign a pledge. There has been a tremendous amount of participation thus far. I believe the website showed 2.4 million students had taken the pledge in 2000. So, you can only imagine how many people have been a part of this pledge since then.

Students sign a pledge card promising not to bring a gun to school, not to resort to using a gun to solve an argument, and to encourage friends not to use guns as a means of resolving an issue. In addition to the pledge the website offers some ideas for implementing the Day of National Concern About Young and Gun Violence.

This is a great way for students to take ownership of their behavior. This pledge allows students to contribute to school safety. Most school safety measures invovle fancy equipment or elaborate plans. Instead, students take responsibility for their own actions in order to keep the school safe. Kids become part of the solution.

This reminded me so much of pledges to remain alcohol free that SADD hands out during prom. Although well intentioned, many of the kids who sign those promise cards drink anyways. Even the "good" students slip up and get caught drinking. I've known peers that signed the alcohol promise card in high school; then, turned around and got drunk at Prom.

Is that what this student pledge against gun violence is like? Students pledge not to bring guns to school, but do anyway. Almost everyone would agree that a student who committs violence at school was mentally disturbed. No one in their right mind walks into a school and carries out a violent act. Is a person in a deranged state of mind thinking about a pledge they signed a few months before never to bring a gun to school? Is the promise not to solve an arguement with gun violence in the back of your head when you are provoked and in the heat of the moment?

I have no doubt that this student pledge against gun violence is well intentioned. However, I think it keeps the honest man honest. Those people that value their word will keep their promise. Those people that don't care and signed it so they didn't look bad will not take it as seriously. Those students who are distraught will not consider the pledge before doing something drastic.

The pledge is an interesting concept. It allows students to take an active role in promoting school safety. I am skeptical, though, as to how effective it is in deterring violence. So, what do you think?

Arming Teachers

Someone suggested to me after being threatened by a student that I think about getting a license to carry a concealed weapon. I pointed out that even if you have a license to carry that concealed weapon you are not permitted to bring it on school property. Besides, I would not feel comfotable with a gun. I do believe everyone has the right to protect themselves, but a gun is not the option for me.

I've devoted this blog to telling my story and researching school violence prevention. I have looked at puchasing school safety plans, metal detectors, and steps a teacher can take to prevent school violence. I would like to turn my attention to the most controversial preventative measure of them all: arming teachers with guns. I found this article about arming educators in Utah. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/17/earlyshow/main2096721.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME2096721

The number of school shootings that have taken place in the last ten years is unsettling. Parents and communities want solutions. Proponets argue that giving teachers a firearm is the only way to effectively deal with school violence. A teacher on the premisis with a gun would get to the scene much faster than police could. These people also claim that armed teachers would serve as a deterrent to prevent school violence in the first place. Utah has actually held teacher firearm training sessions.

One Republican Senator, Frank Lasee from Wisconsin, wants to implement legislation that would allow this. He proposes we train teachers how to use a firearm and then put those guns in a safely locked place. He uses examples of armed teachers from Israel and Thailand to show that arming teachers is known to work.

I subbed last year in a Teen Literature class. They were reading Shooter, a book about a school shooting. The lesson plan was to have a class discussion about arming teachers as a way of deterring school violence. The kids thought it was a terrible idea. Many of them said they would not feel any safer knowing their teacher had a weapon. Although, they did say they might behave better. Almost all of them said they would be fearful to go to class knowing a teacher had a gun.

I do not feel we should allow teachers to carry guns. Yes, guns do deterr crime; however, it is a huge responsibility and liability to have guns on school grounds in the presence of kids. A child could accidently injur him/herself if h/she were to stumble upon the weapon. In dealing with larger kids, teachers must know how to protect their gun at all times, much like a police officers. Kids could try to take away a weapon to use for an attack.

Isn't this idea hypocritical. We preach to our kids that violence doesn't solve anything. We talk about why it is dangerous to bring a gun to school. We encourage students to speak up when they hear a threat. However, we have no problem allowing teachers to bring a guns to school. I believe as adults we should set good examples for our students to follow. Bringing a gun to school would not be the best behavior to model for them.

Where would a teacher keep a gun, anyways ? In a desk? In a locked cabinet? On their person? Well, you can't keep it adequately locked up in a desk. Anyone in the room would have access to the gun, which defeats the purpose of using it as a deterrent. If you lock the gun in a cabinet it may be too time consuming or too dangerous to retrieve it when needed. I would not be comfortable wearing a gun. I imagine it would be bulky and get in the way.

I think everyone is missing the most obvious fault of this plan. Teachers are just as capable as students of going off the deep end and going on a shooting rampage. If we allow teachers to arm themselves we have made it very easy for a stressed out teacher, intent to harm someone, to carryout his/her act. We even sponsored it by providing the training on how to fire the gun.

I can understand how having a weapon would offer peace of mind to a teacher in the event of school violence. However, I do not think that guns have a place in our schools. Whether a teacher or a student is carrying a weapon there is always the potential for violence. Where do you stand on the issue.

Metal Detectors

I've often thought that metal detectors would be a good idea to install in the building I work in. I've thought this prior to what has happened to me. The reality is that my building is a security nightmare. We have numerous entrances to the school including classrooms with their own outside entrances. In recent years administration has cracked down on the freedom to open classroom doors to the outside. Also, once school starts they lock all but two entrances for the public to use. One is monitored by an emplyee and requires a guest to sign in. The other requires a guest to ring a buzzer, state their business, and then be granted admitance by a school employee. Why not consider adding metal detectors?

I spoke to two of the boys that bowl in my junior league. They are high school boys in the area. They do not know anything about my situation. The police officer handling my report recommended that I should go to work on the weekend it happened. When I returned the following weekend I didn't feel comfortable telling my bowlers, who range in age from 9-17, what had happened. So, I told them something unexpected had come up, which is true. Earlier in the bowling season one of the boys told me his school had installed metal detectors this school year.

Remembering what the kid had told me, I struck up a casual conversation with he and his brother indivudally, though. They know, as does my entire league, that I'm back in school. I told the two of them that I was doing some research on school safety, which this is true. I asked them how they felt about their school putting in metal detectors and if it increased their sense of safety at school.

Although I spoke to them individually, they both reitereated the same sentiment. Both boys thought the metal detectors were an inconvenience. Apparantly, the school made the decision to close all but one entrance to the school. There have been lengthy line-ups to get into the building in the mornings. They complained about being an hour late to school because they were held up waiting for people to get through the metal detectors. I suggested they start out earlier in the morning, but that went over like a lead balloon.

I then asked the boys how safe they felt with metal detectors at their school. I was amazed that both of them said it made no difference in how safe they felt at school. I asked them why they felt that way. Both of them said, remember one was not present when I was talking to the other, that they have seen people sneak in weapons. I was absolutely shocked. What do you mean snuck in a weapon? How is that possible with the metal detectors? Isn't the whole point of a metal detector that it beeps when metal is detected?

I probed a little more. I asked the one boy what kind of weapon he saw being snuck in. The other one offered an explanation without being prompted. Both boys have witnessed fellow students sneaking knives into school. What!!?! So, I asked if it was a plastic knife. They told me no. Again, I asked them how the student got the knife in without the metal detector detecting it. They said you put it in your backpack. They explained to me, at least this is what I understand of it, that when your turn comes you put your bookbag on a tray. The kids step through the metal detector, and security does not look in backpacks. Once you're through the metal detector you pick up your belongings, and you're on your way. My initial thought was why doesn't the security team look through the bookbags. First, maybe they have to have propable cause to search a bookbag. I'm not really sure about the legality of the issue. Second, you can only imagine how crowded it is. This is a large high school that the boys attend, and the school is already experiencing hour long backups. I'm sure students are hearded as fast as possible through those metal detectors leaving security with very little time to conduct an adequate search of the bookbag.

I learned a lot in talking with these boys. I assume metal detectors come in a variety of styles. I also assume some are more sensitive then others. My first thought was that the boys' school did not have a very sensitive metal detector. When they told me that they do not wear their backpacks through the metal detectors nor does security search through their bookbags I was concerned. More importantly, I took away a sense of doubt as to whether metal detectors are the answer.

Clearly, there are ways of getting around metal detectors. Schools strapped for cash might not be able to afford quality metal detectors. What is the point of spending money on a cheap one that doesn't pick up on much of anything. Not to mention the amount of time required to get the student body through them. Long lines and lenghty wait time only serves to fuel frustration. If students use their bookbags to sneak in contraband, and those backpacks are not searched for whatever reason (legality, lack of manpower, respect of privacy, etc.), then what is the point of installing the metal detectors. I can see now that metal detectors are not a guarantee.

Preventing School Violence

I have done a lot of research on the internet revolving around school violence. The following are all preventative measures I've come across: safety plans sold by security companies, risk-reduction training of staff members, parent patrols, cameras and metal detectors, on campus police officers, pledges against gun violence, peer mediation, annonymous school violence tip hotlines, and perhaps the most controversial of all- arming teachers. Some of these I will look at in more detail in my future postings.

I happened to find a publication by the National Crime Prevention Council. You know, McGruff's Take a Bite out of Crime campaign. It was titled "A Dozen Things Teachers Can Do to Stop School Violence." Some suggestions were obvious, others were helpful. My overall impression was that much of it was very ideallic. There were some great suggestions made, but I'm sure how a teacher would be able implement them. I'd like to share an abbreviated version of the twleve suggestions with you. First, inform administration about any threats or gang activity. Second, do not tolerate violence in your classroom, and enlist students to create approapriate consequences for violent behavior. Third, openly communicate positive accomplishments as well any concerns you have with students' parents. Fourth, identify warning signs of imending violence and offer the child school approved avenues for getting help. Fifth, get students involved in preventing school violence. Sixth, volunteer to be on the committee that sets the schools safety plan. Seventh, carry out all school policies designed to keep students safe. Eighth, ensure students treat each other with respect. Ninth, teach with passion. Tenth, constantly teach and talk about conflict resolution. Eleventh, find ways to dialogue about violence by linking it to your subject matter. Lastly, convince students how important it is to speak up if they know about a threat. What are your thoughts about these tips?

These are some pretty concrete suggestions for preventing school violence. I was annoyed at how obvious some of them were: report threats to administration, don't allow violene in class, communicate with parents, carry out school rules, demand respect towards classmates, and encourage kids to report threats. Others, I though were too ideal. Convincing students to create student organizations and being the advisor takes time. Time that many of us simply do not have. It takes a lot of organization and man hours to pull off organization activities. Again, serving of the committee that creates the school safety plan is time consuming, especially if you are required to be at school board meetings. Teaching conflict resolution takes time away from the curriculum the state wants you to teach. I'm not saying this wouldn't be beneficial, but how do you cover state sponsored curriculum in addition to conflict resolution in a timely manner?
The suggestion to recognize warning signs of violence and offer the appropraite help was good. My thought was that it would require teacher training, which could easily be done at a professional development meeting or even at the start of school welcome back meeting. Every year my district goes over bloodborne pathogens. Why not review the warning signs of violent behavior as well as run down the services available to students. This would be a viable suggestion to implement.
There were two suggestions that I was not convinced would have impact on reducing school violence. How does teaching with passion reduce the threat of violence? I might think something is very interesting and teach in an intense, excited way; but the students still think it is the most boring concept in the world. I just experienced this talking about how the automobile revolutionized American society. I was all excited talking about it, and the kids looked at me like I had lost my mind. They lacked passion when they discussed the automobile despite my enthusiasm. I do not see a connection between passionate teaching and preventing school violence. Students finding something they are passionate about would make more sense to me. I also questioned how impactful discussing violence and violence prevention would be. I'm not convinced it would have the desired effect of reducing school violence. I subbed last year when the class was discussing school shootings for a book they were reading called Shooter. From what I remember, the students were not interested at all about the topic, which shocked me. Most of the classes agreed that nothing could be done to stop a school shooting once the perpetrator put his/her mind to it. They seem to think that nothing would stop a person determined to carry out such a violent act, not metal detectors, not trying to talk the person out of it, not police officers on campus. It was amazing and scary how close minded the kids were about discussing school violence. It was equally as scary hearing that they thought there was no way of preventing it. Again, I'm not diminishing the importance of talking to kids about violence and ways to prevent it. I'm just not sure how open students would be to discussing it. Therefore, I'm not sure the discussion would have the desired effect.
What do you think? Can a teacher prevent school violence? Can students prevent it?

School Safety Plan

How safe is the school you work in? Are you confident that in the case of an emergency your administration and security teams would be able to respond in a timely and effective manner? In doing research, I found an organization called National School Safety and Security Services that creates school safety plans. The comapny's website is www.schoolsecurity.org This company has been in the school safety planning business for over 25 years.

The National School Safety and Security Services strive to make schools safe from both weather related emergencies and/or school violence. A school district interested in these services would start with the assessment. According to the National School Safety and Security Services, the assessment is "used as a strategic planning tool." In other words, the assessment is not to make a school district feel good or bad about the safety plans they have in place. It is meant to evaluate how effective those plans would be in protecting the students during an emergency. The company tours the school campus. In addition, off campus evaluations are made on school policies and protocols. Based on the findings of the on and off campus assessments the company offers viable solutions to improve school safety.

The school district has the option of purchasing various safety plans from the company. Other services the National School Safety and Security Services offers is risk-reduction training, professional development on how staff should handle school violence, and other high-tech. gadgets meant to ensure student safety, like metal detectors and cameras. The comapny will even conduct what they call table-top exercises. From what I gathered, this is a simulation of an emergency that can run a half day or a full day. This is not a full scale drill because those can be time and labor intensive. Instead, this is meant to be a stress free walk through of how to handle an emergency situation. If I am not mistaken, this is exercise is comprised of more dialogue than what an all out drill would be.

These services are not free of charge, and unfortunately I could not find an actual cost. A school district would have to contact the company to set up a consultation. However, the company did emphasize that the cost included the size of the district, the number of schools within the district that were to be assessed, the time it took to conduct those assessments, completion of a pre-assessment review, the results of the report itself, travel time, a consulting fee, and all expenses, such as travel, logding, and food. Also, it should be noted that the more off site evaluations of school policies and protocol the more expensive it is. Obviously, this would be an expensive endeavor. There is a link on the website to grant information.

Is it worth it? Would most school districts pay to have an evaluation of the effectivness of their safety plans? It is absolutely worth it! I'm not so sure, though, that school districts could afford to have their schools evaluated. Look at the number of school districts locally that are sturglling financially in Michigan's sluggish economy. It seems like this is something all schools should have done. Unfortunately, the cost will hinder most school districts from having if completed. Once something tragic occurs community members will be asking if something could have been done.

I still have many questions regarding this safety assessment and plans. Does the company make any guaratees? How many schools have they evaluated, and what is their track record? Do the schools that had an assessment done feel it was worthwhile? What are your thoughts?

Current Issues Involving School Violence

I had on Fox News this morning since school was cancelled. I usually keep the television on for noise when I'm home. There were two stories this morning regarding education that caught my attention. The first one was about an elementary teacher in Pennsylvania who was arrested for making terroristic threats against the students at the school she taught in. Apparentaly, this woman was upset that she had be assigned to teach fourth grade rather than fifth grade. So, she terrorized the school by making seventeen threats. She disguised her writing to look like that of a student, including misspelling words. She left signs that read "Your so stuped [sic] you should all be killed." Another one they showed on the news report was "You'll never catch me. I have a gun too." The reporters went on to say that this teacher even made bomb threats.
I guess the school had to beef up police surveillance until the perpetrator was apprehended. Four police officers were responsible for patrolling the school. Fox interview several parents who conveyed how scared they were and how scared the kids were. The parents also spoke of how upseting it was to find out it was one of the school's teachers responsible for the threats. This teacher turned herself in and has been on leave since October.
This story is insane. I think this woman needs immediate psychological help. This was an elementary school with kids ranging in age from 6-11. No one in their right mind would terrorize little children because of an issue that should have been taken up with administration. Who knows how this teacher's threats could impact those children. This woman definitely needs to be punished legally in addition to receiving mental therapy. However, I find something ironic about the situation. Parents, the community, and the media are quick to judge how terrible this act was. They are calling for the stiffest of punishments for this lady. Don't get me wrong, I totally agree. On the flip side, though if a student had done this to a teacher would there be such an uproar? I'm not so sure there would be. What do you think?
The other story was regarding a US Congressman's idea of teaching twelve year olds in West Virginia how to shoot a gun in school. Evidently, West Virginia lacks the number of hunters they once did, which is hurting the state. In an effort to boost the number of hunters, the Congressman is proposing that the school district teach a unit on how to shoot a weapon. Opponents say that given the amound of school violence today this is not a good idea. What is your take? My opinion is that this should not be a mandatory class. I would never have wanted to learn to shoot a gun at twelve. I would not have felt comfortable in doing so. Therefore, if the state thinks this would be a viable way to boost hunting in their state okay, but the course should be voluntary. As for increasing school violence, I'm not so sure a program like this would contribute to a rise in violence. I mean, look at violence in video games, on television, and in the lyrics of music. Yet, dispite the exposure to violence most kids do not go out and committ violent acts. Again, this is just my opinion. Feel free to tell me what you think.
I'm glad I turned on the news this morning. There were some really good hot topics in education today.