What causes all the violence? Violence in schools is caused when tougher kids try to control and frighten the weaker kids. The tougher kids are well known as bullies around school. Why do the bullies try to control others? To find our answer, we must look to the source of our problem. What is the source of the problem? Even the bullies who victimize weaker children are victims themselves. Why do they torture and torment others? Do they do it for fun? For power? Or for reasons deeper and more complex? Perhaps they are mistreated, abused or ignored at home. Bullies may be seeking attention, looking for approval, or feeding the urge to be stronger and more powerful than someone else. If a bully is being abused at home, they may come to school to get the satisfaction of being better than someone else. They are crying out for help. They don’t realize they are hurting someone else. They get it at home and they think they can treat others with the same disrespect. If someone wasn’t hurting them they would treat others with respect. Whether physically, mentally or emotionally hurt, the bullies feel helpless. They need to control something. They need the power, the drive and the satisfaction. They need to feel better than someone else. The bullies do not realize their actions are resulting in violence. How can we stop such violence? We can stop such violence by understanding where the bullies are coming from and talking with the families of the bully and victim. When we understand what is going on in the bullies’ heads we can understand what needs to be fixed. When the bully realizes how the victim feels, he/she will recognize the same feelings in their life. They will not want to make that person feel the way they feel in their home life. Another way we can stop violence is to train our educators to look for signs of abuse, teasing, harassment and self-harm. When they discover a child with any of the signs, they need to report it. When they report it, they are stopping the hurt that will later occur. Parent-teacher conferences keep the communication lines open. Communication is very important to the well-being of the children of this era. When we communicate, we keep an understanding and open mind. Another way to keep our children safe is by eliminating the place bullying happens. Make after school activities open to all people. Allow groups a place to meet. Help and support our children so they will be prepared for the future! Perhaps we also need more security to make children of the schools feel safer. But will tighter security really make anyone feel safer? Or will it just add to the terror and panic we already face? Bullying can be stopped. We just need the right resources to stop it. If everyone wanted it to stop, we could get a better handle on the things that go on. Eventually small improvements would make a difference.
