School And University Shootings

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School and University shootings
Review and Research Paper



Paul Muñoz







Expository Writing, 105, Section 1
Mrs. Gorodn
April 11, 2006



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Schools shootings have become a big problem for American society after Columbine’s tragedy in Colorado. Koch (1998) states that the shootings occurred in that year caused the death of thirteen teachersand students and forty seven people were injured (p. 1). Bender, Schubert and McLaughlin (2001) point out that several states such as Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Colorado have been victims of school shootings (2). Also, other tragic events were recently realized on April 2004 in Minnesota and on Nov 8, 2005 in Tennessee. But, what is causing shootings at Schools andUniversities?
Pollack (2000) points out that violence can be linked to what boys are taught (p. 2), and Greenya (2005) links it to bullying (p. 22). Pollack (2000) states that males are the majority of teenagers who are involved in violent acts. Boys do not only commit these crimes but they are also the most common victims of violence. Furthermore, Pollack explains that males are more inclinedto commit these crimes because society is based on masculinity. The “Boy code” explains that men have to be strong and should not be humiliated by others, and if that happens he has to “fight off shame” to protect his reputation. Men show more violence than women because they want to prove their masculinity to gain society’s admiration and be accepted by others (p. 2). Greenya (2005) explainsthat the main reason students perform acts of violence is because they were responding to bullying from other classmates (p. 22). Stancato (2005) points out that this degradation that students experience when they are being bullied is transformed into violence, so in this way they will be turning revenge into satisfaction (p. 4). Also, Koch’s
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statistics (1998) demonstratethat almost half of the total number of children who took guns into schools did this only to get “pride” (p. 27).  
Bender, Schubert and McLaughlin state that schools shootings are not made by the kids who are considered aggressive, or by kids who have bad conduct in school. The perpetrators are the kids who are affected by bullying (3). Bender, Schubert and McLaughlin (2001) point out thatfor example in the Conyers, Georgia, the school shooter T.J. Salomon was described by his classmates as a "nerd," "really shy," and "not real popular" (p. 2). Also, Greenya (2005) reports that the parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators for Columbine’s massacre, reported that bullying had been uncontrolled at Columbine (p. 7). Stancato (2005) states a “negative self concept”strongly affects children. If a boy is humiliated or despised, he will suffer moments of pain and confusion. Therefore, this confusion brings consequences such as “violence, obsession for the weapon and death” (p. 4).
Greenya (2005) states that in the U.S thirty percent of students are bullied and one hundred sixty thousand students avoid the bullying by ditching school (p. 1). Furthermore,the statistics of the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center and the Department of Education show that the seventy five percent of school shooters were “bullied, persecuted, or injured by others” (Greenya, 2005, p. 23). Greenya (2005) says that the government has responded to this problem with anti-bullying programs that have been passed around sixteen states with the goal that children“unlearn” bullying actions (p. 9).
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Another solution, as Stancato (2005) points out, is to form friendly relationships in schools. The objective is to create a friendly and safe atmosphere where students “fulfill their basic need for self acceptance and identity”. Furthermore, schools that do not show good relationships run the risk of making students feel...
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