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"Live And Let Live" Is Different |
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The "Live… and Let Live" Program is different from what is already being done to prevent youth violence. Many concerned educators, citizen groups, religious organizations, politicians, social service organizations and law enforcement agencies have been justifiably alarmed about the magnitude of school violence in the United States that has been reported in our recent news. All of these groups have developed some plan of action to make our schools safer. There is however no one simple solution to the very complex problem of school violence, and it’s shadow, the fear of violence that haunts our youth and hampers their learning. There certainly is evidence of real violence. According to statistics compiled by "The National Campaign to End School Violence: Ribbon of Promise" there have been reports of 12 school shootings in US schools over the past 4 years (from February 1996 through May 1999). There have been 37 deaths, (15 of which occurred during one shooting at Littleton CO.) Additionally, 79 people were wounded. However, the perception of too much violence in our schools is not something that came about just because of recent acts of violence within which guns were involved and people were killed. School Boards, teachers, and administrators have shown concern about the escalation of violence in our schools dating back at least as far as 1993. The National School Board Association reports the findings of a national survey of 1,216 administrators that there were more violent acts in their school in 1993 than five years before. Keith Geiger, president of the National Education Association is quoted by, A. Stone in "It’s shoot or be shot." in USA Today, June 1994. "Nine-hundred teachers are threatened, and over 2,000 students and nearly 40 teachers are physically attacked on school grounds every hour of each school day each year." Violence in schools is a reality. At the same time we need to pay attention to the fact that the vast majority of our youth are not violent. The potential victims of violence however must live with fear, fear that can interfere with their ability to focus on the academic subjects and the skills they are in school to learn. On the hierarchy of needs scale developed by Abraham Maslow, safety and security are essential to the successful pursuit of higher order needs such as learning and creativity. In "Tips For Talking With Children About School Violence" from National Mental Health Association on Mental Health Net, August 17, 1999, the CEO of NMHA seems to think we are over reacting to the potential for violent acts occurring in our schools. He states, "Even though we know schools are among the safest places for our children, dramatic images of school violence are burned in the minds of students across the country." Parents are advised to let their children know that "serious school violence is not common", and to stress that "schools are safe places". At the same time, parents are advised to create safety plans with their children and remind them they can talk to trusted adults anytime they feel threatened. This message could lead us to believe that the fear of violence is more of a threat than the potential act of violence. Educate America Act, adopted by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in March 1994, Goal 7 states that "By the year 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning. The supporting narrative for this goal states that "no child or youth should be fearful on the way to school, be afraid while there, or have to cope with pressures to make unhealthy choices". Lets look at some of the solutions. Many strategies to curb violence in school and society are designed to respond to violence after it has occurred. In "School Violence Expert Focuses on Prevention" Scott Collins (in New York Times, October 13, l999) reports advice from the head of National School Safety Center that highlights the need for administrators to be ready for violence when it happens; for example, to have a good evacuation plan and to stay in contact with local police departments. An article in TIME Magazine, by Emily Mitchell, September 13,1999 describes what Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C. is doing. This school had a 6-hour enactment of an emergency with hostages and a campus under siege. Schools across the country are resorting to random checks of student’s book bags, backpacks, or lockers. They are increasing use of metal detectors, and some schools are moving to control-fences, blocked access roads, and locked and chained doors to guard against violence. While most believe security measures of this type are necessary, they do not provide a long-term solution to a very complex problem. In "Alma Maters; Two Words Behind the Massacre (Sunday Week in Review N.Y. Times, May 1, 1999) Peter Applebome, quotes a recent female graduate of Columbine as saying, "Hiring more security guards will only limit the means by which kids can harm each other." Many strategies are aimed at maintaining order: monitoring students’ movements in and around the school by teachers, administrators, parents, and security guards, institutionalizing dress codes, establishing crisis lines, and the distribution of clearly stated school rules to students and their parents. The state of Virginia went so far as to enact a law in 1995 requiring parents, under penalty of a fine, to sign and return a copy of the school rules. ("Parents in Virginia face fines for unruly pupils" The Washington Post, May 6, 1995) The plan was thwarted because many parents interpreted the law as a violation of their rights because they believe discipline is a parental matter. In addition to strategies designed to respond to violence during a crisis, to prevent violence through controlling for weapons on school premises and to maintain a stricter order in and around school buildings, there are many programs that focus on vigilance in identifying the potential perpetrators of violence. According to statistics compiled by "The National Campaign to End School Violence: Ribbon of Promise", from November 1998 through June of 1999, five potential incidents where threats, hit lists, and weapons were involved, actual violence was avoided because students reported the threats to authorities who acted promptly. Programs for students at risk range all the way from scare tactics and expulsion, to counseling programs and alternative educational programs. Programs such as Scared Straight did a show and tell strategy by taking juvenile offenders to visit a local prison where in mates tell the truth about where their violent and unlawful behaviors will get them. Expulsions can lead to violent students returning with even more anger according to Ellen O’Brien, "Deadly Acts Put Focus on Need for Prevention, Boston Globe, April 21, 1999). "Counseling programs are frequently less effective than they might be because the average high school counselor has far too many students to advise and not nearly enough support. Alternative education programs do their part in helping the potential perpetrators of violence. For example, Grimsley N.C. students who have discipline and attendance problems are offered career initiatives to help them feel what it’s like to be successful. (TIME Magazine, by Emily Mitchell, September 13, 1999) The number and kinds of programs that focus on potential perpetrators of violence are too many and too diverse to describe in detail in this writing. Many of these programs are effective in addressing the needs of at risk youth. They are an indispensably part of a solution to the problem of violence in our schools. Unfortunately, many of them are understaffed and under-funded. There are programs that focus on changing the behaviors of potentially violent children before their behaviors escalate into real problems. They range from teaching preschool children to get in touch with their feelings, ("Preschool Primal Scream; Teaching Tykes to Get a Grip and Keep Cool" New York Times Syndicate, November 15, 1999) to teaching kindergarten children to be nice to each other. (Teaching Feelings 101 by Romesh Ratnesar, Education September 29, 1999 Vol. 150 NO 13.) Addressing the needs of potential perpetrators of violence, however necessary, does not address the needs of the majority of our youth who are non-violent empathic human beings. They are the ones who just have to live with the shadow of violence, the fear that impedes their ability to learn what schools were intended to teach. There are two fine programs that attempt to address the needs of the majority of students. Teaching Tolerance is a program that attempts to promote tolerance through understanding differences. And, Peer Mediation focuses on keeping a conflict between students from getting violent, which is, to resolve conflict with words not weapons. While both of these programs address aspects of cooperation, there is no program that directly addresses the needs of the majority of students who are the potential victims of direct confrontations, or innocent bystanders who might be hurt in the cross fire. A recent article in the Boston Globe "School Violence Summit has Local Administrators Focusing on Prevention (September 19) by Leslie Anderson, a recent Columbine graduate states "When Columbine happened...the issue was the students didn’t like each other. There were problems in the school that festered and literally blew up on them. "Live… and Let Live" is different because it promotes self-reliance and cooperation through reciprocity for both bullies and victims. It doesn’t rely on central authority, or the ability to empathize with others to discourage the escalation of minor altercations between students.
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