| Taproot wrote on Tue, 19 August 2008 06:25 |
| PookyNMR wrote on Sun, 17 August 2008 17:20 |
Even though I'm a firearm sportsman, I can't support such an initiative. I can appreciate those who want an extra level of defense from a world gone crazy, especially in light of things like the Columbine incident. However, statistically, as soon as more than one gun gets involved, the likelihood someone will get shoot and die rises dramatically.
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Same here. This sounds like a knee-jerk reaction. I can't imagine the school being THAT bad. If so, they need to promptly yank the habitually threatening students out and give them two choices: trade school (w/ good marks) or the military. I think the rest would shape up pretty damn quick.
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The first and usually best way to approach behavior problems is through a relationship with students rooted in compassion. That's how you make kids feel safe and cared about, so they don't feel a need to threaten others. That's also part of teaching compassion to them, by modeling it. You can still be firm, and absolutely you must hold them responsible for their actions, but you do it without being rigid or intimidating, and without making them feel like assholes.
But the people in this article seem to be concerned about school shootings, which for one thing is more likely to come from the victims of bullying than the bullies. It's also still extremely rare statistically. But to have guns there -- and not for target practice -- in my opinion is likely to increase the stress among students and increase the likelihood of problems.
As for the bullies themselves, it's a difficult problem. There are a lot of anti-bully programs out there, but none of them work very well. And sometimes, yes, I think those kids need to be removed, but the last place I'd want them is in the military. Habitual bullies are usually disturbed themselves, having disruptive behavior disorders. Ideally there should be separate school programs for them, with intensive behavior modification programs, funded by special education. But most most state laws specifically prohibit those kids from getting help.
