Violence in Schools: What are we doing right?

          With all the horror stories you hear on television about school shootings and bullying in the last few years, it may lead you to believe that violence in our country's school systems have increased, but statistics show rather the opposite. In fact, violence has steadily decreased in our country since the 90's, and is now at its lowest point in the last 15 years. In places like the Bronx, school violence has decreased 73% since 1990. The media rarely reports these type of facts, as tragedy is what tends to produce the most attention getting stories. However, parents should not fear for their children's safety at schools anymore than they would have in previous decades.
          Since schools are statistically safer than they have been in a long time, they must be doing something right to keep their students on a good path. A major way violence in schools is prevented, is through conflict mediation programs. These types of programs involve a third party working to resolve an issue between two or more people, and get them functioning reasonably and logically before they turn to violence to solve their problems. Another thing that has helped prevent violence in schools is after school programs which help keep kids off the street. Programs, like operation SNUG for example, help youth escape gang or violent life styles and set up jobs and educational mentoring for them.
         I think that preventing violence is half of the battle to making our schools safe. The other half comes from stopping violence that already exists, and helping kids who are gang members or bullies to turn their lives around.  With these things in mind, I believe we can continue to have a future in which school violence steadily decreases.



http://www.npr.org/2012/03/16/148758783/violence-in-schools-how-big-a-problem-is-it

http://www.mediate.com/articles/asherman.cfm

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/streetwise-mentors-harlem-kids-streets-article-1.1016033

http://bronxda.nyc.gov/misc/decline.html

 



How do people reach the decison to become teachers?

           Many factors influence the careers that people go into. Some are chasing a dream that they've had since childhood, while others are just trying to make enough money to support themselves and their families. But what makes someone decide that they want to become a teacher? For me, it was the fact that I love helping people learn new things, and enjoy caring for and working with children. I find this type of work to be very rewarding. While I know many other future teachers feel the same way I do and have chosen this career path for reasons similar to mine, in my research I have found that there are a wide variety of reasons that people chose to go into teaching.
         One of the reasons that stuck out to me came from an article about 4th grade teacher, Renee Longshore. In this article she discusses her previous teachers and states that, "Each of them became a part of who I am today." I found this a fascinating reason to become a teacher, because it is true that each one of our teachers plays a part in who we turn out to be. After all, we spend an entire year of our lives with them, looking at life through their teachings. Having the opportunity to become a part of someone's life in such a big way is a monumental responsibility, but also an exciting chance to help children make the most of their futures.
          Another common reason people choose to become teachers, is that it allows them to spend a lot more time with their families than most careers do. People who have children find this type of work to be very convenient for their schedules, because they go to and get out of school when their children do, get the same vacations, get to spend summers with their children, etc... What other career could offer you the same? While I don't believe this should be your only reason for becoming a teacher, it is definitely a perk for people who want more time with their families.
          Yet another reason people choose teaching as a career is because of the freedom it allows them. While there are strict guidelines in the curriculum of what must be taught to students, teachers have a lot of freedom on how they choose to teach things. This allowance for creativity is a refreshing part of this career that cannot be found in most other occupations.
           While all these reasons to teach are very different, they all have one thing in common.
No one becomes a teacher for the money. While teachers don't make a terribly low amount of money, it's not what you would expect for people who have such a truly important job. No matter the salary, people still choose to become teachers, because the drive to make a difference in the lives of children is what underlies every reason for becoming a teacher.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/14/us/why-teachers-stay-ireport/

http://www.unc.edu/uncbest/teacher.html