Another massive act of violence has been perpetrated against our nation’s students. Why aren’t we mentioning education in our talks about prevention?
—
The media is at it again with their coverage of the violent stabbing that took place today in Pittsburgh. Once again there’s no talk of empathy, little talk of the victims, and much speculation about what gun laws or mental health screenings could have prevented such an attack. There’s no attempt to dig to find the root causes, no mention of why America is renowned around the world for having perhaps the most violence within school systems. There’s no talk of education and there’s plenty of politicking. Al Jazeera America brought up at least something interesting and possibly informative: the suspect and most of the victims are male.
Upon a bit more digging I found similar concerns brought up on Twitter:
fuck is wrong with these angry little white boys shooting and stabbing up schools
— brittany (@dudeimanoreo) April 9, 2014
Just saw that there was a stabbing in PA and am curious why it’s always boys who act out this way #genderdifferences
— mikeyb4 (@MikeyBarnumJr) April 9, 2014
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
Boys are always stabbing and shooting up schools #boys
— Kayla Markin (@kaylamarkin) April 9, 2014
So, what about our nation’s boys? How best can we help them? We can start, right now, by refusing to let our anger for the suspect cloud the complexity of this situation and pull away from our compassion for everyone involved.
And in regards to education, is Mark Greene right? Is it time to stop “teaching to the test” and time to start helping our nation’s youth develop 21st century educational and interpersonal skills?
It is. But in order for that to happen us adults MUST do the same for ourselves. The conversation about true education reform–reform that includes not just teaching empathy and mindfulness but actually valuing it–will not happen until WE as adults learn to implement such strategies into our own lives. The mindfulness revolution isn’t a fad; it isn’t a gimmick. In this world of instant gratification and stimulation the threads holding our society together will continue to unravel until we take mindfulness and slowing down seriously. Couple this with what the Dalai Lama said:
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”
Why isn’t education being mentioned in the talks about prevention? Because we simply do not respect education in the ways that we need to. Because we see education purely as a means for a job or purely as a means to help us calculate our finances. It’s time not just for education reform; we must reform what it is that we value about education and then what it is we actually NEED to value.
—
Note: A great book on bringing mindfulness into education is Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children by Thich Nhat Hanh:
Like The Good Men Project on Facebook
–Photo: AP / A Salvation Army disaster services vehicle drives past a school bus onto the campus of the Franklin Regional School District
Boys also drop out more often and don’t do as well academically as girls. The schools have generally been optimized for girls. Why does this never happen at a single sex institution? Probably because when you only have boys, you can’t focus on the needs of girls.
please delete my last post.
“This whole terrible violence puzzle will not be a think of the past until we learn to value human differences and become more mindful about the human experience.” Hmmm…there is sooo much to unpack here.When the hippies flooded my neighborhood in the sixties they said much the same thing, and, yet,here we are arguably worse off than before.Malcolm X said it best when asked to comment on the Kenendy assasination,”The chickens have come home to roost.” Bullying is a part of the American persona.Millions have been victimized because of it.Open a history book and you will find example after example… Read more »
“…this violence puzzle will not be a thing of the past until we learn to value human differences…” If this is true then why when stuff like this happens white people never draw connections to the tradition of violence against people who are different and these violent outbursts? Is it because violence against the other is normal?The other of color has been replaced by the white other:the geeky kids,the shy kids,the goth kids,you name it.You want to see bullying, watch film of the Little Rock Six.Or watch film of lunch counter demonstrations.Is not discrimination the ultimate in bullying?Oh yeah,but that… Read more »
Teaching empathy and sensitivity begins and ends in the home.The parents are in the best position to monitor the sometimes subtle changes in a child’s behavior that are so telling.The parents and guardians do have to carry the bulk of the responsibility here.So far we keep hearing,from second and third hand sources, how wonderful and Ozzie and Harriet like this kids homelife was and no one questions that.There is a grave disconnection taking place here.It is extremely rare for someone to do what this kid did without having demonstrated some other signs of trouble.People always give signs of distress before… Read more »
Tom.
Bullying is the default excuse. As at Columbine where it survived substantial evidence demonstrating it wasn’t involved.
Thing about bullying is everybody’s against it, nobody likes bullies, and you can make yourself out to be A Good Guy Taking Steps by being against bullies and maybe even starting anti-bullying programs.
It’s a whole lot less fun to discover a guy’s had a psychotic episode.
So let’s wait until the actual facts are available.
I understand what you’re saying Richard. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this. A couple of weeks ago, while at evening mass, a gentleman came in. He was obviously disturbed in that he was hitting himself, mumbling and sometimes yelling at no one. My friend and I watched as he moved from seat to seat. He left the church and went into the vestibule. Two of us went out just to make sure he wouldn’t hurt someone or himself. There wasn’t much we could do except keep a watchful eye and have my phone on 911… Read more »
It’s Thursday morning and I heard that this young man was a victim of bullying. At what point are we going to truly hold the bullies accountable? If this young man is convicted, then the known bullies should be held accountable for the result of this young man being convicted. Just as a simple example .. If your crazy driving caused others to have an accident, then you’re culpable. Why not in these cases? I know it’s a poor example but it’s all I can come up with at this hour of the morning.
I was thinking the same. Or at the least there are calls to hold the bully responsible when kids are driven to suicide.
This whole terrible violence puzzle will not be a thing of the past until we learn to value human differences and become more mindful about the human experience. Eduction is bogged down in a time when people we’re being trained to apply assembly line thinking in an assembly line world. Those days and those jobs are gone.
Why is it nearly always boys/males who do the saving of lives too?
Meanwhile, let’s not forget to talk about the men and boys who apprehended the attacker, applied first aid to the wounded, and made tourniquets out of their clothes.
Yes, the suspect and most of the victims were male. As were many of the people fighting off the attacker, the first responders, the EMT’s, the doctors, the teachers, the police, lawmakers passing new gun laws, etc….
Amazingly important point, Steve!!
We do have a piece up right now on the young man that warned folks, stood in front of the assailant and possibly pulled the fire alarm.
“Just saw that there was a stabbing in PA and am curious why it’s always boys who act out this way”
I like what Elaine said on one Seinfeld episode about why girls don’t beat up other girls as much as boys beat up other boys — “If there’s a girl we don’t like, we just call her names until she develops an eating disorder.”
Really just a question of weapons preference.
Yes, there are many forms of violence. Some, though, are more direct and impact more innocent folks at once.
No, Kayla Markin is right. A high school girl is not likely to go on a stabbing spree. Instead of cutting other people, a high school girl goes home and cuts herself in secret. More clean and considerate that way, I suppose. Less collateral damage. Less news coverage.
If you add up all the cases of a girl being violent to herself and put that into the mix, you’d find that girls are just as violent as boys. We’re all from Mars, just different provinces.
boys are rewarded for being violent. It cements their place in society when adults congratulate boys on their aggression and violence. It is encouraged in them and they are told it holds value.
If you felt like a piece of shit with no voice and no control over your life or sense of self worth and were brought up being told that violence is a worthy cause for a man and that it brings you respect and value… I’d probably be violent to others too.. It’s how I was taught to gain respect and worth.
Just saw that there was a stabbing in PA and am curious why it’s always boys who act out this way Because they have learned that boys are simply not noticed much less reached out to UNTIL they act out this way. Eating disorders, mental disorders, acts of violence against themselves. These things just barely make a blip on most people’s radar these days. But let a boy do something like this and suddenly everyone noticed. I imagine this selective manner of focusing on boys isn’t lost on them. They see that actually bringing up their problems and issues doesn’t… Read more »