AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Forgive me if I’m not my usual perky self. It hasn’t been a great news day for those of us hopeful about the inherent goodness of humankind.
Let me explain. This morning I read about the arrest of six kids in Carson City, Nevada. What had these 12 and 13 year olds girls done? Apparently one dreamed up a Facebook event called “Attack a Teacher Day” and invited 100 students to join. The other five got busted for responding to online threats against specific teachers in two middle schools. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune the six girls were “booked Wednesday at juvenile hall on a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats.” Thankfully a parent saw the “invite” and deleted it. No one was physically harmed.
Thinking about it, there’s so much wrong here I didn’t know where to begin. So I posted to my anti-bullying forum Cruel’s Not Cool! to start a discussion. I posed some questions: What might have been going on in the mind of a kid who thought that “attacking” teachers was a terrific idea? Why might the participants have decided to get on the bandwagon? What role does Facebook or any social media site have in monitoring illegal content like threats to someone’s life? In what ways might the charges against the tweens be totally appropriate or totally absurd? What’s the role of parents in raising kids of good character and teaching their tech savvy darlings to be responsible digital citizens?
But before any responses were posted, I read about an actual attack this afternoon. A politically motivated assassination attempt on the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). The Congresswoman took a bullet through the brain and she’s currently in critical but stable condition. So far at least 6 people are dead. Among them, an aide for the Congresswoman, a 9-year-old and U.S. District Judge John Roll.
Kids openly tease, harass, persecute and physically attack peers whom they “don’t like.” If school bullying and disrespecting teachers is ‘no big deal’ (and many students say “nothing happens” when bullying is reported), it may not take much reasoning to conclude that it’s also OK to gun down someone we disagree with. Not that anyone capable of this behavior has much in the way of reasoning powers, but you don’t need that to buy a gun.
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I come from the position the part of the problem is disembodiment…I am a middle school teacher. When we don’t have a soul connection with God, we loose ourselves in all kinds of ways. We end up hurting not only ourselves but each other. Public education, for the most part, addresses what is happening above the neck with the student. The rest of him or her is not cared for enough and ignored. This teaches students to disconnect from there own feelings AND themSELVES. Society does this too. I studied Dance therapy in grad school When people are grounded in their hearts, minds AND bodies, they tend to treat themselves and others with mutual respect. The gentleman who wrote the book, “The Power of Now” spoke about feeling and breathing into the body in order to get “present” in the now, which I believe leads to clearheadedness. Public Ed or our society, in general, never even considers these things.
Comment by Diane — January 8, 2011 @ 8:21 pm
It has been a sad day for many and I don’t have the answers for where it ends. We have to hold ALL responsible for raising children in a culture that has not, yet, owned up to the responsibility. It takes a COMMUNITY to raise a child and we are failing some of our kids. It HAS to begin at HOME. When parents don’t get it or are not equipped to handle their children, it has tragic consequences. The “buck” then gets passed onto school systems that have, in the past, turned a “blind-eye” to bullying, violence, threats, etc. Social Media outlets have to monitor threats, take them seriously, and report to the proper officials.
Educating Parents is a place to begin…but even then, parents who have children that are angry, mad, confused, violent…often refuse to listen:(
Comment by Darla — January 8, 2011 @ 8:25 pm
I think, like most people, that the events of yesterday are incredibly complicated. However, unlike most people, I do not see them as politically motivated, nor do I see a “hatred” angle.
In the coming days, I have no doubt that we will learn that this individual suffers from a form of Schizophrenia. I feel this way because of my own training and work with Schizophrenics, and based on the shooter’s own online behavior (YouTube posts to be specific).
But here is where I agree – this needs to be discussed in full by parents, teachers, and leaders in our society. We need to understand that a disorder like Schizophrenia is a monster of a disorder, and an individual’s behavior cannot be rationalized, nor should it be marginalized. I view the tragedy yesterday as a real moment where we can learn the value of understanding mental disorders.
Sadly, I think most people will call him a lunatic, will demand that he be punished to the full extent of the law, and then fall upon each other in an effort to blame the political rhetoric that has overtaken our political discourse.
Thanks for the blog – I did enjoy reading it!
Comment by Matt — January 9, 2011 @ 12:33 pm
Hearing on Facebook CNN, & then on TV CNN, of the attack in Tucson left me in tears. Arnie & I lived there for almost three years before returning to SoCal. There are known gangs there and you stay away from those areas, but it is a beautiful, inviting high desert city. The people are accepting and welcoming. I’m having trouble getting my mind around the fact regarding the attack on Gaby Giffords. It occurred in an area that everyone knows to be a safe location. But what is safe anymore?
12 & 13 year olds planning an attack-a-teacher-day. It pains me to write that – my daughter is a teacher.
Are people so bored that they need to do come up with something to give them an adrenaline rush? Do we blame TV, Video games, uninvolved parents, society, the economic downfall? What can, caring, loving individuals do to protect ourselves and each other? We can’t just sit back and return to the lawlessness of the old west – and the new weapon of choice appears to be (not in the case of Gaby Giffords) the social media. There is so very much good with those Facebook – the connections of long split family & friends; the meeting up of new ideas & opportunities; connecting with people you might not have ever met and know in your heart of hearts that they will be a friend of yours for life…..to use that platform for evil is beyond my comprehension.
Comment by Engrid E (Penny) — January 10, 2011 @ 9:49 am
Awesome blog thoughts! What is happening to our kids these day? They have no sense of self, yet a great sense of entitlement. Where have we as parents and society gone astray? I agree with the other comments posted here, we tend to label people and make excuses for their behavior and choices instead of holding anyone accountable for their actions. Each person has to be in charge of himself and live with the consequences. In my mind, that all starts with having the right relationship with God and knowing what is significant in this life and what isn’t. Love, self esteem, and self regulation begins in the home.
Comment by Debs — January 11, 2011 @ 7:19 am
These violent attacks worry me for another reason–as well as those aptly expressed by Annie’s blog and the comments–What kind of a chilling effect is this having on kids’ interest in public service and teaching? Who would want run for office or become a teacher in this environment? How can we convince our teens that service to others is important if doing so puts a target on their heads?
Comment by MaryKat Parks Workinger, ed. dir. EduGuide.org — January 12, 2011 @ 8:25 am
This is so frightening. I feel sometimes a little bit that kids are raised thinking everything they do is great. There is little discipline and kids get away with so much. I know that is a strong generalization but what can we do to help our kids become better people and important citizens of this world full of integrity and empathy?
Comment by Tracie — January 12, 2011 @ 11:41 am
This is an excellent commentary. Our society has degenerated greatly in in the last 30 years. I know, from personal experience, that respect for teachers has drastically declined in the last 35-40 years.
Social networks — and, the internet, in general — are wonderful information and communication tools. Let’s hope that a few psychos don’t ruin them for the rest of us!
Comment by David Sjolander — January 24, 2011 @ 3:06 pm