Columbine – Reflection on ViolenceEssay Preview: Columbine – Reflection on ViolenceReport this essayColumbine – Reflection on ViolenceWhile watching a commentary, on a popular television program, I felt nauseous1 after learning of torture students and teachers endured at Columbine High School in Little Town, Colorado. It began as a typical school day in April; it ended with an afternoon of horror, which showed a childs extreme behaviour. Teachers and students encountered hours of torture as two fellow students walked their campus halls on a shooting spree. To avoid being hit by a flying bullet, victims hid in closets and storage compartments. Patiently, police officers camped out around school grounds waiting for a right moment to enter. Many parents waited frantically, not knowing their childrens fate.
Columbine – Reflection on ViolenceThe story of Columbine is a powerful reminder of the tragedy that transpired on this college campus. Columbine taught a new generation of students the basics of “violence.” It revealed many of the elements of human nature, including the fear of death and violence, which has historically affected their lives. However, many students were shocked by the horrifying events that transpired. Students spent the first hour of class learning the stories of two people who were killed in gun shootings. I found myself wondering all along, how to approach or avoid being targeted by such a powerful force… how to protect students, parents, and teachers? I found the following answers:I read the first book in that “Columbine,” by David J. Stellker. It’s a fascinating read, which is a book about “the lessons we can learn from Columbine.” Stellker is a journalist in California, writing a regular column for the American Public Affairs Committee. He is a prolific writer of books, particularly in his own time in the U.S., which is perhaps why, when I spoke with him for this essay, he did not mention that he received a degree in writing, as his own writing skills were in high school. And speaking to the same audience who interviewed him, he spoke about his experience as a student on the campus of Columbia. Stellker describes the classroom, his reading habits, and how students are drawn into his columns:Stellker: Columbine [sic] was one of the best classrooms I ever went to. It was really easy on teachers and students. Sometimes I wanted to be able to see everything from the front and I could do that. And that’s who I am. But no one ever got around to asking, ‘What’s the problem?” Columbine [sic] was very bright, very well-educated, very clever. And a really good teacher too. My first experience that I had with this kind of teacher at a college was in the mid-1960s, when I taught a student here in St. Louis when I was 15 or 16 years old. And he was doing his student-teacher dynamic, that he told them, “I am a smart learner, I understand the world, and I understand what you need to learn. But I need someone who will make this world a better place than it is. He can teach them how to think.” So that’s what we’re doing. We’re telling students, “Listen to this person. He knows exactly what you need to know right now. Now, it’s time to put that into practice.” I knew he was going to be there to introduce their skills, but to have him at their door, to see all their students in training, making sure that they were ready to start that way.” And the teachers saw this. And so it’s important to show that because it takes us to this stage. We know what they need. We need to give them the tools it takes to achieve what they need so that we can give them the benefit of the doubt. We need them to look for opportunities and opportunities that the world is waiting for, because that will help them understand things they’re learning, and so they won’t
Columbine – Reflection on ViolenceThe story of Columbine is a powerful reminder of the tragedy that transpired on this college campus. Columbine taught a new generation of students the basics of “violence.” It revealed many of the elements of human nature, including the fear of death and violence, which has historically affected their lives. However, many students were shocked by the horrifying events that transpired. Students spent the first hour of class learning the stories of two people who were killed in gun shootings. I found myself wondering all along, how to approach or avoid being targeted by such a powerful force… how to protect students, parents, and teachers? I found the following answers:I read the first book in that “Columbine,” by David J. Stellker. It’s a fascinating read, which is a book about “the lessons we can learn from Columbine.” Stellker is a journalist in California, writing a regular column for the American Public Affairs Committee. He is a prolific writer of books, particularly in his own time in the U.S., which is perhaps why, when I spoke with him for this essay, he did not mention that he received a degree in writing, as his own writing skills were in high school. And speaking to the same audience who interviewed him, he spoke about his experience as a student on the campus of Columbia. Stellker describes the classroom, his reading habits, and how students are drawn into his columns:Stellker: Columbine [sic] was one of the best classrooms I ever went to. It was really easy on teachers and students. Sometimes I wanted to be able to see everything from the front and I could do that. And that’s who I am. But no one ever got around to asking, ‘What’s the problem?” Columbine [sic] was very bright, very well-educated, very clever. And a really good teacher too. My first experience that I had with this kind of teacher at a college was in the mid-1960s, when I taught a student here in St. Louis when I was 15 or 16 years old. And he was doing his student-teacher dynamic, that he told them, “I am a smart learner, I understand the world, and I understand what you need to learn. But I need someone who will make this world a better place than it is. He can teach them how to think.” So that’s what we’re doing. We’re telling students, “Listen to this person. He knows exactly what you need to know right now. Now, it’s time to put that into practice.” I knew he was going to be there to introduce their skills, but to have him at their door, to see all their students in training, making sure that they were ready to start that way.” And the teachers saw this. And so it’s important to show that because it takes us to this stage. We know what they need. We need to give them the tools it takes to achieve what they need so that we can give them the benefit of the doubt. We need them to look for opportunities and opportunities that the world is waiting for, because that will help them understand things they’re learning, and so they won’t
Two teenage boys, belonging to a group called “The Trench Coat Mafia,” targeted minority groups and athletes. After ending their rage, both gunmen and over a dozen students and teachers lay dead. A few days after, police officers found several explosives all around the school campus, indicating the boys intended to blow their school to pieces.
After an event of this nature we as people immediately seek to point our fingers, in efforts to find a solution for such a serious problem. All mass media seems to be first on everyones list to get hammered. Are we just washing our hands and taking an easy way out? Are parents not monitoring what their children watch on Television?
What has happened to family values in America? Parents have set other priorities in front of their children. No longer is family relationship of importance in this nation. Time, after time we hear politicians preach, pro-family, and the importance of spending quality time with your children, yet not enough is done. Now again, we find ourselves in an awful situation where we have wasted lives.
I really do not think we have lost this warm loving support a family brings to each of us, nevertheless I feel it has been sidetracked. Instead of allowing this family concept to fade away, we must act on it. Seeking an alternative solution outside of our home, counselling, is a beginning effort to save our families.