Reflection Paper

It would be wrong to say violence ends when you turn the television off or act as if injustice didn’t exist anymore, but if you reflect back on 2016 so far, one of the biggest topics that often dominates the news and blogosphere concerned the high frequency of assaults on college campuses around the country. In the place where many young adults begin to learn who they are and who they want to be while enjoying a comfortable freedom and safety among their peers discovered freedom and safety could not always be guaranteed.

I am passionate about keeping black youth out of the justice system, and I believe school psychologists are perfectly situated to disrupt the system. This is why I’m applying to school psychology program. Furthermore, that passion informs my desire to study alternatives to suspension and expulsion with Dr. Pamela Fenning and addressing trauma in schools with Dr. Rosario Pesce. I think that finding alternatives to suspension and expulsion would help prevent students from dropping out of school by ensuring that they do not unnecessarily miss any in-class time. And addressing trauma in schools continues to be important as mass shootings continue to become more commonplace, especially in Chicago.

Since the establishment of public education in the United States, schools have provided a sense of security and belonging to their students. Although sitting through lectures and doing homework may not be the most exciting thing in the world, students will always have a lunch to eat, a roof over their head, and a supportive teacher or counselor that they can talk to. Despite the “safe” environment and presence of authoritative figures on school campuses, trouble always finds a way to break out. Simple misbehaving and occasional fights are a common occurrence on most school campuses, however a new breed of troublesome and violent students has hatched. The

On April 16th 2007 at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, a student with psychological problems began a two hour killing spree that left 33 dead (Reader). The massacre that occurred at this school is now the worst recorded incident in the history of the United States and eclipses the University of Texas massacre of 1966. In the wake of tragedies like these, students, teachers and administrators propose more measures to make us feel safe on campus. But why weren't these measures in place before? School administrators and police have a responsibility to protect their students and faculty on campus, and these instances clearly shown a lack of fulfilling that responsibility. And yet several campus' refuse to allow law-abiding and

Jamie Nabozny was a victim of bullying all throughout middle and high school. He was physically and verbally abused on many occasions due to his sexual orientation/identifying as gay. Jamie felt trapped and hopeless after being relentlessly bullied day after day. During one of these incidents, students repeatedly kicked Jamie in the library and by doing so (transition), left him aggrieved, bruised and bleeding (sensory details) with little to no self-esteem. When he was found, he had several broken bones which required surgery to repair. Due to this incident and countless others, Nabozny’s parents decided to address the school board regarding the issue. (background info) However, when given

I was really interested in this reading because it reminded me of many incidents that have happened at the high school I attended. Threats that were made against my school two years ago and a recent accidental shooting there as well. But more so, it made me think about how I will be expected to handle these type of situations when I am an educator.

I was nearly sexually harassed by a security guard who gave each student a very thorough body search, but that wasn’t nearly as traumatizing as seeing young black men fight over territory that inner-city kids call “hoods” leading to very serious injuries that left blood evidence in the school halls. It was then I realized what poverty is and how these “hoods” were poisoning the mentality of the black youth. Instead of thriving academically and putting forth effort, many students skipped class religiously and never came to school with as much as a pencil .

Are you tired of having those dreadful and terrible flashbacks of your high school’s days of witnessing some sort of school violence or even being the victim from the violence? American schools all over today are becoming more of a fearful and miserable destination for children to attend and it is even becoming more of a destine nightmare for every teacher and parent as well due to an alarming rate of violent actions of multiple types of crimes being committed by students and consistently having chaotic events. Schools are meant for children to have the feeling of being safe, enjoyment, and allow them to receive an outstanding education that will lead them into the appropriate path for college and then soon lead those students to a brighter

Tommy, an agitated 14-year-old high school student in Oakland, California was in the hallway cursing out his teacher at the top of his lungs. A few minutes earlier, in the classroom, he’d called the teacher a derogatory name after she twice asked him to remove his head from the desk and sit up straight. Eric Butler, the school coordinator for Restorative Justice (RJ) for Oakland Youth heard the commotion and rushed to the scene. The principle also heard it and rushed to address the issue. Though Butler tried to engage the young man in conversation, Tommy was in an uproar and would not respond. He even tried to hit Butler but missed. Immediately the principle lividly called for security while disclosing to Tommy he would be suspended.

This is not the only time that the school administration was trying to shut the voice of the victim. There was a similar situation in Concord – Carlisle Regional high school. As described in the article, “A Happy School Life Lost to Unseen Tormentors”, written by Evan Allen, a girl’s high school life was ruined by the graffiti on her car. The whole story starts when a girl files a “lawsuit against the towns of Concord and Carlisle, the Concord – Carlisle School district, and three school administrators” (Allen). Concord – Carlisle high school administration does not want this case to ruin the reputation of the school, so they did everything they can to shut the girl’s mouth. According to the girl, there were not only graffiti on her car every day but also “death threats” (Allen). All the girl and the family wanted was the help of the school to find the bully or bullies, who constantly terrorized the girl’s car every day. Unfortunately, because the school is so focused, not on the safety of a student, but a reputation of student – athletes, the school administration did not do anything to keep the student safe. The

Social Justice warriors come by the hundreds and thousands storming new channels, blogs, and any other form of media to say our school system does not do us justice. After further searching of where all this goes wrong I now claim that school systems mistreatment of young adults specifically is rooted deeper within the foundation of most of this country than most people suspect. Simply, there needs to be a change within our rights or lack thereof.

Every day students across the country wake up and go to school seeking an education. They learn basic skills and knowledge from classes such as English, math, biology, physics, photography and so many other classes that prepare students for adulthood. However, what is most alarming is that students have to cope with violence that is now occurring in schools. In the past, school violence involved bullying and mistreatment, but in recent decades weapons are now a part of the violence students encounter. Violence is a way for youth to gain authority over their peers. Additionally, violence in schools has promoted a national debate on gun control, bullying and plagued the overall learning experience in school environments. Not only do people need

The case of twelve year old Rebecca Sedwick, who leapt to her death is a prime example of what bullying leads to when there is not enough done to stop the bullying nor stiff enough penalties to make sure it is prevented from going this far. She was bullied relentlessly at school, on her phone, and through social media by two young girls. Her mother was left to bury her daughter out of her own pocket even though she took all the necessary steps to protect her daughter. With schools and social media becoming a breeding ground for vicious verbal and sometimes physical attacks, who is responsible for such antics that lead to many victims taking their own lives or having to relocate? With no clear cut on who is financially or criminally responsible, the victim’s family is often left to deal with the unexpected finances and no way of having any closure or piece of mind knowing the responsible party was held accountable. Interventions, financial restitution, and criminal charges should all be mandated if it is found that the school system or parents of the bully did little to nothing to stop the bullying.

Today there have been several devastating acts of school shootings that traumatizes the minds of staff and student . One of the examples of an bullied victim retaliation is of the kids from the Columbine shooting, where two kids who were bullied went on a murderous shooting rampage killing the lives of many at their schools and taking their own. Things like the Columbine shooting makes students afraid and scared to go to school. Schools today need to become a safe environment for students not a place of fear. There shouldn’t be one child in the United States to be afraid to go to school. Today Teachers, Principles, need to develop a plan to minimize the bullying and let students know they are safe and should not be in any type of fear when they cross through the doors of the school

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.