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What Teachers Can Do to Combat School Violence

The school violence that occur in numerous schools in different countries across the globe, do erupt all of a sudden, without notice at all, in most cases. People are taken unaware; the last minute they were peacefully going about their daily affairs, the next, they are in terror. Violent students come up, armed with knives and guns. They launch attack on virtually every body around, though in some cases they have specific targets. The attackers injure some people and kill some. They also bully their peers, beating them, committing all sort of physical assault on them. At the end of the episode, casualties are all over, and dead bodies are also seen here and there. The perpetuators are nowhere to be seen again. That is how bad it could be. Preventing the occurrence of violence in the schools requires all stake holders to come together and offer their individual and collective contributions towards eliminating the menace of the evil vise. In this regard, the teachers do have unique and special contributions to give in curving the situation. The American National Crime Prevention Council, Washington, accessible at www.ncpc.org prepared twelve points tips on how the teacher can contribute in preventing school violence. These tips are discussed below.

 

The teachers in the spirit of vigilance should report to the principal, immediately they hear the students discussing or planning how to launch an attack, any time they notice or hear of any student being in possession of weapon. Also any signs of gang activity should also be reported quickly.

 

Code of conduct should be enforced in the class room to be observed whenever you are in the class room.  By way of interaction, the students themselves should be made to suggest appropriate punishments for violating any of the rules.

 

Invite the parents to come to the school and discuss matters concerning the educational as well as behavioral conduct of their children from time to time.

 

Acquire the skills that will make you recognize any sign that students are about to engage in violent activity. Immediately such signs become clear, alert the principal for further security action.

 

The teacher should initiate, support and lead students-led-anti-violence campaign.

 

Involve yourself in the school plans for safety.

 

Move motions to enforce policies that are aimed at reducing the risk of violence.

 

Prohibit students being called with names; teach them how to be responsible and acceptable members of the society.

 

Be enthusiastic in your teaching style, this will excite the students a great deal.

 

Acquire skills on conflict resolution and anger management. Teach the students these valuable skills, and see to it that they apply it in every day life.

 

Address the issue of violence and how to prevent it as you teach them.

 

Give the students encouragement to expose any criminal activity they observed.

 

It is obvious that the above discussed points are highly valuable and have the potentials of contributing in no small measure in preventing violence in our schools. Do apply them for best results.