School shootings and gun violence are painful crises that are out of control in America. These incidents seem to happen more often than not. Every parent should be able to send their children to school with the expectation that their child will be in safe hands. They shouldn’t worry about anyone coming to the school and harming them. It’s tough for most of us to understand how any person, regardless of age, relationships, or grievances, could shoot a child or youth, especially in a school setting. Students and faculty who witness school shootings are likely to suffer from Trauma and become anxious or depressed. They are likely to experience general concerns about their safety and the safety of their loved ones after such events. No one can quantify the impact each individual will face. Many witnesses will have temporary symptoms; others will be symptomatic for an extended period and possibly develop long-term psychiatric disorders.
These atrocities can be reduced and even prevented if certain factors are addressed. We live in the age of social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Many of our youth are exposed to harmful content that clouds their mind and judgments and alters their thought process. Individuals who don’t conform to this peer pressure often get bullied, which can escalate to violence. There are ways to help our youth shift away from this recurring cycle. The ideal place to start this intervention would be at home. Children have the best chance of leading happy and healthy lives if they have the support and encouragement of their parents. The parent’s responsibility is to provide a safe and stable home. This responsibility includes keeping the whereabouts and locations of firearms away from their children and being aware of their child’s exposure. There is never a perfect way to go about this. But there are support groups within the community and schools that can help. After-school activities and peer interaction are excellent ways for children to have good social communication and build relationships, and not be isolated. Peer counseling is another way for youth to come forward and express their feelings if something bothers them.
In my opinion, the individuals who commit these horrible acts have several issues. They have no emotional control over themselves. They probably have a mental disorder, and chances are they come from an unstable home and are doing poorly academically. Accurate focus and attention can fix all these concerns. Mental health can be addressed if symptoms and signs are identified early, and someone comes forward and tells a responsible adult. The person that needs help can then get the appropriate service required. If someone is struggling in school, they also can receive the adequate tutoring and support they need to be up to par with where they need to go. All this violence and shooting can be prevented if there is better communication among individuals, and it starts from the home environment.
I am not a parent. Therefore, I do not fully understand what parents are going through regarding their child’s safety. But seeing the impact this has on parents, and it’s not shocking to see why they are hesitant to send their children to school. This uncertainty affects our education system as well. Many teachers are put in a tough spot. They have to be concerned not only about their well-being but also about the students they are responsible for, and that’s an unfair burden.
