What are YOU doing to stop school violence?

In light of the two school shootings this week, I am saddened as I write, begging for a call to action. As I travel the country talking to Teachers, Parents, Grandparents, Administrators, School Resource Officers and concerned citizens, I am reminded that, we all want peace to prevail and for our children and grandchildren to attend school feeling safe to learn, grow and experience life as a child. However, no longer are the easy, care-free days of youth where children play with their neighborhood friends until the street lines come on. No longer are the days where our children’s worst fear is failing a spelling test or getting a detention for chewing gum. Life on the school campuses around our nation is filled with anxiety and sometimes dread as children consider if their school may be next in line to experience school violence. 

I do not pretend to have the answers to the many questions and multiple variables that play into school violence. However, I can tell you with full confidence that we are missing the mark when it comes to reaching the emotionally bankrupt youth who feel their only restitution is to return to their schools with guns to make right all the wrong they perceive done to them in their short lives. We cannot control what happens in homes across the nation but as educators in our schools and citizens of our communities we CAN control how much WE reach out to the hurting and lost generation. Many children fall through the cracks of life and education. It is not until one of these children show up at their school with a gun that we really take notice and say, “enough is enough. We must do something”. 

I challenge you to consider the following tough questions. Are you a volunteer in the mentoring program? Do you work with youth in your local religious organization? How often do you talk to the neighborhood kids, or just smile and ask them how school (or life) is going or notice their new backpack, shoes, or haircut? I find myself right where you are. We ALL could be doing more. By more, I do not mean petitioning for better gun laws or joining a rally at the capital. I mean the small, everyday things that really make a difference in the life of a child. 

We see commercials to send money to third world countries to help feed the poor and impoverished population. We are asked to donate to the local humane society or no-kill animal shelters. How many commercials have you seen asking for help with this epidemic of school violence? There are no easy answers. There is no amount of money that will take the place of human connections and someone taking a personal interest in a troubled teen’s life. 

I speak from experience when I tell you THAT very thing can change a life, as cliché as it may sound. I was, what is now considered, a troubled, “at risk” teenager. However, I am one of the success stories because adults in my life took an interest in me and gave me hope, which ultimately helped me see my own worth. 

This type of sacrifice of time, money and emotional vulnerability is not easy. That is why not many choose to reach out and mentor today’s youth. We have stopped teaching through personal narratives. We’ve stopped sharing ideas of compassions, honesty, integrity, perseverance and strong work ethic. We have become accustomed to easy, instant, non-committed interactions that do nothing for human connections with the heart and soul. Quite honestly, gone are the “good ol’ days”! With that absence of the good ol’ days comes the presence of superficial, dislocated, disconnected generations who do not know or respect one another. We are wrapped up in our own lives hoping someone else will fix the problem. When everyone is expecting the others to fix the problem, the problem will go unsolved. 

We cannot accomplish the ending of school violence by hardening our schools or creating better gun laws. Preventing school violence starts long before with human connections adding value and worth to a young life, giving them someone who believes in them. As family units continue to change from the traditional mom/dad/children norms, so do the needs of our youth today. Will YOU be the one to reach out to a youth with whom you have contact? Will you sign up to become a mentor? How about volunteering for an after-school program or working as a chaperone in the youth department at your church? Maybe you love sports and have the ability to take a few teens to an event or even volunteer to coach. It must be US, adults, who become the catalyst for change. Yes, our youth have a voice, and have become active in using those voices. However, let’s use our voices, time, energy and resources to invest in the lives of the broken, lost, frightened generation, for they will become our future. I once heard someone say, “If you want to truly affect the future of the world, invest yourself in the life of a child.”