| nce seems to be on the rise among young people in | | | | from them can make all the difference to a child |
| school. Fighting, attacks and shooting are becoming | | | | suffering from abuse or neglect. Often the most |
| more and more common all the time. Parents and | | | | difficult children to deal with need the most approval |
| communities need to take the steps to improve | | | | and support. Telling a child you are proud of them can |
| family and school relationships in order to create a | | | | help to encourage more positive behavior and change |
| happy, healthy environment for students that will | | | | the path of a person's life. You never know when |
| result in less violence and more success for students | | | | you will be the one person, the only person, who |
| everywhere. Only when parents, teachers, religious | | | | ever gave them a reason to believe in themselves |
| and community leaders work together will there be a | | | | and try. |
| dramatic reduction in harmful school violence. | | | | School violence has tragic consequences for |
| It is important to note that the most common | | | | everyone involved whether it is abusive behaviors at |
| reason for school violence is low self-esteem. | | | | school that make people feel unsafe and destroys |
| Students who perpetrate school violence tend to | | | | their self-esteem or shootings that take the lives of |
| have low self-esteem. Often these young people | | | | innocent people and shake up entire communities and |
| have been the victims of verbal abuse throughout | | | | even the whole country. School violence is something |
| their childhood at home, at school or both. All parents, | | | | that affects everyone whether they are in school, |
| teachers and students need to learn the importance | | | | have children or grandchildren in school, or not. The |
| of treating other people with respect. As human | | | | world does not feel like a safe place to be when |
| beings we all have our differences and we don't | | | | children are being killed in school. |
| always "like" everyone, but there is no excuse for | | | | Community and religious leaders can also be on the |
| verbal abuse or "put downs", not even under the | | | | lookout for destructive behaviors at a young age. |
| guise of "joking around". Schools that implement a | | | | They can help provide parenting classes and |
| zero tolerance policy on "teasing" have a tendency to | | | | resources to help parents deal with stress and |
| report far fewer incidences of school violence than | | | | provide a stable environment for children. They can |
| those where this behavior is ignored or even | | | | also encourage the zero tolerance policy in schools. |
| encouraged. | | | | Neighbors can also shoulder some of the |
| It is important for educators to be on the lookout | | | | responsibility. People need to stop minding their own |
| for symptoms that a child is being verbally or | | | | business and report suspected child abuse before it is |
| physically abused at home and file the proper reports. | | | | too late. Ending school violence should be a priority |
| All children need proper love and nurturing in their | | | | for everyone and only when everyone works |
| homes to become responsible productive adults. | | | | together will this problem be solved. |
| Teachers should also be aware that a kind word | | | | |