As someone who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, gun violence as well as school violence can be a tricky topic to deliver to children who are 5-6 years old and may not fully understand this concept yet. I believe that it is definitely important to educate children on this topic and ensure their safety in the classroom. When I think about school violence there are unfortunately a lot of things that fall under that category, some more than others and the first thing that I thought about was bullying. With younger kids I feel as though it is more common and some students are usually doing it because of an underlying issue, whether it be something going on at home or in school this issue is very important to talk about. 

School violence contains many aspects such as bullying and cyberbullying, fighting, weapon use, gang violence, and sexual violence. It is important as an educator to be aware of all types of school violence and make sure to have good relationships with students so that if something were to happen they know they can come to you and discuss the situation further.  

“All students have the right to learn in a safe school environment. The good news is that school violence can be prevented. Many factors contribute to school violence. Preventing school violence requires addressing the factors that put people at risk for or protect them from violence.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Preventing School Violence. Center for disease Control and Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Fyouthviolence%2Fschoolviolence%2Findex.html

Having healthy relationships with your students is very important because you will be able to tell if something is off on the way they are acting and be able to talk to them privately to see what is going on for them and if they need someone to talk to. 

“It can be helpful to ask questions and get your kids talking about their social situation. For instance, find out which friends they are getting along with and which ones they’re not.” “Establishing good communication should start well before the kids are having bullying problems,” says Dr. Pastyrnak.” 

Broadwell, L., Colino, S. (2023) How To Deal With Bullying in Schools

https://www.parents.com/kids/problems/bullying/bully-proof-your-child-how-to-deal-with-bullies/

Making sure to keep an I on how children behave is also important as an educator, this will make sure that as a teacher you can see when something is off with a child and when they need some comfort. 

My Good Brain (October 7th). Bullying prevention

https://www.mygoodbrain.org/blog/bullying-prevention 

This infographic is a very helpful way on how to prevent bullying as well as what steps you can take to make sure that everyones mental health is okay and that if someone needs to talk you know how to be their for them.

 In the documentary Bowling for Columbine, it goes over a lot of how guns are supported by many people as there are organizations to make more laws approve the use of guns. Many people feel as though they need to have one at all times for their protection rather than relying on the police. This then leads to more violence as not everyone with a gun knows when the right time to use it is. The school shooting at Columbine High school is absolutely devastating and has happened more in recent years. Gun management needs to be better as guns are being provided to the wrong people and end up devastating innocent people’s lives. 

References:

WatchDocumentaries. (2002, October 11). Bowling for Columbine (2002). WatchDocumentaries.com. https://watchdocumentaries.com/bowling-for-columbine/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Preventing School Violence. Center for disease Control and Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Fyouthviolence%2Fschoolviolence%2Findex.html

My Good Brain (October 7th). Bullying prevention

https://www.mygoodbrain.org/blog/bullying-prevention 

Broadwell, L., Colino, S. (2023) How To Deal With Bullying in Schools

https://www.parents.com/kids/problems/bullying/bully-proof-your-child-how-to-deal-with-bullies/