This week the nation has been grieving the terrible tragedy that has unfolded at Chardon High School just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. 17-year-old high school student T.J. Lane opened fire on a group of students Monday morning, leaving three teenagers hospitalized with serious injuries and three teenagers dead.
This incident strikes hard at high schools all around the country, including mine, as something like this could happen at any school.
Though the reasons for Lane's rampage are still unknown, there are a few possible triggers that students, teachers, and parents must be aware of in order to avoid future situations like these.
Tragedies like this can never be predicted, but there are things that we must understand in order to be able to prevent them. In the Chardon High School shooting, prosecutor David Joyce has described Lane as "someone who's not well." It is nearly impossible to imagine the mind of someone who is mentally distressed. Like under any circumstance, we must understand that what lies underneath any person's appearance could be an unsuspecting state of confusion and discomfort.
If it turns out that a factor in the shooting was mental illness, students, teachers, and parents alike must understand the extremes that someone in this condition can experience. I feel that students today, myself included, are not aware of the symptoms of such conditions and fail to understand that mental illness is a disease. By becoming further educated about these psychological states, I hope that we will be able to foster an environment that is more welcoming for all students, and in turn, hopefully prevent further situations like these.
Another lesson to be learned from this tragedy is the importance of taking even the smallest threat seriously. Last December, Lane posted a threatening Facebook status describing his troubles ending it with the words, "Die, all of you."
Though this was months ago, threats like these should not be taken lightly. If his post was properly addressed, this tragedy may have been avoided. If any of us see any threats that could suggest any trouble, we must report it to a parent, teacher, or faculty member, as it could prevent an event such as this one.
What I find even more troubling is that many of my peers and teachers know so little about the Chardon High School shooting. As I said, this could happen anywhere and we must know the extents that these tragedies can rise to. I can't emphasize how important this is and how much this angers me.
I am not saying that having a mental illness could excuse his horrible actions. I am only trying to get across the point that there are indicators that, if addressed, can often help prevent tragedies like this -- and that students, teachers, and parents across the country must be aware of them.
My sentiments echo those of Chardon School District Superintendent Joseph Bergant II, who said, "We're not just any old place, Chardon. This is every place. As you've seen in the past, this can happen anywhere."
This could have happened at any one of our high schools across the nation. We must understand the possible factors that could lead to such an event and strive to make everybody feel welcome all the time. As our society continues to work for equal rights for all, we must not forget those suffering from psychological illnesses. We cannot let this happen again.
We also need to understand that there are also triggers unique to mental illnesses, and personal experience. What may be a good joke to one may be a trigger point to another. I suggest that we be familiar with others if we intend to joke, deride or just bug them a little.
Because we tend to not reveal our quirks we should assume there are many quirks around us.
Guns are a tool, but not the only one for those intent upon mass mayhem. There are other tools for mass mayhem that are far more easily available than pistols. For good reason, I will not itemize them.
And yes, guns should be kept locked up. I keep mine locked up. Does anyone know how he got it? If it was a criminal purchase on the black market, there is no adult at fault.
How are public schools demeaned by the more affluent parents send their kids to private school? "We need less efficient smaller schools where even fat-boys and geekey girls find a place of comfort." That is why I send my kids to private school, small classes and much more discipline than any public school I know of. I may be teaching my kids that they are better than anyone else because they go to private school but the benefits greatly outweigh any possible drawback.
It's not that simple. You might not like it but there is no political will for a "crack down on guns". If gun control was a winning political issue then more politicians would support it.
Parents who don't teach their kids good values, parents who don't know what their kids are dealing with and help them with it, parents who can't even be bothered to cook family meals because they're too lazy or both parents are working.
Having kids is different than raising kids. We need more people who raise kids.
A noticeable (physical or cognitive) difference in a child or teen in school can quickly become a game for the more empowered. A student with a learning disability, a food allergy, one who's withdrawn or has a quirky or creative appearance, one that's too skinny or too heavy in weight or just about anything else, can easily become prey. Bullying isn't a single action; it's chronic and persistant and can drive someone who's "normal" to become a "person who is not well". Because bullying can so easily occur (thru actions, words, internet, cell phone), someone less empowered has decided after a long series of internal painful experiences, that their life is out of their hands. They have given up trying to belong.
Because children/ teens spend more than 7 hours per day at school, it is way past due for schools to wake up and implement a preventiative, proactive plan to create a community within the school that fosters connections. Counseling teams and social programs should be available 24/7 in every school to remediate evidence of bullying and implement swift rules.
Don't take this the wrong way, I'm for proper gun rights all the way, but people have to be held responsible for enabling mass murder. A child is the parents' responsibility. Rather than forcing all of our children to get frisked and treated like they are in a prison at school to counter a threat that is less likely than getting hit by lightening, we should make sure there are a few armed individuals in the school with some proper training. We should also make an example of negligent parents. Maybe more would then pay attention.
Yeah, I know girls fight and they bully - but they aren't usually the ones blowing people away with guns, knives, cars and setting their houses on fire after killing their two kids.
This is a no brainer. Sure females kill but in no where NEAR the numbers.
I had no idea, also in Los Angeles, that it was a "man" who drowned her (excuse me, his) two daughters in the bathtub...
history demonstrates that when you have too many... young, unemployed males with no future prospects you have either rebellion or your leadership wages war to cull the population.
Its funny you pitch this problem into the laps of men instead of making excuses for them like you would for anyone else.
These killings are a permanent fabric of American society and life as a result of our gun culture. It places all Americans, anywhere in America, at risk of literally being in a war zone at any moment.
Source: "Our Endangered Values" by former President Jimmy Carter (2005).