Stop This!

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Book Blogs. All month, we’re focusing on teens and the trials they face as they move toward being adults. Today, it’s all about school violence and exactly what everyone can do to curtail school violence.
School violence has become epidemic. There is a tendency to only look at the individual committing the violence but we’re ignoring the real problem. All people want is for something to be done to stop the cycle of brutality that is terrorizing our children. Even those teens want the situation to change but that can’t be done with invective filled interviews or shouting down anyone that disagrees with your stance.
First and foremost, this problem isn’t going away overnight, no matter how much we want it to. There is no instant solution to stopping the violence, not as long as a small minority of teens feel the need to get attention by creating havoc.
Can we stop school violence?
We can, but everyone has to be on the same page. The solution isn’t as simple as taking away guns. It’s not going to stop just because we create more laws that repeat laws that are already on the books. As most know, no one really knows which student will be simmering quietly in the background, all the while they’re plotting to get everyone’s attention in a way that will make them the most hated person on the planet. At that point, whether or not they’re still alive to be prosecuted for their crime, they have achieved their goal—the world is talking about them.
So what is the solution?
Some might say this is too simplistic a solution but it’s one that worked for many, many years. It’s time for parents to stop being their child’s friend and be a parent, even if that means making your child unhappy with you. It’s time for teachers to stop stepping in for the parent in schools and only be your child’s instructor. Mostly, it’s time for those tasked with identifying these potentially violent children to do that and divert them away from their destructive path.
Most will say at this point that’s been tried and hasn’t worked.
Wrong. A half-hearted effort has been attempted. It didn’t work because those who are the ones that need to be on the front lines of stopping this problem aren’t putting out their best effort. Teachers are still expected to pass little Johnny or Suzy, even when that child hasn’t achieved the level of education to move onto the next grade. Parents have lives so busy they barely stop long enough between work, after school activities, and planned family nights simply to sit down and say “Tell me about your day.” These people need to shut off their phones, be in a comfortable and non-threatening environment, and ready to listen—and I do mean really listen. Finally, those tasked with identifying potential problems need to quit putting off their responsibility to another organization until the information reaches someone in an group that might be able to assist, if only they were properly funded.
That’s right. I said everyone needs to work together and not with innumerable meetings, false promises that “we’ll nip this in the bud,” and the child is left hanging while the adults talk, and talk, and talk without doing anything productive.
Back to our original question… Can we stop school violence? Yes, we can. If we devote ourselves to a dedicated path of understanding why certain children opt for this type of scenario in order to get attention.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.             A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

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