As teachers, we are often trying to "undo" harmful messages kids get from their families. This one has got to take the cake.
One of the most frustrating things educators deal with are parents who thwart our efforts to teach their kids how to be good people. While almost all parents want what is best for their kids, and many parents use good sense, there are way too many parents whose actions fall into the category of “What were you THINKING?”
Case in point: Earlier this week a teenage boy was arrested for planning a “Columbine-style attack” at a high school in suburban Philadelphia, not far from where I live. While searching this young man’s room, police found guns, explosive devices and other items that made it clear that the teen was up to something. It was later revealed that his mother had purchased three of the guns for him, and that his father had also attempted to do the same.
As an educator, how do you compete with messages like these? Messages that clearly say that arming yourself and preparing to attack is the answer to being bullied, being left out, not getting what you want, or coping with life’s general unfairnesses? Our culture eagerly shoves unhealthy attitudes and activities down our kids’ throats while blaming schools for every ethical lapse. It can feel like we’re trying to bail out a sinking ship.
True, this was a home-schooled kid, so maybe his access to caring adults who might have offered him support, a different perspective, or some common sense was more limited than it might have been had he attended school. Who knows? But I have to wonder how things may have turned out differently for this kid had he had teachers other than his mother. If he’d had teachers who might have listened to him and offered him ways to cope and solve problems in ways that didn’t involve firearms.
