Do American high schools and middle schools screw up kids?

Question

Based on the hypothetical question:
If shooting and going on rampages were legal world-wide, do you think America would have one of the highest rates of rampages?

Cho Seung Hui, according to wikipedia "Kim [Gyeong-won], Cho's friend in elementary school for three years met Cho in fifth grade, attending the same classes and riding the school bus together. There were only three Korean students in the school.[18] Back then, he said, nobody hated Cho and he "was recognised by friends as a boy of knowledge... a good dresser who was popular with the girls." Cho kept a distance from others because he chose to do so. Kim added that "I only have good memories about him.""

It wasn't until high school that he was picked on, taunted, told "to go back to china", and "The taunting got so bad for Cho that news quickly spread around school that he had drawn up a 'death list' of students he wanted to kill"

Open ended question, please refrain from emotional responses and give honest logical ones.

The hypothetical questions is just a way to figure out if, uninhibited by law social stigma and personal morals, would there be increasingly more rampages in America than anywhere else in the world? I have a morbid feeling that Cho's feelings about the world are all too common.

Answer 1

I do not think it is the school system that is responsible for the corruption of youth; rather, I feel it is a combination of the media's vulgarity, and the evolution of the times that are responsible for the inept.

Answer 2

If shooting and rampages were legal?? Irrational question.

It would be logical to assume that Cho's behavior and mental attitude had a big impact on how others treated him throughout school. Perhaps the other's taunting exacerbated his emotional situation but certainly were not the root cause of his actions nor do they justify them.
It is also reasonable to assume that since western media has more freedom than in some parts of the world that there would be more recorded events like thos. We cannot say for sure that many events like the VT shootings do not already regularly take place in places like China where the government press has the ability to keep such information from the public eye.

I have the same story from a different perspective. When I was in jr. H.S., my family move to an Indian reservation in Montana. Being a white minority in a place where the majority truly hate white people gave me a big taste of what Cho went through. I never considered killing those who bullied me though, that was his choice.

Answer 3

My parents were one of the very first immigrants from Korea. They came to America in 1968 and eventually settled into one of the most "lily white" suburbs in Long Island, NY. As a result, I was one of only four Asian students in my high school class of 640 students.

I wasn't really bullied too much (I'm a girl), but boy oh boy was I picked on. It was upsetting because even other minorities (African-Americans, Hispanics) were picking on me. Sometimes, their insults were even worse, which always made me wonder...did their parents not teach them ANYTHING about the Civil Rights movement? But I digress...

The point is, I never harbored any ill or violent feelings toward my peers. I cried a lot when I got home from school and kept to myself for most of my high school career, but that was about it. Then again, I didn't/don't have a mental illness...

Here's the thing. Racism toward Asians and Asian-Americans has been/is almost socially acceptable. It could be subtle ("Cream of some young guy") or it can be blatantly hurtful ("ching chong" "go back to china, chink", etc). First and foremost, our schools need much, much more diversity/sensitivity education, especially with regard to Asians.

I also think every school needs an in-house psychiatrist. Yes, they have guidance counselors and social workers and such, but I'm talking about a REAL, board certified mental health professional that can pinpoint, diagnose and treat a problem before it goes out of control.

So, to finally answer your question, yes, I believe American schools screw up kids -particularly Asian and Asian-American kids- but not to the point where they will kill. Screwed up kids with a mental illness, however, is a whole other ball of wax entirely. And, unless the above are implemented, it's only a matter of time when it happens again...

Answer 4

yes they do to some degree but more importantly, it's people that screw up other people. We all start out as innocent kids and learn from our parents and other kids, we learn from TV, watching people's actions. That is the problem with kids and society today, other people, people are not taught respect, and respect covers it. You respect others cultures, you respect people's feelings, it all boils down to that 1 word. You get a group of kids together, the most dominant kid, the leader of the group hates chinese, say he picks on a student like Cho, the others follow suit. If that one boy was taught respect or even anyone in the group with guts, they'd say knock it off, don't you know how to respect others cultures and feelings? I think schools don't do enough to teach kids respect, the teachers are too young and inexperienced and don't know how to handle things like this. I remember being in class as a kid with 1 student who was a troublemaker and he did something, we all got held back from going to lunch 20 minutes out of the 30 so you didn't get a lunch, the teacher figured the kids would take care of him, how stupid is that? You hold the 1 boy back and nip it in the bud then and there and do it while he's in kindergarden not 7th grade. You tell the kids, this is NOT acceptable and I will not tolerate this behavior in my class, you get all the teachers doing that and they will get respect from their students. One of my friends is a teacher, she has seen the young 20 something new teachers ignore bad behavior and hope it goes away, it doesn't it escalates, then you get the school principal who doesn't do anything and boom the kid gets away with more and more and learns not to respect anything. by the way, yahoo has an article up now on putting kids in handcuffs, did you see it?

Answer 5

Considering the number of multiple murder incidents in schools in the past five decades doesn't even break double digits (See the latest Time Magazine article), Subtract from those the murders committed by non-students (the article counted Kent State, and the custodian at the Amish school house) No, it's not true. Not even close to true.

Considering the number of men Cho's age that have committed suicide/murder bombings in the Mid East, Philipines, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere, I tend to think American kids are among the more sensible when it comes to homocidal reaction.

Answer 6

I'd blame the kids care takers and in that respect we are all to blame. If there is one thing I agree with hillary on its the fact that it takes a village to raise a child but I would actualy say it takes a world instead of village. Everything that child sees/hears/feels effects them and its very possible that things we consider negitive could be making them more likely to hate others. Fighting hate should be a goal amoung anyone who choices to love.

Answer 7

I think the psycological ramifications of bullying or not getting along within certain social groups most definetly has an affect on shaping who we become in life.

It's not so much 'American schools' that screw up kids; it's the kids who are bullies, or have just sick and twisted minds in general, that give schools a bad repuation.

Answer 8

yes. tottally true. in many ways. many schools in america are bad. trust me i know. i hate my school. i get in trouble for everything and nothing. it seems i just cant win. alot of ppl hate me bc im New Wave, unique, original, Obscure, different. so i get picked on constantly. most teachers dont care. so what your saying is basicly true. its sad. thats why colombine and the recent cho thing happend. bc teachers dont care and they dont realize and they dont "teach teens not to bully others" or they say something but do something else. its very corrupt these days.

Answer 9

No. But they're certainly not supporting the children's intellectual and emotional needs.

We need a whole new system in place. One that both prepares them for the real world and gives them a safe place to coexist in peace, intelligence, and reflection.

Answer 10

If you think school does NOT screw up kids, your a moron. It absolutely does. "Walk here, learn, but dont talk." "Go here, but be sure to not talk" "Talking is bad, and I, your teacher, know the truth." Basic message sent. Learning is at a maximum when you converse with fellow peers. School is simply a prison.