Reducing School Violence

Paper 3: Reducing School Violence, Bullying, and Misbehavior

Yes, I can support the position that creating small, intimate learning communities within a large school might be a way to reduce school violence. Small, intimate settings within a large school could help build friendships, allow for personal time between students and teachers, and help build students self esteem. Since this is a large school it is easy for students to feel left out or find their group of friends that they fit in with. For a student to be left alone and unable to fit in with others in this large community, it is easy for them to think of ways to fit in and be included. They may feel as if in order to fit in they have to do something dangerous or violent to prove they can fit in with the crowd. If there were small learning communities within this large school it would be easy for students to become friends with people in their groups. It would also be easier for them to feel more comfortable around people and open doors for other friendships around school. This could reduce the chance for students to feel the need to act violent to fit in because they would already have friendships in the making. Another positive outcome these small, intimate learning communities can have is building a personal relationship between student and teacher. These groups could be centered on a teacher providing activities for the students to get to know each other, and also get to know the teacher better as well. If the students respect their teacher and feel like they can go to them for anything then the violent and disrespectful behaviors within the classroom could potentially come to a stop. Student teacher interactions in these small groups are a great way to build a strong relationship with one another and once again gain that mutual respect for one another and reducing violence in the classroom. Small group learning is a great way to help build students self esteem. Once they feel comfortable in their small group it will eventually be easier for them to interact, and feel more comfortable in a large group setting. It is known that students that struggle with low self esteem tend to be bullied and picked on. And most of the time the only way they know how to get the person back for picking on them is violence. These small, intimate groups would help students feel more comfortable with one another as well as feel better about themselves. In the end this could change the way students bully and fight back. In order to reduce violence and improve discipline I would work with fellow teachers, and come up with a plan that works best in every classroom, and also a plan that all teachers are on the same page about. As a teacher earning respect from your students is vital, we need to make sure that we are teaching in a manner that is respectful to the students in order for them to respect us. If there is that mutual respect among teacher and students they likelihood of them acting out in class will greatly decrease. Also if all teachers tend to handle disciplinary actions the same it will be easier to control them when they happen. It will also make it easy for the students to understand that they need to act the same around all teachers and know that if they are around other teachers they cannot get away with it. If we handle violent situations quickly and in the same way every time then the violent acts should come to a stop.