justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Why

The recent tragedy in Orlando, where so many people were murdered or wounded by a deranged killer, brings up many questions. Multiple theories have been proposed concerning reasons for this horrendous act, ranging from homophobia, to commitment to a terrorist movement, with many other theories in between.

As a teacher, I’ve experienced a number of students who exhibited behavior that bordered on antisocial, to downright incorrigible. In all cases, I was able to initiate a behavioral management regime, which always involved parental support, as I visited nearly all the elementary students I taught. Admittedly, I’ve not been able to follow the lives of these students to see what impact they eventually had on society – more specifically, whether or not they were involved in antisocial behavior of any type.

I’m drawn to the review of the killer’s background, especially his performance in school. What types of behavior, and the schools’ responses to that behavior, could have provided signs that a child could be capable of such horror later in life?

If there was only a checklist against which each troubled student could be measured, complete with just the right degree and type of intervention, which might prohibit or at least recognize dangerous antisocial personality behavior.

I know that one role of formal schooling is that of socialization. I haven’t read much lately about what role the school has when a student displays resistance or rejection of the social norms learned and experienced by the majority of his or her peers (a process also known as enculturation).

Along with my support for limiting the availability of assault-type weapons, I favor more research on options for enhancing the skills involved in a positive self-concept, and insuring these factors are integrated into the curriculum.

Finally, I believe the first step to ensuring a positive experience for children starts with the teacher, the one constant in each classroom for either enhancing or inhibiting how “good” a child feels about him or herself. I’ve heard it said, “thinking can make it so”, (even found in the works of Shakespeare), and I wonder what the field of teacher preparation might do to consider this, or whether it is too much to ask of a profession already burdened with a plethora of expectations on the use of their limited time with students during the day.

I guess it boils down to priorities, to include what’s critical for the development of the child, and what is not. As Shakespeare would also say, “that is the question.”