What is wrong with our kids?
 

A plot for a Columbine type school shooting was foiled in Kansas on 4-20-06. Today another one was foiled in Washington. In trying to find links for references, I found several articles on students organizing to burn a school down and other students organizing to kill other students and faculty-just this week :eek: and these were middle school children.

What do you think is wrong with our kids? I am especially interested in what GC educators think is wrong with our children.





(Mod, I didnt see a similar topic. Please feel free to delete this thread if I missed it.)

Re: What is wrong with our kids?
 

I was an educator briefly :). I will tell you what is wrong with the kids....the parents. Parents don't have enough time for the kids and aren't involved in their kids lives enough. I think it all boils down to that.

Re: Re: What is wrong with our kids?
 

I have to agree, it parents and society on a whole. Movies, video, music and television has produced a nation of over-sexualized and extremely violent children. However the ultimate responsibility falls on the parents to monitor their children's activities and friends. But the world is moving way to fast for parents to take that time. Sad I tell you...:(

Parents do need to be more involved in their children's lives and be good role models for them. Sometimes things I hear from my kids about their parents and their moral responsibility to teach them right from wrong is amazing. Oftentimes I have to say to them -when they abdicate that responsibility -is to say that was unfortunate in their particular situation. I feel that parents have made the schools responsible for their children's upbringing and education and have given up their rights to be parents- they are more concerned about being their child's friend and trying to appease them. :(

That's the dang-gone truth!! My mother let me know years ago, she ain't here to my damn friend, I'm sure this statement was made after I received a sound whooping for something:)

Ok so far we have spoken to normal problems such as fighting or poor performance.

What is wrong with those kids who plan to kill other kids and faculty? I cant believe that is all on the parents.

Kids have anger management and communication issues. They do not know how to address anger, nor do they know how to communicate that they are lonely, afraid of abandonment, hurt, etc.


Parents have allowed their kids to rule them. They don't want to treat their kids like their parents treated them.

Well who do you think is to blame? What do YOU think the issues are for these kids?

I really dont know, I posed the question to get a more informed opinion.

It being the parents doesnt strike me as being the primary culprit in the situations where kids are planning to kill in a Columbine style masacre. I wondering was it the medications that kids are taking (ritalin, etc) musical or television influence. I just cant imagine that parents are influencing their childrent to take guns to schools and shoot people. But then again, I could be wrong.

I wouldn't say that the parents are ENCOURAGING their kids to kill, but they are at the lowest level failing their children due to their neglect. If you blame the medication...why are kids this young even on medication? What is missing in their lives that they are so depressed that they need to be medicated? If you blame music/television- why are parents allowing their children to be raised by music/television/violent video games? I think that people are so quick to blame the media (i.e. "Marilyn Manson made my child go out and kill") when the finger should first be pointed at the parents.

Like Eminem said in one of his songs "How much damage can you do with a pen? Where were the parents when little Terrance jumped off of the terrace. You should've been watching him, apparently you aren't parents." I think it all comes back to upbringing and parents having a strong, authoritative role in the lives of their kids.

Another plot was foiled at Red Lake High School here, just a year after an attack that caused the second highest number of deaths behind Columbine. :(

There is nothing wrong with our kids. We are to blame. And not just bad parents, but everything else that kids are exposed to. The nature of movies, tv shows, videos, dam rap songs, etc. as Bajan Delta said already, this has created this monster of a generation we have now. WE HAVE TAKEN AWAY THEIR INNOCENCE.

I also know too many children who have raised themselves. They don't talk to their parents anymore. They e-mail them and they live in the same house!! With the cost of living and people buying homes with more room than they need to "keep up", they often work longer hours and spend less time at home to properly parent.

This is a serious crisis to me because I had something happen this past week with one of my students where he e-mailed his father about a bully. His father replied in the letter to us that he told him to defend himself by any means.:eek:

I truly believe that this particular student is one who may do something "Columbine-like". I do have my eye on him and doing what I can to help him and keep something bad from happening.

They just foiled another Columbine style plot in Winslow Township NJ in the last 2 weeks. They are still looking for more people that either knew about it or were involved

A young man killed his grandmother and cousins(5 people) in his grandparents house. He mentioned to someone that they were getting on his nerves and he wanted to kill them but no one took it seriously (just thought he was whining like kids do). He strangled and beat them to death. His grandfather asked a family friend to check on his family since he had not heard from anyone. The friend found the family dead in the basement wrapped in blankets.

On the news when they arrested him he acted like he was going to Wendy's or something..there was no emotion whatsoever. I do think they said he did have some issues but dude you just killed 5 ppl....:(

Kids are emotionally detached these days. They don't care (primarily because no one cares for them so they don't know what that is) about their life in some cases much less others.

I agree with Blue Reign..the things that kids can get access to nowadays pale with what we were allowed to do. If the movie is rated R I could not get in w/o a parent. My mom would not let me watch the Exorcist (Good Call lady!) at all...there were bondaries set originally by parents and in some cases reinforced by society. Now there are none...

I was thinking what was wrong was something like drugs or music. It appears to be much more complex than that. I agree that kids are emotionally detached and desensitized to things.

7th Graders people..7thGRADE!!! WTF?
 

Alaska school back in session after attack scare
Seventh-graders accused of plotting to kill students, faculty

Monday, April 24, 2006; Posted: 9:40 p.m. EDT (01:40 GMT)


North Pole Middle School is in North Pole, Alaska, a town of 1,600 people.


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Students were encouraged to return to North Pole Middle School Monday with the assurance that police would patrol the halls after the weekend arrest of six seventh-graders suspected of plotting a deadly attack.

Nine other seventh-graders also were suspended in possible connection with the elaborate scheme to kill faculty and classmates using guns and knives at the school, where about 500 sixth- through eighth-graders have four weeks until summer vacation, officials said.

"We're going to have school," said principal Ernie Manzie. "We feel that all the students involved are not at school, so we feel it's safe."

The town of 1,600 people is about 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks in Alaska's interior and is home to many military families from nearby Eielson Air Force Base and the Army's Fort Wainwright.

The story has been widely broadcast, but some residents aren't worried about the arrests tainting the image of North Pole as the idyllic home of Santa Claus. The town receives thousands of letters each Christmas from around the world.

"I think most people are savvy enough to realize that violence of this nature can happen anywhere, to the best of families and the best of communities," Mayor Jeffrey Jacobson said.

Still the allegations have shocked this "nice little community," said Laura Harper, who has lived in North Pole for 23 years and works in a local restaurant. "We just can't believe something this horrible is happening in this good town."

The boys, who could face charges of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, are at the Fairbanks Youth Facility in Fairbanks.

Without elaborating on the evidence, North Pole Police Chief Paul Lindhag said the boys had planned to disable the school's power and telephone systems, giving them time to kill their victims and leave town.

The group wanted to seek revenge for being picked on, he said.

The story in North Pole broke two days after five Kansas teenagers were arrested on suspicion of planning a shooting rampage at their high school last Thursday, the seventh anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.

"Our investigation does not reveal any connection to any of these other school tragedies," Lindhag said. "I think it's more coincidental than anything."

In Riverton, Kansas, a community of about 600 people in southeast Kansas, near the Oklahoma and Missouri borders -- prom went on as planned Saturday.

"Our school is not big on canceling things," said Daniel Koucky, a senior at Riverton High School. "We haven't had a snow day in two-and-a-half years."

Sheriff's deputies found guns, ammunition, knives and coded messages in the bedroom of one suspect and documents about firearms and references to Armageddon in two suspects' school lockers.

A bond hearing for the suspects -- ages 16 to 18 -- was set for Monday afternoon. The prosecutor said he would soon determine whether to file criminal charges.

I think that's basically it. Kids have *always* had anger management and communication problems, we did. The difference is that we had not been socialized to even *consider* the idea of shooting someone. That was not even a remote option in the society that we came up in. Bullying, fighting, stealing yes, shooting, no.

Times change. Parents need to step it up.

SC

We are also seeing the continued results of kids born to one or more addicted parent--alcohol fetal syndrome, crack babies, cocaine babies, etc. And yes, White suburbia has addicted parents, too. Addiction not only physically affects the child, but leads to neglect and inattention.

You have touched on lot of issues that I think are affecting our kids today. With the influx of electronics/technology, kids seriously are lacking socials skills, which do include conflict resolution and management. I NOW understand why our parents would force us to go outside and play (besides to give them a break ;p) but to also teach us how to get along with people. Today, for the majority of kids, their social outlets are video games (which you can play against others gamers online) and the computer (ex. myspace, chat rooms, facebook, etc.).

Parents do need to step up. Quit worrying about the material things that the Jones have and trying to "keep up". Kids are a blessing from God and its their character that matters, not wear or not their jeans are Levi or Lucky. Quit trying to be they dag on friend and DISCIPLINE them! It B-LO-W-S my mind that my co-worker's daughter is 12 and has a cell phone! WTH? Where is a 12 year old going that you don't know about? What is she doing that she needs a cell phone? Growing up my mom worked and didn't get off work until 5:30, but school let out 3. If I wasn't at home when she called at 3:15 my tail would be in TROUBLE.

Anyway, I'm starting to rant now. But I do agree with you all about their innocence being going. Look at the clothes they seel for little girls :eek: or at the body types that our media and society hails as beautiful and sexy (that of a pre-pubescent teen).

Sad really...

I agree w/ most of what's being said, but let's keep perspective. Maybe the 12 year-old has a cell phone so the mom/dad can keep up (reach her) at all times. I saw a news story last week that these phones are now being used like GPS tracking systems. If fast azz Shenquia says she at the mall, you can punch it in and see, in fact, if she's at the mall. so who knows?

My folks knew where I was. If I was trying to hit a party on Friday night, you best believe moms had called and had been told by the other parents that there was indeed a party at their crib. (I'm sure my sisters got it even worse than I did.) It was a pain in my azzz to be sure, but I'm thankful today for every question I got asked, every parental standard I had to meet.

Parents need to set boundaries, and let kids be kids within those boundaries. Sure, kids will test these boundaries (that's why we have the "worst whuppins you ever got" thread) but once tested, kids know that their parents love them enough to check them.