Chapter Three: Classroom Behavior

"They overdo it. Two or three girls were fighting, and they brought a paddy wagon and weapons. Kids were all looking out the window. The whole school was distracted" - Mahogany ( page 60).


This quote genuinely surprised me and I am quite adamant about my feelings of disagreement with this statement. Previously, the students had been discussing the topic about gangs and how teachers should constantly be aware and cautious of the familiar signs that students are participating in a gang. So, if three girls get in a fight, of course there are going to be necessary precautions and safety measures taken to ensure that the situation is not going to be a future risk to students.


The Virginia Tech tragedy is an example that makes it impossible to not have this particular statement jump out at me. A student who has been consistently harassed and bullied walks through the college campus, shoots students, takes a break, and proceeds to continue shooting more students. During the shooting break, the majority of college students on campus had no idea of what was happening and were not even warned about the shooter still roaming among the dorms. With this example in mind, there is no possible way that a policy regarding students' safety should be undermined. Today, students are violent- kids harass, bully, name call, beat up, and even kill their peers. So when a fight breaks out between three girls in school, police officers should most definitely be involved, especially if the school considers the fight to be a potential risk to those particular girls and possibly any students in the future. The police are not meant to distract the whole entire school, but to protect it. If necessary safety precautions are not taken, then how can our students feel safe in their own learning environment? If necessary safety precautions are not taken, then horrors like the Columbine and the Virginia Tech will continue to be repetitive tragedies in our school systems.