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Education matters
By Mike Murray
murrmich@mscd.edu

A 16-year-old girl was raped inside her classroom in North Carolina. Two high-school students were arrested and convicted for severely beating a classmate in Tennessee. And no one can forget the massacre at Columbine.

School violence is not a thing of the past; it is a problem today. According to the National School Safety Center, more than 3 million students fall victim to violence each year. Many more are subjected to discrimination and bullying.

School districts and teachers maintain that they have a responsibility to educate students, but what else are they responsible for? Should teachers do more than educate? Should they also help to mold and protect students?

The government has, for the most part, left the definition of teacher’s responsibilities up to individual schools, which have taken various approaches to the issue. Some schools suggest a teacher is an intricate part of a child’s development. Other schools believe a teacher is anyone they can get to show up and teach students.

The lack of clarity regarding teachers’ responsibilities is a main reason for school violence. Teachers are similar to parents. In many families, teachers are the only role model students have. Teachers need to not only educate students but to shape them.

Teachers are accountable for what happens in their classroom. They are responsible for setting a tone in the classroom that promotes creative and critical thinking, and for being a positive role model both inside and outside of school. Teachers must encourage children to think independently. Finally, teachers are responsible for the safety of their students at school.

It is not fair to ask teachers to risk bodily harm to protect their students, nor is it fair to ask them to break up a fight. It is not fair to put the burden of shaping society on teachers’ shoulders, but I am asking them to assume the burden.

It is time we allow teachers to shape the future of this country.

It is time we stop telling teachers they have to be politically correct. We cannot ask why a teacher challenged a student’s idea, but we can accept the possibility that he was trying to encourage critical thinking. It is time we ask where teachers were when violence erupted. This society must investigate what teachers can do to ensure their classrooms do not become boxing rings. We need to ensure that the teachers of tomorrow will receive training in these situations. It is time to recognize that giving students the ability and a forum to verbally express ideas will reduce school violence.

It is time students respect teachers and teachers are given the freedom to protect our society.