Are Schools Shaping our Future's Next Leaders or Criminals?

SHOOTINGS, BOMBS, DRUGS, THEFT. You name it. It is happening in our schools and instead of reports decreasing in numbers, the statistics for criminal acts performed by students in schools or around schools are escalating. Has the school system transformed into a mimic prison system? Let’s examine characteristics of some schools: Students enter school walking though metal detectors, random searches, forced to wear uniforms, small portions of food, acrimonious security guards, and minimum learning. Sounds like a prison or a school? It is hard to tell the difference. Although these characteristics are more prevalent in low socio-economic and high crime areas, violence is happening in schools all over the country regardless of social class. This overwhelming problem centers around the disconnect between the community and the school. Cultural influences and curriculum may also contribute to our larger problem. Kids are being conditioned to survive in afflicted environments while attempting to be successful in the classroom.

There are certain necessary aspects schools have to address to problem solve the growing concern of misconduct in schools. Educators need to help develop positive thinking and behavior within students. If we leave it up to what they see on television or what they hear on the radio, then we are in big trouble. And, by “we” I mean every living citizen in this country. The media that kids are more prone to listen to is usually filled with messages of immoral and inappropriate behavior. Educators are competing with the media and have to sell and promote the benefits of education and I do not think that we are always winning. Creating an environment that promotes learning and gets children excited to learn should be the number one goal of all schools.

Schools also have to address communal issues outside of school. There are many schools in areas of poverty and high crime that are suffering academically. Unfortunately, school leaders cannot change the lives that students come to schools with, so if we do not begin to come together as a community, we are doomed. Superintendents, mayors, politicians, business owners, and neighbors need to unite to discuss and correct the issues of the communities so the children will not bring a negative mentality or behavior to school. This refers back to the traditional saying related to schools, “It takes a village to raise to child.” This African proverb was true long ago and definitely has precedence today.

Next schools have to examine their own environment. Is it conducive for crime or learning? When anyone walks into a school building, they can tell right away if authentic learning is taking place and if the school is inviting for learners. From the paint on the walls to the students walk, the halls can reveal a great deal about what type of learning is taking place and who is controlling the school. Most schools are becoming data driven and are recognizing the number of violent occurrences in their school environment. Data is the most useful tool to analyze and evaluate what behavioral strategies are working in the building. Schools want to create an environment that makes a kid feel safe and supported.

Finally, educators need to pay close attention to the social dynamics among students. How do students interact with each other? Are they playful, sexual, or harmless in their interactions? If schools allow for play fight or horse fight in schools, the students will deem that behavior acceptable and then take it to levels that are more violent. If school personnel ignore sexual contact or inappropriate touching by males or females, the school may expect a large number of student sexual activities or pregnancies. It may sound like an extreme conclusion to draw, but unfortunately, this scenario is highly realistic.

So, how can teachers avoid teaching future criminals?

1. Create a school wide management plan that focuses on promoting positive behaviors instead of a school rule list of what kids should not do. This plan must be communicated to all staff members and just as we expect students to meet standards, we must expect it from adults in schools as well. This means that substitutes, lunch aids, teachers, principals and everyone else need to be consistent in their thought process and response to incidents within the building.

2. Teach and respond to kids in a cultural responsive way. We are at period where just teaching kids academically is not enough. Teachers need to teach in way that will meet the students’ social and cultural needs. This may take extra study on the teacher’s behalf, but it is worth it. The school community will feel enriched and meaningful. If students see no real value of the lesson plans taught in classrooms, they tend to neglect its importance to their lives.

3. Don’t treat them as if they are criminals. No matter the age, kids essentially want and need one thing: A trusting adult who cares and helps them in deficient or weak areas. If teachers and staff talk down to children or treat them unfairly, this creates a frustrated and angry student. In most cases, children have difficulty controlling these rage-type feelings and in consequence act out. The teacher usually automatically punishes the student without any acknowledgement of the real cause of this situation. To put this simple, if we treat them like criminals, students will internalize it and behave in that way. If we treat them like intelligence human beings, their behavior will become positive and will complement the learning climate.

4. Teachers should know school law. If teachers and staff know the law regarding the governing of schools, they are more likely to appropriately respond to situations in the schools. If we are trying to prevent students from entering the criminal justice system, we need to know that we are practicing interventions that are compliant with the state and federal statue. This allows students to receive a fair and just education.

5. Work real character education into the curriculum. Character education should be a huge aspect of any academic curriculum in schools. This does not include a character word of the month. This is usually not meaningful and substance enough to modify behavior, so teachers have to look at character education with importance and it should be taken just as seriously as reading and math.

Our society cannot move ahead and progress socially or economically if we are not preparing positive leaders in schools. It sounds like a simple solution, but it takes systemic change to improve educational quality. It takes the entire village to not take a back seat in the educational decisions. We cannot decide which kids come to us as teachers nor can we change their background, but we can work tediously to improve their minds and school ethics. We can create school buildings that are structured but warm and inviting. If stakeholders in education put as much emphasis on these core things as they do for high-stakes tests, then we will have citizens that are more productive in our society. We would help to develop self-motivated and critical thinkers who would make a positive impact in our changing world. In the end, we would use the money we save on imprisoning criminals to build more educational institutions and places of employment for our future leaders.

author: Gholdy Muhammad