When I was a high school student just a few short years ago I was a witness to a lot of fights and one of them turned out for the worst. I remember this afternoon so vividly; it is as though I have witnessed this outrageous display of anger every single day for the past three years. I was preparing to go home and I remember there was so much activity and chaos coming from one of the classes that it startled me. The altercation was led into the hallway when I realized it was two of my classmates. As the words, “Yeah, alright what are you going to do when you see your brain splatter all over wall nigger” escaped from Calvin’s mouth, no one took it seriously--especially not the teacher. The only words the teacher spoke were “both of you need to go home and stop making a scene in the hallway before neither of you get to walk at graduation.”At that moment the teacher had no idea how true his words were. That evening Rashaad was shot seven times, three in the head and four times in his abdomen. After what felt like five extremely long days, Calvin was arrested and sentenced to 15 years to life without parole. Two lives destroyed by a situation that could have been handled if only the teacher and the skills to defuse the situation. Tragic incidents at high schools (Columbine) and Colleges (Virginia Tech) have made headline news causing disbelief in our nation and heartbreak to the families of the victims. Although there are numerous violent acts committed that are nonfatal (“In 2005, students ages 12-18 were the victims of about 628,200 violent crimes at school. This included rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and robbery.”-CDC) It must be said that there are many things being done to help the prevention of school violence yet, it would also effective
if teachers were able to defuse violent situations in the classroom. These methods include: “Becoming aware of the extent of school violence in the Unites States”-CDC, Understanding School Violence, Noticing Risky Behaviors, Using Mediation and Mentoring.
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