The first day of kindergarten usually marks a child’s transition from the love and security of the family home to the outside world and society. In an ever-increasing number of schools, it is also the start of appalling physical and psychological abuse from other students that for some, will eventually lead to depression, suicide, gangs, and crime.

Since the elimination of physical force, there has been a lack of an effective deterrent to keep a very small percentage of children from disrupting and terrorizing the rest of the class. Over time, this small percentage affects the entire class, creating an environment that enables kids that would normally behave to act out, leading to widespread bullying, fighting and mental abuse between students the teacher is often unable to control.

Modern techniques and psychology have had a dramatic effect on controlling the behavior in most children without the need for physical force. Because these methods work on the vast majority of children the general belief in society is they will work on every child. This false widespread belief has put pressure on schools that can not control a student to cover it up. Not only does this make the classroom unsafe for the other children it disrupts and impairs the teacher’s ability to teach.

Between raising my own kids and knowing someone that has worked in the Toronto District School Board for over 30 years I know of too many disturbing incidences and procedures happening in schools today that much of the public is unaware of. Some of the most concerning are:

• It is difficult to control or remove a violent student from a class for specialized placement even if they have previously injured other kids or staff unless the child’s parents agree (parents are often the last ones to admit any problems with their child).
• Assaults in schools are rapidly increasing, including to staff
• Staff are hesitant to physically break up a fight even if an innocent student is being seriously injured in fear of being injured themselves, sued by the aggressive child’s parents, or fired from their job.
• An ever-increasing number of support staff are hired on a 1 on 1 basis for problem children that could be a danger to themselves or others.
• In some cases, if a child decides to leave the classroom they will not use physical force to stop them but rather have someone follow them as they roam the halls.
• Staff are taught not to confront behavior problems with students but to distract the child into thinking about something else.
• The biggest deterrent currently available to schools now is expulsion. Think about it, dozens of teachers with hundreds of years of combined university training, experience and resources still can’t control a student so they send them home to a parent/parents that are often already overwhelmed or part of the problem.

There are countless incidences as a result of the above practices, such as a grade 1 elementary student, after being sent to the office had a violent temper tantrum and began smashing phones, blinds, and a fax machine, the principal stood by and watched, unable to use physical force to stop him, they had to call the police (not the first time). Another incidence where a bullied student was shot by a pellet gun in an elementary school by another student. Before he was shot twice in the leg the shooter told him it was a real gun and he had 3 seconds to run. A well-adjusted adult would be mentally traumatized for life by such an experience, and it got worse. When the parents reported it to the school nothing was done so they called the police. The student was charged but because of the young offender’s act, he was released. The bullied child was tormented again by the shooter a few days later at school and told: “See, your parents and the police can’t stop me, now that you told on me I’m bringing in a real gun and I’ll be looking for you”. The parents had to move him to a different school. How can we allow this to happen to an elementary school child? These stories along with thousands of others never make the news so the public is kept unaware.

Evidence exists that this small percentage of problem kids besides disrupting and bullying, also influence other kids to exhibit the same behavior. Toronto Guns and Gangs unit estimate that 90% of gang members would not be there if not for the other 10%. Their findings are based on gang member arrests. They found 90 percent of kids arrested for the first time in gang-related crimes break down when faced with the possibility of going to jail. In fact, they are traumatized so much, they are unlikely not to re-offend even if the charges are dropped with no jail time. The other 10% show no remorse and even with jail time are likely to re-offend.

Until we get over our ignorance as a society that all children respond to the current deterrents for unacceptable and violent behavior, we allow thousands of innocent children to suffer unspeakable abuse we can not imagine. If not a physical deterrent, we need some form of other much stricter behavior consequences. Until we make all classrooms safe and equal for everyone, schools, gang prevention, crime, mental illness, and many social programs will remain bottomless cash pits, ineffective regardless of how much money the government throws in.

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com