[Winona Online Democracy]
At 01:51 PM 6/5/01, Joliene Olson wrote:
>I really do have to react however, to Andrew's assertion that a few students
>didn't "put forth their best effort" because of the "repressive
>atmosphere". That is really to bad, BUT, there is no promise or guarantee
>that life is going to be fair. We cannot always choose what happens to us
>in life BUT we can choose how we react to it. The measure of maturity is
>not blaming others for failures.
Yes, there's no promise or guarantee that life is going to be fair. That's
a constant of adulthood. It shouldn't have to be part of childhood.
Teenagers are caught in a transitory phase in life from childhood to
adulthood. It's tough. Emerging identities and that continual struggle
for independence make being a teen frustrating. I'm sure everyone can
remember what it was like. Schools shouldn't be a place where kids feel
repressed. There should obviously be rules and structure, but not
repression; and metal detectors and involuntary searches certainly lend a
repressive atmosphere to schools. If you're saying kids should get used to
the idea that life isn't fair and they might as well learn it in school, I
respectfully, but wholeheartedly, disagree with you. School should be a
haven so that kids can be free to learn and grow, not a place to which they
dread going, where their freedoms are so harshly limited. (And, most kids,
by the time they enter high school, already know life isn't fair).
Further, as many have said already, metal detectors and involuntary
searches only put a band-aid on the problem. **If we want to stop school
violence, we must get at the root of the problem. Treat the illness, not
the symptom.** What causes Johnny to pick up a gun and shoot his
classmates? If it's school-related (brutal bullying, etc.), schools should
fix it. If not, it's no longer the school's responsibility, but the
student needs to be made aware of available resources for help through the
school's counseling center. The real solution is going to require a
community effort; far more difficult than simply installing metal detectors
or conducting random searches.
Lori Baumgardt
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "andrew thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 5:33 PM
>Subject: Re: [Winona] an adults perspective of search
>
>
> > [Winona Online Democracy]
> >
> > And Mr.Lanz returns to the assertion that not instituting invasive
>security
> > measures will result in violence. Many participating in this discussion
>are
> > framing it as if David, Dan, Dwayne and I (My name doesn't start with a D;
>I
> > feel left out.) had been placing privacy above safety. I can't speak for
> > others, but my own position is this: If it would prevent violence, I
> > wouldn't mind being strip-searched in full view of the entire faculty and
> > student body. The fact is, however, that this will not prevent any
>violence
> > because the likelihood of violence would have to exist in the first place
> > for these school-security measures to prevent it.
> >
> > Columbine: I'm sure a majority of people who have had their houses broken
> > into have installed security systems on their houses or otherwise acted to
> > feel more secure, probably sacrificing some convenience and money to do
>so.
> > Burglary happens, and I'm sure those who have been the victims of it now
> > regret not putting up more protective equipment beforehand, but since the
> > particular city my family lives in has a relatively low crime rate and the
> > likelihood of our house being burglarized is therefore small, the family
>has
> > opted not to make the expense of money, convenience, and comfort that
> > installing a sophisticated alarm system and putting bars over our windows
> > would incur, since that expense would be greater than the benefit derived.
> > In the same way, the cost to the educational system of excessive security
> > measures in money, staff time, and student enthusiasm is much greater than
> > the infinitecimal threat of violence it abates, meaning that it fails the
> > cost-benefit analysis test.
> >
> > A great many bad things happen to a great many people, but every single
> > incident of misfortune or tragedy should not convince an indivual that he
>or
> > she is going to be a victim of that particular catastrophe. One should
> > instead examine such incidents as they are reported and then make as
> > informed as possible a judgement based on all available information as to
> > how likely one is experience such an event, then take whatever precautions
> > this conclusion demands. Yes, Columbine was tragic; yes, I hope nothing
> > like that happens to me or to anyone; yes, people's lives are more
>important
> > than my privacy. However, can we PLEASE be rational about this? My
>privacy
> > and someone's survival have never, to my knowledge, been in conflict. My
> > four-year sentence at WSHS was marked by frequent intrusions and
> > obstructions put in place by an administration trying to ward off a
>monster
> > that did not exist. No one benefitted, other than perhaps any staff who
> > might have been paid overtime to remove door handles and repair cameras,
>but
> > many people's lives were made more unpleasant, and I guarantee that at
>least
> > a few students who would otherwise have been enthusiastic about school
>have
> > been turned off the repressive atmosphere and have consequently not put
> > forth the effort needed to derive any significant benefit from going to
> > school. The hysteria the media have created around incidents like those
>in
> > Littleton, Springfield, and Santee is destructive to the cause of creating
>a
> > better educational system.
> >
> >
> > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > >CC: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > >Subject: Re: [Winona] an adults perspective of search
> > >Date: Mon, 04 Jun 2001 02:25:39 EDT
> > >
> > >[Winona Online Democracy]
> > >
> > >Mr. Thompson seems to return to his one overriding theme here, that the
> > >change of violence happening at any given school is rare and therefore
> > >there is little or no need
> > >for security. I wonder how many students in Littleton, Colorado felt that
> > >way until one fateful April afternoon in 1999?
> > >Dean
> > >
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