187; True to life?

[Leonel]

I saw the 187 movie again today. It's a movie with Samual Jackson playing a teacher in a Los Angeles public school overrun by gangs. I'll refrain from telling the ending but is violence in American public schools really that bad? I know all public schools aren't all the one and same but are the exceptions really that bad?

 

[Vanadorn]

That is a movie from hollywood, therefore some things are overblown to make them seem more dramatic. However, violence in our high schools is real, weapons do make it in everyday, coupled with teenage angst, raging hormones, and an immature worldview each high schooler has, there are way too many explosions of violence occuring.

Just last month, according ot my sister in law (a principal of a nearby high scool):
1 stun gun
4 knives
23 fist fights (7 girls, 15 boys, 1 mixed)
2 flat tires (cars)
1 vandalized bicycle (slashed and bent)
and
1 garbage can fire.

BTW: the high school is middle class with a 50/30/20 spread of White/Black/Latino(other).

Kids need a better role model than television and the streets.

My 2 cents

 

[Double Barrel]

It depends on the school and the area of town that it is located. Inner city schools do have a huge problem with violence at the moment, while at some of the suburb schools it is a growing problem.

Hollywood does over-dramatize things quite often, but in some cases it is art imitating life.

 

[Giotto]

I don't think the problem is as much with kids being KILLED, as just gettting in fights and using drugs at school.


I'm fairly certain that the "drug free school zone" at my highschool has the highest concentration of drugs in it at any given moment of anywhere else in my town.



Edit: i would also like to add that it IS very possible to get a quality education away from all the violence. The ones who are immersed in all the violence are almost always the ones who immerse themselves in it.

 

[funxus]

I guess I'm blessed with good schools.

I know some schools are much worse than the ones I've been to though.

 

[h4ppy]

It is pretty bad, especially in inner-city schools.

 

[nonconformist]

I had bad school experiences. What I think, is that though there is excessive violence in school, disciplinary action should only be taken in extreme circumstances; that is ifa pupil brings in knives, or anything potetially deadly to be used in that manner, and if a pupil repeatedly gets into fights. After all, with all those hormones, and tempers, there will be fights now and again, but not those with the intent to harm or damage, just something that got out of hand.

 

[Grav]

They're not as bad as people like to make it out to be. However, they can still be pretty bad. I don't attribute it to a bad schooling system, as I do to bad parenting. Contrary to popular belief, the US public schooling system is very good (at least for those who choose to do the work).

 

[Godwynn]

I live in a fairly small town (11,000) and everyday I see knives (At least3 a day.) every month there has been a fist fight (except March, there were 4), and before we had police dogs and lockdowns, I saw marijuana, pills, stuff that would turn our parents white.

Before 1994 our school was really bad. My American History teacher was telling me about it. The year before a new principal came in, there were 75 fist fights, 1 stabbing, and an attendance rate of 30%...

I guess I came in at the right time.

 

[Archer 007]

I go to a small rural school, and we have several fights a day and bomb threats every few months.

 

[Sims2789]

I'd like to point out that according to the World Almanac, youth crime has dropped by 23% in the past 10 years. Teen pregnacy and teen drug use has also dropped. So no one say, "Oh kids these days..."

 

[Sims2789]

We need to expell the non-serious students, such as the ones who constantly cut class, as well as the ones who (under)achieve a GPA of 1.25 or less for two consecutive semesters(everyone deserves a second chance). We also need to get rid of the Mutual Punching law. At least it is in affect in my state. Here, if you hit back in a fight during school, you will get suspended but are not crimminally responsible.

 

[Archer 007]

Why are you against that Sims?

 

[funxus]

Sims, I don't think it's fair to kick all the bad students out, they are young and someone will have to take care of them to keep them off the streets and away from criminality anyway, and later, if they have no education, it's likely the state has to pay for them.

However, I think there should be many more alternatives, special schools for bad students and better ways to punish them. My mom's a teacher here, and we can't afford to put all the bad students in special schools, and unless the parents care there's no way to effectively punish the students. They can yell at them, but that's all they can do. Often when my mom touches a student, e.g. patting them on the back to say "well done" or calm them down etc., the students' responses are "Get the hell off me, *****. I'm gonna sue you."

 

[nonconformist]

My school is dragged down in the league tables by children who have no intention to learn .

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Double-Post, please delete

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Originally posted by Vanadorn
Just last month, according ot my sister in law (a principal of a nearby high scool):
1 stun gun
4 knives
23 fist fights (7 girls, 15 boys, 1 mixed)
2 flat tires (cars)
1 vandalized bicycle (slashed and bent)
and
1 garbage can fire.

BTW: the high school is middle class with a 50/30/20 spread of White/Black/Latino(other).

Kids need a better role model than television and the streets.

Wow, that is completely different to my school. It is below average for violence, probably the lowest of non-selective, free public schools in the area, but the private and selective schools are generally calmer than public schools.

3 weapons in one month would be considered an epidemic. Even one weapon would result in a notice circulated around the school.
4 fights in a month would be higher than average, but not unusual.
Any vandalised cars or bikes would be a big deal indeed. But then, that would be less often than once per year.

The school definitely isn't strict, there are no unneccesary rules, nor is a big deal made for minor problems. HOWEVER, severe violence is stopped before it can start. With one fight, both parties are generally given the same punishment. Sure, "He started it" but "He continued it". Nobody is seriously in trouble, but it is noted. If it happens again, they will be either sent home or kept in class during lunch (whichever they want least).

Generally suspension or expulsion is what they want - to get out of school. Obviously it is stupid to give somebody constantly truanting a suspension. You've just thanked them, and helped them along.

What I find unusual are the fights with girls and mixed parties. No normal guy would admit to beating up a girl.

But then, maybe everyone at my school is too stoned to care. That's what you get in suburban-bordering-rural Sydney.

EDIT: Is it just me, or is the server stuffing up?

 

[Noldodan]

Wow, this thread is... scary. I go to a suburban public school in Amrica, and we have nothing NEAR this rate of violence and drug use. Over this school year, we have had (that I heard about):

3 fights
2 expulsions for drug selling
the school policy of random drug testing to stay in extracurricular activities was dissolved because of legal action
a greater than 90% attendance rate

I seem to be VERY lucky...


Note: The racial makeup of the school is about 75% white, 10% black and 15% other.