Improved Security Necessary in Schools

More and more we hear reports of violence in schools. We experience it even on our own campuses, just as bad as it possibly was in our highschools. My highschool had 4 different entrances, only one of them guarded with a security gaurd. All of them were unlocked and accesible from the outside, and there are many students in this grade level with similar experiences. Every entrance should be watched, regular drug checks should be made, and security drills are a necessity. When dealing with grade schools, security is even more important what with so many younger children in one place. It is detrimental that these budget cuts on security stop... the money must be taken away from something less important, for if the schools are not safe then classes should not take place at all.

Should School Teachers Be Armed?

Some feel as if providing teachers with guns would be a new and important security measure. Some feel as if it could only make things worse. Would providing a school teacher with a weapon truly improve security? I think not. Having any kind of weapon in the classroom, no matter who's possession it may be in, lessens the secure and safe environment of the public school. God forbid a student with thoughts of attacking his teacher or fellow students was able to get a hold of the weapon, the classroom could become a blood bath. The teacher's themselves would have to be put through the strictest of background checks and interviews to be sure that they themselves would not be the type to lose their temper and use the weapon as a disciplinary device, whether it be just to give the students a scare or worse. This would make the job of teaching more difficult to acquire. I can't be certain if all parents would be upset, but the majority would be put on edge or outright infuriated to find out their children are subject to a stranger with a gun.

Our Blogging Experiences

According to the guidelines of our syllabus, blog participation is a necessary part of our time spent on homework. I chose to post my response to the case study on Julie Amero and was pleasently surprised to soon be contacted by someone who had actually been involved. A person whose name I will omit for courtesy purposes contacted me, interested in hearing about the case study, as they had been on of the original people who worked with the computer to get the guilty verdict vacated. I find it incredible that our blogging for this course allows us to experience interaction with the people who are involved with the very events we are studying. It is a useful tool and allows us to perhaps dig deeper into these studies than we would be able to just by reading from paper and having a discucssion amongst ourselves.

Are The Arts Necessary?

We face a time when students main priorities will lie on improving test scores. It seems as if test scores are the deciding factor in whether a school is successful or not. The focus on testing however, seems a threat against the arts. Math and English, along with some science are the main points of the testing... so greater effort is being put into the teaching of these subjects. Art, Music, and other "extracurricular" subjects might be neglected. The tests have nothing to do with these areas, but we must not let them be abolished. Art inspires creativty, which encourages creative and cognitive thinking. Music inspires devotion, which encourages a stronger sense of willpower and desire to complete all studies, not just studies in one area. With the obesity epidemic ruling in our time, we have no need to worry about losing the area of physical education, but art and music are just as important, in the way they affect the other areas of learning as well as providing the students with their own unique teachings. Students must not be without this culture.