[norma barquet]

Yet school violence does not exist in a vacuum. It is directly related to the violence in our society. And for many children, particularly those who experience family violence early in their lives, school can often be their only safe haven. In 1992, over three million youngsters were reported to child protection advocates as possible abuse victims (U.S. Department of Justice, 1992). Thus, for many children in our society, schools are often safer than the environment where they live.

Aggression and violence are the direct result of learned behavior. Our society is full of examples of violence and aggression that unfortunately have become a part of our daily lives regardless of where we live, work, or play.

Our children are both the victims and, as seen from last year’s headlines, the perpetrators of violent crimes. Although there is a sharp increase in violence among girls and women, females continue to be more often victims than perpetrators of crime in our society. In a Harvard University Violence Against Women class presentation, Nancy Issac and Deborah Prothrow-Stith reported that four million women in the U.S. are severely abused every year by their spouse or partner. And 26 percent of all females who were victims of murder were slain by husbands or boyfriends, while three percent of male victims were killed by wives or girlfriends.

The early messages that parents send to children are extremely powerful. We expect girls to be passive and nurturing and boys to be aggressive and competitive. Since the beginning of their lives, children in our society learn to behave in ways that meet their parents’ expectations in order to gain their approval. As parents, we buy radically different toys for girls than for boys. Female children learn to be moms, housekeepers, and makeup artists. Males, on the other hand, are expected to fantasize being "GI Joes," play with guns, and combat fear.

The media also help shape the minds of our children and set society’s expectations of them. Cartoons, video games, and movies are full of examples of strong, brave, aggressive and often violent male characters. Female characters, with few exceptions, continue to be passive and fit the ideal of "beauty" in our society, i.e., blond, thin, and fragile-looking. Advertisers also help reinforce these images of girls and boys in our society through the printed media targeted to them as consumers.

In schools, boys and girls begin to practice in larger social settings what they have learned in their home environments. Bullying is a form of aggression that begins to show in the early stages of children’s development; it can lead to more violent forms of behavior if it is not resolved. Yet schools for the most part either ignore bullying or squelch the behavior without dealing with its causes. We continue to hear the expression, "Boys will be boys," in reference to their aggressive behavior or "This behavior is not tolerated here," as the only way to handle this problem of violence in schools. These actions and their causes, left unexamined, often turn into more serious conduct such as sexual harassment and other more violent behaviors. Girls, on the other hand, learn coping behaviors to deal with intimidation and violence in school. Often they become less engaged in school activities, drop out of school prematurely, become depressed, and even contemplate suicide to avoid being targets of this aggressive behavior.

Unfortunately, disciplinary programs in schools typically do not take seriously the development of potentially violent behavior in children until it is almost too late to reverse. In general, the school curriculum does not seek to change the patterns of behaviors which are oppressive in our society. Educators are expected to pass along information and skills; few are expected or encouraged to promote values through education. This is not to say that nothing can be done to change this culture of violence that seems to be perpetuated by our social institutions. Thus, it is not surprising that schools deal with the misbehavior of children by using a "get tough" approach that does very little to create a safe environment in schools (Noguera, 1995). As Henry Giroux writes: "Critical educators take up culture as a vital source for developing a politics of identity, community and pedagogy. Culture is not monolithic or unchanging, but is a site of multiple and heterogeneous borders where different histories, languages, experiences, and voices intermingle amidst diverse relations of power and privilege (Giroux, 1992)."

In other words, we can change school environments to bring about long-term positive outcomes. The hoped-for changes need to be structural in nature and to take into consideration the socioemotional and educational needs of students. The disciplinary policies of schools need to change from excluding and suspending students to addressing the problem from a preventive perspective.

Parents and educators need to do more to prevent violence among children and youth. They can teach and model assertive behaviors for girls so they can communicate more effectively in dealing with negative and violent behavior. Boys, on the other hand, need help with alternatives for self-expression and non-physical problem-solving techniques.

Our competing forces are great. Now we have CNN and the Internet in our homes bringing pictures of violence from all over the world. Women are the subject of violence in songs, popular music videos, movies, and TV shows. So, how do we begin to deal with reversing the patterns of aggression against children in general, and girls specifically in our society?

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO:

As parents, there is much we can do at home to prevent negative behaviors in our children.
We can: MODEL POSITIVE ways to resolve conflict.

CONTINUE TO BUILD OUR OWN SKILLS in communication, self-expression, and problem solving.

HELP OUR CHILDREN DEVELOP good communication skills.

ENGAGE CHILDREN in meaningful conversations about current events that deal with issues of violence, their causes, and possible solutions.

ENCOURAGE GIRLS to be more assertive and to speak up.

GIVE BOYS THE MESSAGE early on that being compassionate and caring are qualities that we value in them. Help them develop non-aggressive strategies for conflict resolution.

MAKE YOUR HOME A SAFE ENVIRONMENT where your daughters and sons can learn how to deal with potentially difficult experiences they may encounter in school and in society in general.

STOP BUYING TOYS that promote violence and aggression.

ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO PLAY IN MIXED GROUPS from their early years so they develop strong and positive relationships with members of the opposite sex and become tolerant individuals.

WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO:

Educators can be of tremendous support to parents.
They can:
INCLUDE CRITICAL DISCOURSE AND PEDAGOGY throughout the curriculum that addresses issues of power and privilege in our society.

BE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS and advocate for all children, including girls.

ENSURE THAT THE CULTURE of the school values girls and boys equally and that this is stated, modeled, and reinforced by all members of the school community.

INTEGRATE CLASSES AND PROGRAMS as much as possible and thoughtfully design classroom activities to develop strong and positive relationships between girls and boys.

DEVELOP A SAFE AND CARING ENVIRONMENT where all students can safely learn.

IMPLEMENT EDUCATIONALLY SOUND and effective alternative programs to develop new patterns of behavior among aggressive children and youth.

ESTABLISH PEER mentoring and conflict mediation programs.

PROVIDE SAFE FORUMS for discussion and debate on "controversial" issues.

INSTITUTE NON-VIOLENT APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE since they are the most effective ways to "educate" our future generations about peaceful co-existence in an increasingly diverse world.

IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS that specifically target the reduction of violence in schools.

WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN DO:

As citizens, we can be more effectively involved in preventing violence among our youth.
We can: STOP PATRONIZING PROGRAMS, movies, music, and publications that promote violence in general, and violence and aggression towards girls and women in particular.

WRITE AND COMPLAIN to companies that sponsor violent programs.

WRITE TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS with your expectations and suggestions regarding the need for sound and responsible legislative action.

BECOME A MENTOR to a student or a parent who needs support.

INITIATE PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS in community organizations and on job sites.

PRESSURE SCHOOLS to do more to prevent harassment and violence.

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REFERENCES

Bachman, R. (1994, January). Violence against women: A national crime victimization survey report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Giroux, H. (1992). Border Crossings. New York: Routledge.

Isaac, N., & Prothrow-Stith, D. Violence Against Women class presentation. Harvard University: Harvard School of Public Health.

Johnson, J., & Immerwahr, J. (1994/1995, Winter). What Americans expect from the public schools. American Educator, 4-13.

Noguera, P. A. (1995, Summer). Preventing and producing violence: A critical analysis of responses to school violence. Harvard Educational Review. 65(2),

U.S. Department of Justice. (1992, October). The cycles of violence. Washington, DC: Author.

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[ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ] Norma Barquet is Associate Director of the Programs for Educational Opportunity, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She also chairs the Comprehensive Center Region VI’s Advisory Committee.

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