Violence Is Growing in Our Schools!

School violence has now become a serious problem in many countries. Students are using guns and knives against other students and against school staff.

An article in Britain’s newspaper The Independent last year reported that 80,000 pupils had been suspended for school violence, attacking teachers or classmates.

Nearly 17,000 of these suspensions were in England’s primary schools, while in secondary schools pupils were suspended 63,000 times.

And it starts very young! Some 1,250 children aged 4 and under were given fixed-period suspensions in 2008-09, while 5-year-olds were suspended 2,840 times.

These Department of Education figures for England also “show primary and secondary schools suspended pupils 89,870 times for verbally abusing or threatening teachers and other youngsters.”

Violence in schools is a worldwide problem

The Wikipedia article on school violence lists recent trends and statistics from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Japan, Poland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Many educators would agree with the Education Minister of the Australian state of Queensland, who said the rising levels of school violence were “totally unacceptable” and that not enough has been done about violent behavior.

Children are to be taught how to behave

God says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child” (Proverbs 22:15). This means that children should not be left to their own devices or understanding (verse 6). Parents are responsible to teach them the right way of life. The Good News Translation renders this verse, “Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life.” Parents need to teach children to have appropriate respect—that is part of the parental responsibility.

But today too many children grow up without parental guidance. Few have been taught about God’s law or His way of life.

And, as a result, God says in Isaiah 3:4 that He “will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” Further in that same prophecy He says, “As for My people, children are their oppressors” (verse 12). How sad.

Our children have to be taught to be caring and loving towards others, to avoid being a bully, to respect the elderly, teachers and those who are in positions of authority.

Contributing factors

There are many factors that contribute to school violence. Here are two that we as parents are responsible for.

The home environment can guard against or contribute to school violence. The Constitutional Rights Foundation lists factors such as long-term exposure to gun violence, parental alcoholism, domestic violence and physical or sexual abuse of the child as contributing to an acceptance of criminal and violent activities.

There is also a large body of evidence indicating that exposure to television violence and violent video games are related to increased aggressiveness in children, which, in turn, may carry over into the schools.

No doubt the press would be faulted if it did not cover serious threats in our schools, but some commentators believe that media coverage of the violence in schools encourages more school violence.

Parental example is another factor that contributes to school violence. Some parents are themselves aggressive toward teachers and staff.

In a BBC News article, head teachers said a rise in violence by parents in schools “can be explained by the ‘rights culture’ and a lack of respect for authority figures such as teachers.”

According to the National Association of Head Teachers in the United Kingdom, more than one in 10 head teachers had been attacked by parents.

Where are we heading with this kind of behavior?

What kind of a society are we spawning by this aggression and violence towards those who are the teachers of our children? This type of behavior teaches our children disrespect for all authority.

Unfortunately, while many people demand their rights, they refuse to accept the responsibilities that go with them.

We need to teach our children that individual freedoms and rights should not diminish our respect for authority. How can they learn to respect others and those over them, if their parents do not respect authority?

Parental responsibility

We as parents are responsible to instill right and lasting character in our children—character that will give them stability in a world of uncertainty, a world in which many of them see no future. We as parents need to help our children find a future. God has placed squarely on our shoulders the responsibility to teach our children and our grandchildren to have a significant and meaningful life (Deuteronomy 6:1-2).

Starting something that will last forever is a great endeavor. And by teaching our children to love God and their fellow humans and to respect others, their teachers and all authority, we can be sure they will have a long and meaningful life.

While a meaningless life is susceptible to violence and every vice, a truly meaningful life provides protection from these dangers and a pathway to true happiness and fulfillment.

I experienced this myself. While in my youth, I was searching for meaning, for answers to these questions: “Who am I? What am I? Why am I?” I was given the wonderful privilege to discover what the future held for me—but with this privilege came responsibilities towards others. I had to pass the knowledge I had gained on to my children and my grandchildren.

For the truly satisfying answers to these questions and to explain more about a promised future for all mankind, see our publication The Mystery of the Kingdom.

Steve Serfontein, his wife, Liz, and daughter Kaylee are members of the Tonbridge congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in Britain. He was born and raised in South Africa. Steve is both a parent and grandparent and serves as a speaker and song leader at Sabbath services.