MY TURN: School shootings

Yet another school shooting hit our front pages and TV screens several weeks ago. Being as old as I am, I remember the first school shooting and back then, I think most people thought that would be the only one. We have been proved wrong.

I notice something about each school shooting: Never that I remember, has a popular kid been the shooter. I could be wrong, but almost, invariably, the shooter is a “quiet” kid with no or few friends. This should be one of the warning signs that alert teachers and parents to a potential problem. Yes, of course, some children are introverts. I am one myself, but I still had a circle of friends at all times. Most of these school shooters either have no friends or maybe one friend and they were usually tormented by their classmates.

Can something be done? Yes, I remember in education classes at the university, that some instruction was given on ways to get socially inactive kids to participate with others. One way is to form groups. When given a task, a leader always appears in each group. The instruction given was to keep moving the groups giving all or many class members chances to lead. Another way to get kids to participate with others is to move them into groups that involve their particular interests. I have a grandson who thrives on mechanical challenges and he is only 6. I have another grandson who thrives on computer problems. We have a granddaughter who loves all animals from spiders to bison.

Finding companionship for a child should not be totally up to the teachers. Parents can identify a lonely child and find ways to engage him or her with other children. Playgrounds, day camps, computer camps, all types of classes such as pottery, martial arts, painting, music, dancing, baseball, can bring the child into the presence of other children with whom the child shares an interest and friendships will form. In this community, there is financial help given to families who can’t afford an athletic club or a summer activity. Mentoring by an adult or older child can often provide young kids with someone to listen to them. Airing grievances and receiving some wise counseling can alleviate some of the pressures on young brains and hearts.

Some people say that more money for mental health would clear up the problem of school shootings. Well, perhaps it would help, but not all of the shooters were mentally ill. Some were just outcasts who were bullied and lonely and felt left out. These, along with security for school buildings, we can address as a community.

Donna Harvey is a resident of Hayden.