School Shootings-----Possible Causation?

So, just this morning I tripped through Zero Hedge and found this rather timely story. The author opines to the effect that a significant causation factor behind the school shootings is the tortuous conditions that have come to exist in compulsory public education. See:
www.zerohedge.com...

One factor cited is simply the fact that kids today are required to spend so many more hours a day and so many more days a year in the schools where they face endless testing.

For young children ages six to eight, schooling increased from an average of five hours a day in 1981-82 to an average of seven hours a day in 2002-03. And for today’s teens, schooling consumes much more of their time than it did for previous generations, seeping into summertime and other historically school-free periods.

Another factor cited is that by keeping the kids in school longer, segregated from the rest of society, they don't have time to work odd jobs or otherwise participate in the wider society on a regular basis.

As Business Insider reports: “Almost 60% of teens in 1979 had a job, compared to 34% in 2015.” Spending more time in the contrived reality of forced schooling and less time in authentic, multi-age, productive communities may be taking its toll on today’s youth.

Finally, the author cites the toll the compulsory education system takes on the kids mental health as they are forced to endure for ever longer in an increasingly oppressive environment.

New findings from researchers at Vanderbilt University show a disturbing correlation between time in school and suicidal thoughts and attempts by young people, which have been increasing over the past decade. Whereas most adults see suicide spikes in July and August, most kids see suicide dips in summer. Children’s suicidal tendencies appear strongest during the school year.

I think this says it best:

Boston College psychology professor Dr. Peter Gray believes that increasingly oppressive schooling is leading to serious psychological damage in some children. He writes on his blog at Psychology Today: Children now often spend more time at school and at homework than their parents spend at their full-time jobs, and the work of schooling is often more burdensome and stress-inducing than that of a typical adult job. A century ago we came to the conclusion that full-time child labor was child abuse, so we outlawed it; but now school is the equivalent of full-time child labor. The increased time, tedium, and stress of schooling is bringing many kids to the breaking point or beyond, and more and more people are becoming aware of that. It can no longer be believed that schooling is a benign experience for children. The evidence that it induces pathology is overwhelming.”

One unintended result of the recent school shootings?

After February’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the Miami Heraldreported that more parents were considering the homeschooling option. And after Friday’s disturbing school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, a local ABC news affiliate in Alabama reported the increasing appeal of homeschooling.

For my part, I'd far rather see the property tax money stolen from every year to pay for the areas failing public compulsory school systems go to assisting those who want to, to pursue homeschooling. And with the broad array of Internet Schooling Curricula available online, that is becoming ever easier to do.

Maybe its time for some real change in this system. Everyone knows its one of the largest money sucking debacles in the US today.

a reply to: TonyS

When I was in elementary school in the late 70s to early 80s we had 3 recesses.
Morning, afternoon and whatever time after we ate lunch.
My daughter that's a sophomore now only had a lunch recess.
Throw in all the standardized testing the kids are being pressured to do a good job on.

And a big one for me is that kids in highschool are being asked to make a career choice as freshman...wtf?
All that I had on my mind at that age was girls.

Too much pressure and not enough breaks.

Well said!

We have our kids on a workaholic's schedule is some cases, and complete neglect in others.

I believe the two can have the same results borne from this frustration and a social disconnect.

a reply to: TonyS

I have looked briefly, but have you found any stats on public versus private school shootings?

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: TonyS

When I was in elementary school in the late 70s to early 80s we had 3 recesses.
Morning, afternoon and whatever time after we ate lunch.
My daughter that's a sophomore now only had a lunch recess.
Throw in all the standardized testing the kids are being pressured to do a good job on.

And a big one for me is that kids in highschool are being asked to make a career choice as freshman...wtf?
All that I had on my mind at that age was girls.

Too much pressure and not enough breaks.

Hell....they're being pressured before middle school to think about careers....they even announce what the kids decide they want to do at the elementary school graduations where I am.

How can anyone expect a kid, hell even someone under the age of 25 to decide what to do for life? They've barely scratched the surface of what's out there.

That's definitely something to ponder. It does seem like they try to push all the subjects together into one day and I know that's stressful because I went through it. You get 30-45 minutes for 7-8 classes everyday and go home to spend an hour or more doing the homework. Then all you want to do is sleep.

Why they're putting that much pressure on kids now, I don't know, but I can definitely see that, alongside parents not having time or not taking the time to sit and work out issues their kids are going through, being a major factor in the school shootings with kids being the shooter.

a reply to: Bluntone22

When I was in high school we had a period of about 30 minutes after lunch to hang out, but it was highly recommended that we use that time to study. I used it to sleep in the library.

When I was in school a fight didn't land you in court...

Pent up rage doesn't help much either.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have not, but then again..............I've not thought to because.........I've never seen or heard any reports of mass shootings coming out of private schools. Have you?

a reply to: TonyS

That is definitely a possible contributing reason.
When I was in high school I skipped many of classes for “extra curricular activities” to the point I would almost have to repeat. Luckily it was at a time when you really only had to pass the tests. And well I have a passed those with ease.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Very true! What crossed my mind when reading that article is, just how much more time the kids spend on social media rather than interacting in person and its made me wonder if perhaps it isn't the case that the combination too much school/time/pressure added to the pressures and disappointments attendant with over use of social media is contributing to the problem.

Choose a career in High School? Kinda hard to know what you want to do in the "real" world when you've never had the time to experience it!

a reply to: Allaroundyou

That brings back some memories!

I don't know what the kids today do for extracurricular activities, but I have noted that a lot, and I mean a lot, of the kids and oddly enough.......the females are increasingly physically aggressive. The frustrations experienced in theses schools must be immense.

Here's the problem

Kids are running the schools and bullying is fully endorsed by the staff they do nothing to enforce a culture of respect

Secondly these kids get educated for 20+ years and still graduate without a viable skill for the workforce how the he'll does thst make any sense

Also they are all on drugs

a reply to: TonyS

It's hard to isolate one aspect of life today for children as the cause. But I think this certainly plays a part.

IMO, the social stress that has been magnified by social media is a bigger part. A bully used to have to physically attack someone and a handful of people would see it, now they can attack online and destroy someone in front of thousands of their peers. That and kids isolating themselves in front of a screen for large chunks of a day instead of hanging out with friends outdoors like we used to before the internet.

I keep going back to the thought that when I was in High School we had just as many guns around but much less mentally sick individuals who have developed an insensitivity to life and are willing to cross the line and kill others. The combination of many factors have degraded the overall mental health of kids.

School itself could certainly be part of the problem.

I don't exactly remember, but I think we went from 8:15am to about 2pm, and likely had either 45 minutes or an hour for lunch.

We also had actual classes, where we were taught math, English, science, history, drafting, languages, etc.
I cannot remember EVER having classes that studied for standardized tests.
WTF is that all about anyway?
If the subject matter was being taught, there should be NO reason for these test preparations.

the bad guys ruling the world, the internati0nalists, have changed how they teach math, making it exceedingly more difficult. this is to further propagate their dream of a two class society.

in the 80s they taught me aparthide was wrong. (misspelled on purpose lol.)
now the media tells you palystineans love aparthide.

in the 80s my social studies teacher taught me how cool the flag is.
now espn/mtv/cnn tells me its ok to sh!t on the flag, its what all the cool kids do on sundays.

problem is, what i first learned seemed pretty logical, so the internati0nalists want me to change my thoughts to illogic.
problem with that is, im intelligent.

Why not get EVERY kid a computer and let them do their schooling "On-Line"?

Huh?

Oh, too many jobs LOST that consist of shuffling paper (no longer needed)

They are spending most of their time on their phone now, just have them do their schooling on it from wherever they are..

No school, no buses and NONE of My tax $$$ paying for it..

Armed security in every school here now.. Are You on glue? What a waste of $$$$

You have a better chance of winning a Powerball Lotto, the big one than getting shot at a school...

Get Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to buy the computers.
*snip*

Reaffirming Our Desire For Productive Political Debate (REVISED)

It is a combination of stresses, mixed social messages and ridiculous 24-7 media coverage. For an angsty, marginalized teen having their voice heard and broadcast via media is good even if the coverage is negative.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: TonyS

When I was in elementary school in the late 70s to early 80s we had 3 recesses.
Morning, afternoon and whatever time after we ate lunch.
My daughter that's a sophomore now only had a lunch recess.
Throw in all the standardized testing the kids are being pressured to do a good job on.

And a big one for me is that kids in highschool are being asked to make a career choice as freshman...wtf?
All that I had on my mind at that age was girls.

Too much pressure and not enough breaks.

Hell....they're being pressured before middle school to think about careers....they even announce what the kids decide they want to do at the elementary school graduations where I am.

How can anyone expect a kid, hell even someone under the age of 25 to decide what to do for life? They've barely scratched the surface of what's out there.

Not only that but look at how parents are now taking their children to protests? One thing also is our children our not being taught in our public school system. They are being imprinted on how to pass government tests, so that the school system and teachers get their government funding.

There is NO critical thinking skills being taught, just how to thinkto pass a test! Think about that for a few minutes....

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: Vasa Croe

I have not, but then again..............I've not thought to because.........I've never seen or heard any reports of mass shootings coming out of private schools. Have you?

I dont know of specific ones....was wondering because it would seem specific to the public school system. If that's the case then it would likely become a serious talking point for any politicians that really want to make a change.