School Shooting and the Problems in Education - We Are All to Blame

As I sit here listening to ABC news this morning, they are revealing that the shooter's mother reached out to the school district for help with her son. Before blaming the school, consider that the true problem in education is not found inside the school. The problem with gun ownership is not found within your government and laws. Realize that the problems in your society are not found within the society itself. All of it is found in the way we teach character and the choices we all make as human examples to children. We ARE the cause of our own problems and by our choices we make the world around us collectively.

I am an educator. From my own perspective, I wrote a book on classroom management. The second chapter of my book covers this problem straight to the source of the thing that plagues our society. The primary way of "understanding the underlying causes of misbehavior and underachievement" in students is to find the missing needs that cause the void in a person's life. Seeking knowledge is the only way we can better our lives and seeking knowledge starts with the family and the foundation of love and belonging. Maslow showed this with his hierarchy of needs. It starts with the family. We cannot look to the school or government to solve this problem. We must look to a higher source of truth.

Consider the lead quote from Confucius that I used to outline the second chapter of my book on missing needs and where those needs are founded. If no need is left behind, no student will ever be left behind. Those needs have a foundation and the process is free. Not only is it free, it's a choice from all of us to walk away from the unrighteous behavior we allow in society and in the media. Can we blame the media? Not without blaming ourselves. We are ALL to blame for the foundation we provide our children from beginning to end. Unless we all walk toward a higher source of righteousness, we will linger here in the depths of our overall choices.

Confucius:

“The ancients, wanting to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first governed well their own states. Wanting to govern well their own states, they first regulated their families. Wanting to regulate their families, they first cultivated their character. Wanting to cultivate their character, they first set right their hearts. Wanting to set right their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wanting to be sincere in their thoughts, they first increased their knowledge. Increase of knowledge was found in the examination of things. Things being examined, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then made right. Their hearts being made right, their character was cultivated. Their character being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made peaceful and happy.” Confucius 500 B.C.

Look in the mirror.

Originally posted by EnochWasRight

Confucius:

“The ancients, wanting to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first governed well their own states. Wanting to govern well their own states, they first regulated their families. Wanting to regulate their families, they first cultivated their character. Wanting to cultivate their character, they first set right their hearts. Wanting to set right their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wanting to be sincere in their thoughts, they first increased their knowledge. Increase of knowledge was found in the examination of things. Things being examined, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then made right. Their hearts being made right, their character was cultivated. Their character being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made peaceful and happy.” Confucius 500 B.C.

Look in the mirror.

I don't usually enjoy your threads for a variety of reasons irrelevant here, but I really do appreciate what you are saying here. And 'it was good'.

Best wishes.

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout

Originally posted by EnochWasRight

Confucius:

“The ancients, wanting to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first governed well their own states. Wanting to govern well their own states, they first regulated their families. Wanting to regulate their families, they first cultivated their character. Wanting to cultivate their character, they first set right their hearts. Wanting to set right their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wanting to be sincere in their thoughts, they first increased their knowledge. Increase of knowledge was found in the examination of things. Things being examined, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then made right. Their hearts being made right, their character was cultivated. Their character being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made peaceful and happy.” Confucius 500 B.C.

Look in the mirror.

I don't usually enjoy your threads for a variety of reasons irrelevant here, but I really do appreciate what you are saying here. And 'it was good'.

Best wishes.

The ancients possessed wisdom closer to the source of knowledge and we would do well to pay attention. Thank you for the comments.

"And we wonder if criminals are ruling the earth for greed? We wonder why children enter schools with guns and kill children like its a video game? It's because there is no justice in the land and we don't enforce our laws or protect the rights of the people. Anything goes and God is removed. These are just the things we know about. What about all the messages and embedded manipulation we are unaware of?"

LINK

Originally posted by EnochWasRight
The ancients possessed wisdom closer to the source of knowledge and we would do well to pay attention.

If that is how you choose to interpret it, that is your call. Confucius though, and many more like him through out history, in all corners of the globe, practiced just what that quote preached. Perhaps it is more likely that that is how one accesses the source and becomes close to it. Polymaths do not possess, they explore and through that endeavour, truth reveals itself always.

Specialism, as Heinlein said, is for insects.

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout

Originally posted by EnochWasRight
The ancients possessed wisdom closer to the source of knowledge and we would do well to pay attention.

If that is how you choose to interpret it, that is your call. Confucius though, and many more like him through out history, in all corners of the globe, practiced just what that quote preached. Perhaps it is more likely that that is how one accesses the source and becomes close to it. Polymaths do not possess, they explore and through that endeavour, truth reveals itself always.

Specialism, as Heinlein said, is for insects.

If a father/mother lives long enough, he/she will see the truth in giving over taking. Virtue development and character come from love and belonging. Self-esteem comes from this foundation and tips the person toward seeking knowledge, which is what a Renascence man is all about. Apart from meeting need on a non-cognitive level, cognitive skills are only used for knowledge apart from wisdom. When wisdom is the foundation, knowledge is a byproduct.

We stress cognitive in school and completely deny non-cognitive. We are forced into this corner. This is the problem. Too many families do not raise children. Instead, they focus on themselves. It's not the job of an educator to raise children alone, yet we must do it each day. One teacher for one hour cannot raise a child. Only a family can raise a child in the way that they should go. A proper foundation allows an educator to do their job well and schools are left to educate instead of defend.

If no need is left behind, no child will ever be left behind.

reply to post by EnochWasRight


That I can agree with, your previous reply, and the post that followed detracted from your OP, but that brings it back squarely to point. It is not the responsibility of teachers to raise our children, only to impart the proscribed cirriculum. It is the role of the parents to be the primary educator, particularly in providing the skills to navigate through life. First and foremost, is showing them how to be loving, caring, sharing human beings, in my opinion. Teach them that, and everything flows naturally towards them. Most children crave a combination of structure and consistency from their parents, both in terms of 'reward' and 'punishment'. It is hard work, initially, but gets easier as time progresses, if you put in that groundwork from the start. And, anyone who sets out with the impression that child rearing is easy anyway, should not get involved in it in the first place.

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout
reply to post by EnochWasRight

 

That I can agree with, your previous reply, and the post that followed detracted from your OP, but that brings it back squarely to point. It is not the responsibility of teachers to raise our children, only to impart the proscribed cirriculum. It is the role of the parents to be the primary educator, particularly in providing the skills to navigate through life. First and foremost, is showing them how to be loving, caring, sharing human beings, in my opinion. Teach them that, and everything flows naturally towards them. Most children crave a combination of structure and consistency from their parents, both in terms of 'reward' and 'punishment'. It is hard work, initially, but gets easier as time progresses, if you put in that groundwork from the start. And, anyone who sets out with the impression that child rearing is easy anyway, should not get involved in it in the first place.

Very true. I am blessed with children that are healthy and thriving. This is not always the case and I know many families have challenges to overcome. This is what love can do. It heals. I also know many families with special needs children who have totally overcome the needs by loving and much suffering of work. For me, suffering is the point.

I always use this example, but if you smoke, you get cancer. If you work out in the gym, your health is gained. One takes and one gives. One is reward and the other is founded on suffering. Suffering work brings reward. Taking reward brings suffering. All families could learn this simple rule, yet we can't teach it because it primarily comes from natural law. We teach natural law in school, yet why is there still a problem? We do not connect the knowledge of natural law to how it is applied to our non-cognitive thinking. Because of this, we teach knowledge only and no wisdom. Wisdom comes from proverbs and proverbs are simply a bridge between natural law and how this connects to our reality. The best source for this is from antiquity and religion.

We lack those things that make you go, "Hummmm...."

reply to post by EnochWasRight


The best source it whatever makes them go 'Hmmm...' and ask questions. And to find that out, you have to get to know your children and what makes them tick, and try different things out with them to ascertain what floats their boat. For various reasons I chose a denominational school for my son, but the main reason was that the options were limited to me and it was the lesser of two evils. I worried that he would be indoctrinated, rather than make a reasoned choice in that department himself. I needn't have worried. Though he appreciates the concept of Jesus being 'the light of the world' he has decided for himself that he prefers the Greek pantheon with all it's mythical creatures, and I work with that. Aesop's Fables were a favourite of mine as a child, and still provide valid 'moral' lessons that I can share with my son, we have always read together, and though he can now read perfectly well on his own, we still read together before bed. Tolkien, Lewis, Twain, Swift, Stevenson, all have still perfectly valid life lessons encapsulated within their stories, that aid in expanding the mind, and provide a launching pad into conversations of how to be a better human being.

If he wants to seek out a god, he will make that journey for himself, in his own good time, and I do not believe that it is my place, or anyone else's to force those concepts upon him, and certainly not if those concepts are laced with notions of sin or damnation. To me, the most important thing that a parent can do, is keep the lines of communication open, so that you are their first stop when they have a question, and that means always providing a balanced answer, and not just one that is a reflection of your own beliefs and perceptions, so that they can develop their own, independent view of the world from a solid foundation of love and acceptance.