HW #41 internet reasurch on schooling

ABC News/ Primetime- How mean can teens be? http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2421562&page=1

In this article, the main idea that is being pitched is that being in school isnt the only way to be mean to other people anymore. it states that girls are more likley to be mean to each other then boys and that girls go for the "emotional jugular".

What i noticed about this article was that they clearly mentioned that new technoligy now a days makes it easier for teenagers to be mean to each other but what i think there missing is where it all begins. In school. Without school the chance of these kids meeting is slim, the pressures of teenage existance lies within the battlefield of school.

Rachel Simmons, author of the book Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. http://www.rachelsimmons.com/books-and-articles/odd-girl-out/

Rachel Simmons book adresses the issue of "the hidden culture of agression in girls. " which happens to be a hidden issue in most middle and high schools. Her book tells a story of a girl who becomes unknowingly involved in the cruel world of girls. Thinking that these girls are her friends they begin to slowly torment her. the torment included death threats, hate mails and social exclusion in adition to emotional blows. She finally becomes fed up and tries to commit suicide. Thankfuly she survives and is now aware of this secret world of girls and begins to rebuild the pieces of her life.

I think this book is a perfect example of the topic im trying to convey.Like i said ealier school is the battle field for this hidden culture. In the adult world these kinds of acts are unaceptable and there consiquences but why is it that when it happens in schoolthere arent any consiquences? If anything its even more crucial for these consiquences to be enforced in school because it shapes how we become when we are adults. adults are better equipt to handle problems like this but were only teenagers, our minds arent fully developed, were going through puberty and life changes.

Continuation...

School Shootings, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting

The website gives an over all over view of the reasons and stories behind schools shootings and the type of kids who become violent and why.

Many of the shooters told Secret Service investigators that alienation or persecution drove them to violence. According to the United States Secret Service, instead of looking for traits, the Secret Service urges adults to ask about behavior:

“

1. What has this child said? 2. Do they have grievances? 3. What do their friends know? 4. Do they have access to weapons? 5. Are they depressed or despondent?[5]

The two reasons they mention on the list are alienation and persecution which is basically they have no one to interact with in school because they have been exiled from social interaction and they feel personally targeted and mistreated.