School Violence Story

For the last section of our paper, part two, I focused on the causes of my issue (school violence) rather than history. I know this was the history section, but I figure finding what causes the problem might lead me to where it all began. Like any issue, there is no one cause, and any cause given can be easily negated.

Most people think it’s the parents fault when there is an act of school violence-and let’s be honest, it usually is. But this book I was researching spoke of two parents who supported their kids and were always there for them; their mother had earned a teaching degree, yet stayed at home to support the children. That’s not your typical portrayal of a school shooter’s parents. So why did their son, Michael (who was only 14), open fire on a prayer group at school? His parents were there for him…well, for his sister anyway. He had your typical portrayal of a ‘perfect’ older sibling; she was band leader, valedictorian, and made good grades. People would always compare Michael to his older sister. His parents tried not to, like good parents, but of course other people didn’t.

Typing this now, it reminds me of my grade school days. It was even worse with the comparing for me because I have a twin. People expect you to be like the other. My sister made better grades than me and always won more awards at the end of the year. People would just say to me “Why aren’t you more like Chelsea?” This didn’t happen often, thankfully. Plus, I somehow got smart when entering high school (I discovered this thing called ‘studying’) and had my revenge >:D. Luckily, being compared never got to me as much as it got to Michael. But I can understand where he’s coming from. I don’t support it, or even completely understand it, but I can see it.