Teen Violence

Part 1–Problem and Solution

By Tiana Gregg
Stratford Crier Reporter

It may seem the children of today live in completely different worlds. With the increase in easily accessible technology and a seeming rise of conflict among students, the lives they lead can appear to be worlds away from the lives of the generation that came before them.

But is it teens that have worsened, or the environments in which they grow? Teenage squabbles have been happening since the beginning of time, and for our adolescents, high school is a sensitive time filled with hormones and intense feelings teens may not be equipped to deal with in an effective way. Social media and cell phones can indeed create higher stakes for these hard-to-deal-with emotions, but without their presence, these passions would still persist. It is the spaces that exist for them to channel these sentiments that determines the outcome of their behaviors.

When focusing on the topic of teen violence, it is important not to generalize the subject. We must actively view every incident of that caliber as its own unique happenstance, as a different set of circumstances and individuals make up every conflict that may occur in and outside of school.

Lumping different situations together creates narratives that may not be true, and leads to mass dysphoria. These incidents may have some strands of detail in common though, and it is important to not let these minor parts fly under our radar, so we can address the issues they raise. As previously mentioned, the usage of cell phones creates an entire environment for these teens that exists outside of school, and is activity monitored at different rates.

Arguments that happen outside of school grounds can be brought in the next morning when emotions are at an all-time high and these kids are strung out with no outlet for their intense feelings. In many situations, conflict can arise from miscommunication, unresolved tension, instigation and pride, among other things. In a rapidly developing world where we have more space for these negative feelings to be put to light, it is easy to see why natural teenage angst forms into the occasional brawl. Knowing that they may be recorded, students can act out of character in order to prevent painting themselves in a bad light, and edited and untrue circumstances of ‘who said what’ can circulate and lead to an influx of drama.

How can we prevent such things from being channeled into bad energy and escalating into physical altercations? For one, students need adult-monitored spaces in which they can speak openly with words and not shouts and fists. Luckily, these spaces are already being built and established. Stratford High School has implemented a system where students are assigned a trusted adult with whom they can share their struggles. Bunnell High School created its Men of Color Club and Women Empowerment Club, positive spaces where students who can relate to each other can exist peacefully and lend a listening ear to the struggles they may share. Even our Stratford PAL offers a summer program for local kids to become friendly and familiar with our cops, easing any tension between the two groups, all while allowing the children involved to form positive relationships with one another.

The next question would be are these efforts yielding any results? It seems so, as the number of in-school fights annually seems to consistently be low in numbers at both Bunnell and Stratford High.

Conflict can be inevitable- and the number of fights happening in schools will most likely never dwindle down to zero. Despite this, our community of both staff and students are working together to create more positive spaces than negative ones in the schools, and it appears that kids are reaping the benefits of these opportunities.