A Space For Violence and Closing It

Though supposedly safe spaces, there is a lot of violence that can occur within a school community. There are many factors that contribute to such acts of violence, but schools should really focus their resources on prevention rather than just the actions and consequences taken after something happens. 

There are undoubtedly many students struggling with various issues, and a lot of these students may feel that they are alone with these struggles. I think that there should be more, and easily accessed services available for these students to help cope with what they are dealing with. In my elementary school there was not even a single guidance counselor, and in Mary Ward, although a guidance office exists, it is difficult, and often even stressful to use, with all the confusion about appointments, and your counselor not being there. 

If someone is being bullied at Mary Ward, the services available are mildly unclear and seem difficult or stressful to get to. Talking to a teacher is one option, and going to guidance is another. However, Mary Ward is rather successful at being a safe and friendly environment, which shows that Mary Ward deals with such issues considerably better. Perhaps this is because students are too busy with units to have time for any negative or violent behavior...

There needs to be a service that targets each and every individual student, perhaps a scheduled counselling appointment for all students. Students who are doing fine could simply come to the scheduled appointment, maybe once a year, and students who would need more could be given extra sessions. While not foolproof, this plan could lessen some of the violence in schools, as students would not feel quite as alone or struggling and would not be lead to commit some extreme act quite as often, closing the wide space that can be filled with violence a little bit, resulting in a safer school environment.