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    Joined: Oct 2013
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    Originally Posted by indigo
    Originally Posted by howdy
    Originally Posted by indigo
    Originally Posted by Ametrine
    Is it any wonder kids feel the need to bring weapons to school for protection when the adults in their lives refuse to protect them?
    This line of thinking is problematic: call it revenge or retaliation, it is wrong. There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify this.

    People need to learn to handle disappointment without losing their composure or lashing out at others. Learning to anticipate the likely consequences of one's actions is key to conducting one's self appropriately. Many people learn by observing those around them (as if by osmosis) and others may need or benefit from direct teaching, counseling, therapy, etc.

    Escalation to violence of any type is not acceptable. Use of weapons of any type is a course of action which does not resolve a person's bitter feelings but rather results in further social isolation.

    I did not take that quote as justifying violence. The poster may have been saying that they are intervening where the school failed to — which does model an acceptable way to get out of a very dire situation (without using violence).

    THIS is a parent describing intervening where the school failed to:
    Originally Posted by original post
    We called in the local authorities to talk to the principal and the kids involved, but the principal is not very responsive to us thus far. In the past, we told him our child has past "issues" with the children involved and suggested ideas to separate the kids. He did nothing.
    THIS does not model an acceptable way to get out of a very dire situation (without using violence):
    Originally Posted by most recent post by OP
    Is it any wonder kids feel the need to bring weapons to school for protection when the adults in their lives refuse to protect them?
    The phrase "Is it any wonder..." is typically used to justify, support, side with, show understanding and empathy for... whatever follows that phrase.
    In the specific case at hand... justifying a child bringing a weapon to school.
    Not OK.

    I agree that I would not support a child (or anyone else) taking a weapon to school or being violent. However, I was taking all the information in the thread into account when I made my judgement about the quoted statement.

    Leaving the current school for homeschool or another type of schooling is modeling how to get out of a dire school setting.

    I could be wrong, but I would rather give them the benefit of the doubt.

    Last edited by howdy; 11/08/17 04:07 PM.
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    Originally Posted by howdy
    I agree that I would not support a child (or anyone else) taking a weapon to school or being violent.
    Great.

    Originally Posted by howdy
    However, I was taking all the information in the thread into account when I made my judgement about the quoted statement.
    There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify taking a weapon to school. None.


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    Originally Posted by indigo
    There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify taking a weapon to school. None.

    How about when my teenager didn't think about why he shouldn't bring a paring knife to school to cut up his apple at lunchtime? (He didn't get caught, and will not make that particular mistake again, but I was pretty shocked. Nevertheless, I think he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt for that stunt.)

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    Originally Posted by indigo
    Originally Posted by howdy
    I agree that I would not support a child (or anyone else) taking a weapon to school or being violent.
    Great.

    Originally Posted by howdy
    However, I was taking all the information in the thread into account when I made my judgement about the quoted statement.
    There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify taking a weapon to school. None.

    But that is where I disagree with you. I don’t think the poster was trying to justify taking a weapon to school. After considering your argument, I still do not see the quoted statement, in the context of this thread, as a justification in any way, shape or form.

    That is where I am giving them the benefit of the doubt, as I would hope anyone would do for me, considering the very stressful situation they are navigating.

    I might or might not bow out of the original topic of the thread, but I most definitely will bow out of this tangent.

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    Originally Posted by ElizabethN
    Originally Posted by indigo
    There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify taking a weapon to school. None.

    How about when my teenager didn't think about why he shouldn't bring a paring knife to school to cut up his apple at lunchtime? (He didn't get caught, and will not make that particular mistake again, but I was pretty shocked. Nevertheless, I think he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt for that stunt.)
    LOL, a paring knife to cut up his apple at lunchtime is quite different than bringing weapons to school for protection... unless your child needed protection from his apple at lunchtime. sick

    While I understand that the school may have a zero-tolerance policy for knives of any kind... or knives which are not the disposable plastic type often dispensed with fast-food, carryout, etc, and therefore may classify (or mis-classify) all knives as weapons (because they COULD be used as weapons, although that was not the bringer's intent)... that is a different topic than what the OP mentioned... which was bringing weapons to school as a response to bullying:
    Originally Posted by most recent post by OP
    Is it any wonder kids feel the need to bring weapons to school for protection when the adults in their lives refuse to protect them?
    The intent stated here was "bring weapons to school for protection". This type of talk begins to turn the tables and cast the victim as the bully. There is no extenuating circumstance which makes it OK to justify taking a weapon to school. None.

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    Originally Posted by howdy
    I might or might not bow out of the original topic of the thread, but I most definitely will bow out of this tangent.
    Far from being off-topic, this series of posts (initiated by the OP's statement about taking weapons to school for protection) continues the thread's theme of death threats in public school... and bullying... but has a bullying victim recast as a bully, bringing weapons to school. Not OK.

    Any statements about bringing weapons to school need to be refuted, especially by the gifted community... as articles about school massacres often mention the perp(s) being gifted... and bullied. This can unjustly cast suspicion on many innocent gifted kids. To help alleviate this, it is best for the gifted community to take a strong united stand against bringing weapons to school. Example of article mentioning perps as gifted:
    Originally Posted by wikipedia page on Columbine
    Both of the shooters were classified as gifted children who had allegedly been victims of bullying for four years.

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    Good point about how suspicions could possibly be cast on innocent GT students.

    But I don't think the OP intended to imply that bringing weapons to school was somehow justified. The key word is "feel", that was used in her question, "Is it any wonder kids feel the need to bring weapons to school for protection?" So she is suggesting that the feeling may be justified, not actually bringing weapons in.

    I am certainly against kids bringing weapons to school, but think it's an important question to address. Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and if kids truly feel this way, it shouldn't be denied. The question it leads to is really - how do we create and support school environments so kids don't feel this way? At least that's how I interpreted it.

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    Is it any wonder that some might feel a need to disagree that this is an OK statement, given the climate of school massacres perpetuated by supposedly gifted children who were bullied:
    Originally Posted by most recent post by OP
    Is it any wonder kids feel the need to bring weapons to school for protection when the adults in their lives refuse to protect them?

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    I'm going to lock this thread.

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