Teachers and guns in the classroom
Teachers and guns in the classroom
First, there is no danger to children. If a teacher has a concealed carry license then no one in the classroom should know. The purpose of a “concealed carry license” is the gun must be concealed. It must be with you at all times. As a previous teacher, and now a psychologist that lives in Texas, I have a concealed carry license. A teacher with a concealed carry license in the classroom will have the training and skills to help keep her students safe. She takes personal responsibility to add an additional layer of safety for her students. She now has the potential to keep an armed intruder at bay for those critical minutes before first responders arrive.
Video games and violence
We are not going to change the Internet, video games or technology. It is not the playing of a video game that is the problem. It is the misunderstanding that the violence of a video game, where the children see shooting a target, is just a game. Violence is acceptable and desirable in the rules of video play. The problem lies in the potential of blurring the lines between what is a game and what is reality.
My suggestion is take them to a gun range where a qualified instructor teaches them gun safety. On the gun range they learn shooting is a serious business, it has real life rules and is not a harmless video game.
On a gun range, one learns how to safely handle a gun; what a gun can do; the sound, noise and smell the gun makes, when you pull the trigger and the seriousness of real life consequences. Finally, and most importantly is learning the responsibility of using a gun, because the target represents a real person. In real life, you do not get a “do over” and start the video game over. This is for real. There are real bullets in a real gun that have the potential to kill people.
Responsibility develops with clear knowledge of danger. Making sure your child understands what a gun does and the safety rules involved gives the child knowledge. They learn to assume all guns are loaded and to never point a gun at another person. This knowledge may prevent the death of a playmate or sibling. Real guns are not toys. Children, if taught, understand this.
Video games are also a concern if the contribute to the isolation of the child.
When children are spending all their time alone with computers, playing video games or on the Internet, they fail to learn socialization skills. Therefore, isolation and lack of socialization is a mental health problem.
Parents need to limit amount of time their children spend on video games, Internet and TV and be aware of what games their children are playing. Spending time playing videos with your child will enhance the parent/child relationship and parents will know what their children are playing. It might even turn out to be fun.
Socialization is achieved at school through learning to get along with others, playing team sports, experience winning and losing and being accepted and, sometimes, rejected by a group.
As children, we learn by socializing with other students. We learn to respect others. We learn to discover what groups are best for us. We learn that, yes, we will be rejected and, yes, we will be accepted in certain circles and groups. We learn that it is a normal part of life and prepare us for dealing with rejection and acceptance in jobs and careers without becoming psychologically devastated.