whyznott's Blog

First of all, I am glad that the school shooting plot in Whitemarsh was foiled.  Good work to the informant, the police and the other officials involved for stopping this potential tradgedy!

But the boy at the center of this issue is still tragic.  Fortunately he hurt no one, but he is obviously hurting, and I hope now he will get the help he needs!

Clearly troubled, he was teased mercilessly at school, and I wonder what the school staff did to address the issue.  The teasing did not cause the boy's troubles, but it did not help either.

As someone who was teased quite a bit in school myself, I know how painful it can be.  I did not react violently, instead I worked to change, grow, and developed a thick skin, I also began to drink quite a bit as a means of coping and of fitting in.

No, teasing was not the cause of my issues, but did not help.

I would like to see schools do more to make school a safter place for all kids.  No, I do not expect miracles, but at least to address the causes of school violence more effectively, maybe even have some kind of team building activities to allow kids to get to know each other better, and see that their differences are not all that dramatic after all--to find common ground.

Just an idea.

I am glad the boy is getting some help, and hope that this incident may cause other troubled kids to get some help.