Causes of School Violence - Essay Example

Causes of School Violence School violence has been a big problem in many schools all over the world. School violence takes many forms such as bullying, harassment, or even shootouts. School violence brings many problems in schools since it prevents other students from effective learning. Many students who experience school violence are not able to concentrate on their studies and thus get a failing grade at the end of the learning period. There are many causes of school violence. Some of the main causes are “domestic abuse, overcrowded schools, gang activity, drugs, depression, anger issues and more” (“School Violence” web).

In this paper, I am going to argue that domestic abuse, anger, overcrowded schools, medical problems, and gang activities cause school violence. First, school violence is caused by domestic violence. This is because the students who face a lot of domestic violence at home become violent too. Domestic violence include insults and physical violence. The students who face this problem at home become violent and therefore become dangerous at school. Students who are abused at home carry this violent attitude to their school and start molesting the other students (“School Violence” web).

Such students accept domestic violence as a way of life and thus they see it as normal to molest fellow students in school. The schools that have many students are likely to have more violence. Overcrowded schools especially the schools that are in low income areas report many cases of school violence. We can argue that overcrowding in schools makes it difficult for teachers and school management to control students. Therefore, the students get the chance to molest and beat other students since it is difficult to catch them (“Constitutional Rights Foundation” web).

Maintaining discipline in overcrowded schools is also difficult and thus, many students will have discipline issues which results to school violence. It is also true that overcrowded schools get students from poor and low income families. It is claimed that “Race and ethnicity, income levels, and other measurable elements have often been singled out by public heath experts as risk factors that can contribute to anti-social behavior, from smoking and drinking to violent behavior and suicide” (“Constitutional Rights Foundation” web).

For example, children from low income families and slums attend overcrowded schools. Since there is a lot of violence in low income families and slum neighborhoods, students coming from these neighborhoods bring violence to their overcrowded schools. Gang activities are also a major cause of violence in schools. Students who come from the same neighborhoods organize themselves into gangs at home and also at school. These students, who have similar behavior form school gangs. They then molest and threaten the other students who are junior.

Interestingly, school violence gangs are common to both boys and girls but boys form gangs that are more violent. School gangs are dangerous since they have the potential of doing other activities that promote school violence. For example, school gangs are often associated with drug abuse, petty robbery within the school, poor performance, and other antisocial behavior. School gang members who take drugs are likely to be more violent and therefore, promote school violence further. Another factor causing school violence is anger.

There are many issues in school that can trigger anger among students. Schools are comprised of people from different social status, culture, religion and other aspects of life. These differences become sources of conflict in schools. Although some students have well developed anger management techniques, others are weak in managing anger resulting to violence. Students who are not able to manage anger result to violence as a way of expressing their emotions. This is one of the main causes of spontaneous fights within the school.

These acts of violence are often not planned but result from confrontations (CDC web). Lastly, medical problems such as attention deficits, hyperactivity, or learning disorders (ADHD) are some of the causes of violence in schools (CDC web). Students who have psychological problems are not able to relate well with fellow students resulting to violence. In addition, students with psychological disorders become violent as a consequence of the underlaying medical problem. Although many schools try to control the situation through various means such as counseling, such cases always happen (“Constitutional Rights Foundation” web).

Conclusion In conclusion, violence in schools is a common problem caused by many factors. Some of the main factors causing violence in schools include domestic abuse, anger, overcrowded schools, medical problems, and gang activities. Students who are abused at home become violent and extend the violence to schools. Students who are not able to control their anger lead to spontaneous acts of violence when confronted. Overcrowded schools become difficult thereby promoting violence. Students with psychological problems may become violent in schools.

Works Cited “CDC” Understanding School Violence. 2010. Web 06 June 2012. “Constitutional Rights Foundation” Causes of School Violence. 2012. Web 06 June 2012. “School Violence” What Causes School Violence. 2012. Web 06 June 2012.