Attack of the 3rd-Graders?
The shocking headlines out of Waycross, Georgia— 3rd-graders plotted to attack teacher, brought knife, handcuffs —lowered the bar on school violence and raised the alarm among parents, teachers, psychologists and just about anyone with an opinion about the country’s future.
The third grade plotters—nine students between the ages of 8 and 10—were allegedly readying a revenge assault against a teacher who had given one of the children a time-out for standing on a chair.
Tipped off by a student, police seized the kids’ menacing arsenal at school, including a steak knife, duct tape, handcuffs, and a heavy paperweight. The teacher specialized in learning disabilities, including attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, though it’s not known if any of the plotters had those diagnoses.
The sophistication of the plan—with kid-assigned jobs of covering classroom windows and cleaning up after the attack—stunned even the police.
“We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her,” the police chief said, “but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely.”
The big question—who or what was responsible for the children’s shocking behavior?—was debated across the U.S. on message boards and Main Street.
The culprits ranged from peer pressure to parenting, with violent video games and television getting much of the blame. “Kids naturally think now that the solution to everything is to shoot someone like they see on TV,” one comment read. “I weep for the future of America.”
For the present, local authorities are uncertain exactly how to proceed. In Georgia, children under 13 can’t be charged with a crime. Being declared “delinquent” by a judge may be the only legal penalty, but the state doesn’t have detention facilities for third-graders.
Tell us what you think. Given the restrictions with the law, how do you make punishment for third graders fit the crime? How much responsibility do their parents bear? And what about the rest of us—should we also be accountable as members of society?
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We don't respect kids
I so agree with Rori. We all have failed and the society we have created is making it impossible to change. The education system is broke. It is not in tune with our new world. The system was set to provide workers for assembly lines. That type of work hardly exists any more. We don’t need to demonize TV, teacher, games, or violent movies. We need to be on top of what is happening with our loved ones and the guy down the street. The answer is, yes, we are our brother’s keeper. It’s wrong to respond to a report of misbehavior of our children by saying “OH, no my son/daughter wouldn’t do that.” Oh, yes they would unless we teach them other wise. Our society needs to make it possible for one parent to stay home and if that one is the male member he shouldn’t have to feel ridiculed. If it’s the female she shouldn’t have to feel financially in jeopardy. How to do that? I have some ideas but to even try to implement them would have almost 100% of the affected people screaming in protest. Along with working with children, I have learned to work with animals, specifically dogs and horses. You have three seconds to correct their behavior and no more. Once it’s over it’s over. If we treated other human beings like that the anger management people would probably go out of business. We encourage grudges when we over discipline or if we don’t discipline consistently and carefully. When I was growing up, if the teacher said I’d done something wrong I faced the music at home. Now days mom and dad run out and get a lawyer. That’s part of the problem in many schools today. Any one interested in how populations react when they are crowded should talk to social psychologists who can direct you to a study of rats. We pack to many children together in a small space and expect them to perform under extreme environmental stress while they try to learn. That might make me stand on a chair too.
Ann Dennis | 1 year, 11 months ago
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Why blame the parents?
First off, as parents of a child with developmental delays (autistic) we realize many of us give our children the proper love and care that they need. Many of us, depending on what the child has been diagnosed with, go through a lot of stress on our own paying for such things as therapy (psychological, physical, occupational, and behavioral) because our insurance companies do not cover it. So most of us are working hundreds of hours a year just go be able to cover those expenses. I thought that special education classes in schools were one teacher per 4-5 students and a therapist or a helper for these children. At least it is like that where I live. The problem is that the schools and parents do not work together and most teachers do not care about the well being of their student or whether they learn anything. At least that was my experience growing up with a brother who had ADHD and his teachers were worthless. Even when parents show attention and love to their children developmentally delayed or not, some children still go way off into left field. For those who blamed the parents: do any of you have a child who has developmental disabilities? If so, then you know how difficult it can be sometimes to raise them – especially in my case where my son cannot even communicate with me or his father the way that he should. Also, none of you have met the parents of these children so how would you know if they did or didn’t do what they needed to do in order to make sure that their children behaved? How do you think they feel about the incident that has happened? You all have to look at that before you start saying that the parents are to blame.
Sarah | 1 year, 10 months ago
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Reply To Sarah
Sarah, while I agree that parents are not to blame, you are clearly taking this personally. You talk about special education children, but these WEREN’T special education children! The reason there wasn’t one teacher for four to five wasn’t because they were neglecting the needs of children with development disabilities, but because the children HAD NO DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. In fact, it mentions the sophistication of the plan, which autistic children would not manage.
Now, then, I don’t feel parents are to blame because I find it hard to believe that there are 30-60 parents who have so badly abused the minds of their third-graders. There probably is a societal factor to it, both in the media promoting violence and in American culture promoting selfishness. A major reason for their terrible plan was simply that they resented being punished.
I, too, weep for the future of America.
Sophia | 1 year, 10 months ago
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It's the parents.
How can you simple minded people not blame it on the parents?
Yes, the video games are most likely where they got the ideas. Yes, that’s why they wanted to murder their teacher, or torture her, or whatever their intentions. But, WHY did the video games influence them this way?
People are molded by their influences. People are born with certain characteristics, but these develop and evolve only through influence. So, it is safe to assume that the parents are at fault for not keeping a tighter leash on their children and not teaching them stronger morals and ethics.
That’s weak, people. The parents are at fault here. I’ve been playing violent video games my entire life, but I’ve never done anything close to this. I’ve never even killed an animal. It’s the parent’s fault for keeping such a loose leash on them.
You say that you fear for the future of America? And what do you think is molding the future of America? The youth, most certainly, but look what’s molding the youth: the parents. Look at the level of morals and ethics in the 50’s. What happened? Why doesn’t anyone act that way anymore?
Because, over time, children got lazy, stopped caring about rules, and passed it on to their children. And so the pattern continues. And now, you blame the video game for everything. You say the parents are innocent.
Love and care are not all that children need. Children need teaching, discipline, a good role model, knowledge, morals, and common sense. Obviously blinded people like you think that it’s all the video game.
Even if it were all the video game, who’s controlling how much television or video games that child watches and plays? It’s THE PARENT.
The parents are all to blame.
It’s pathetic, people. You tiptoe around the subject and take something that MIGHT be the cause, something that isn’t even proven, and blame that. Rather than going to the direct source of the matter, you say, “Nuh-uh, it couldn’t possibly be the parent! We aren’t doing anything wrong!”
I think it’s high time that parents look inward for the blame.
That'one Dude | 1 year, 10 months ago
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Note to Dude
I think to blame or hold the parents responsible we need more information. I must admit that my children have done things that I have actively taught and reinforced them not to do. They have always, yes always, done these thing when they thought I wouldn’t find out. It takes a village to raise a child. I would find out because someone else finally reported to me. All of my children are now 18 and older and only one has continued to be self destructive. The others have become soldiers, nurses, teachers. Should I be blamed because in spit of my efforts the one child has basically failed in society?
I believe we as a society are to quick to blame parents and teachers because we don’t want to look at the structure we are struggling against. If our kids were expected to help the family with basic home skills, do their homework, and contribute to the community. They wouldn’t have time to hold grudges and plot attacks.
Ann Dennis | 1 year, 10 months ago
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Fontana
To That One Dude! Awesome! I don’t know how old you are from my assumption you seem to be young if you are congratulations on the most mature young person that I’ve ever met if your not a young person well I still applaud you. People lose sight on who is rearing these children and forget where children learn their actions from the most.
Kina Barnum | 1 year, 10 months ago
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Also a Note To Dude
First, I’m not a parent, so that argument doesn’t really hold.
Second, ethics during the fifties included the idea that a female’s prime purpose in life was to be a housewife, so good luck passing that off as the era of morals.
However, in your mention of era, you ironically brought up my point. There is violence EVERYWHERE right now (which is not to say it wasn’t there before.) If every single violent act is the fault of the parents, that means there are millions of unfit parents. Furthermore, does it not mean that these parents also were badly raised?
I do not say parents are innocent or blame the video game. I’m sure some do, but since you chose to attack everyone who disagrees with you and label them “simple-minded,” I would say that alone also negates much of your argument.
I’m sure the parents deserve some of the blame. I’m also sure society deserves more. You may think that makes me simple-minded, but that in turn makes me consider you narrow-minded. And I don’t blame your parents for that.
Sophia | 1 year, 10 months ago
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Surrogate Generation - Television and Video Parent
Children become who they spend the most time with. If they are not spending most of their waking hours with their parents who then are raising them? Children are acting like their surrogate parents, which are t.v., videos, peers, movies etc. Read the newly released book “Surrogate Generation” to find more facts about this problem that effects our homes, schools and society. We are letting surrogates raise our children, but at what cost? This is why children are behaving as they do.
Ann Cason | 1 year, 10 months ago
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My response to Dude
First off thank you for considering my opinion to be simple minded. First off are you there with these parents 24-7? Not every parent is perfect but let me tell you one thing not all parents are lax on what their children do. Many of them teach their children right from wrong and sometimes those same children go off into left field. It happens and you also mention the violence of video games, television, and movies. Well its like this not every child does what a video game, television show, song, or movie does at all. Some kids to follow that and its a sad situation. This particular story was on my local news as I live in the same region as this terrible crime happened. They said that these children had developmental disabilities. Meaning it could be a number of things from social to communication to many other issues that they face daily. Is that the fault of the parent? No the child was born that way. Should they treat the child any differently because of it? No we are all equal in our own right.The point is that they probably do not understand what is going on. Even those without these issues are not always going to follow what their parents teach them. The teacher was having an issue with a particular student, talk to the parents. That is what we are missing is communication between the parents and the schools. If they all work together then maybe things like this wouldn’t happen so often. So before I congratulate you on your ignorance, I am going to give you some advice; don’t point your finger until you know ALL the facts. Have a great evening:-)
Sarah | 1 year, 10 months ago
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okay....
Okay, so no one agrees on who is actually at fault here…and we can debate about that all day long – BUT something needs to be said about the fact that our government has nothing in place to punish kids who act out like this- other than kicking them out of school and giving them community service. Why not? I would have thought after Columbine we would have some kind of “juvenile” system set up. I realize this is the first time this has happened with children this young, but we are a foolish nation if just slapped on the wrists and this happens to us again-
I don’t see it getting any better. It just seems as though our youth are acting out violently younger and younger. So what in the world can they do about it? What kind of punishment seems fair? I mean at least some kind of boot camp or confinement away for a time. Yes, they are children, but they certainly are not acting like it. Disabilities or not, they have to own up to their own mistakes. They have to know how to function in society and learn what is acceptable or not. Better teach them now while there is still hope!
sarah t | 1 year, 10 months ago
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