There is no doubt that teen suicide rates are at its highest. However, one might ask, how could this be? Nowadays, schools place an enormous emphasis on anti-bullying programs, suicide prevention, HIB laws, etc. Yet, the number of teen suicides is continuing to increase. In fact, according to http://www.teensuicidestatistics.com/ suicide has become the third leading cause of death amongst teenagers in the United States. Also, the article stated that 60 percent of high school students claim they have thought about committing suicide and nine percent have actually attempted suicide. With all the extra precautions schools claim to be taking, something definitely is not adding up here!!!
Recently, my cooperating teacher informed me that several students in our middle school have been sent to receive help after failed suicide attempts. In fact, one student attempted suicide three times before he was finally sent to receive help outside of the school. How could this assistance have taken so long? I strongly believe that teachers, guidance counselors, and even school therapists/specialists wait too long to report the names of specific students who have serious problems. It would appear to me that there has to be a clear and definite distinction between receiving help in school or receiving help outside of school so that the student can fully concentrate on getting healthy without any distractions. In this regard, there should be no in-between. If the student needs help outside of school, then he/she should be separated from the school environment completely. Who has the right to make this “disaster” call? The school? The teacher? The guidance counselor? The school therapist? The parents? Clearly no one is stepping up in today’s society because the same exact problem is happening over and over again. What do you think can be done?
Finally, do you believe that schools are making enough of an effort to prevent suicides, bullying, and HIB? Many schools will take the first opportunity to brag about their workshops and training sessions. However, the truth is…how many workshops have they had? Most likely the answer is only one. Furthermore, how severe are the consequences for students who violate the HIB laws and rules? Most likely the answer is not very. In the end, someone, somewhere has to realize that suicide rates are still continually increasing for a reason. What do you think that reason is?
Cory,you definitely give a lot of good insight and provide thought-provoking questions about the topic of suicide rates in teenagers. At the high school where I'm student teaching, several of my students have been sent to rehab facilities due to substance abuse or failed suicide attempts. In fact, I have my best friend's brother in class and he is currently in a rehab program. Although the school has HIB laws to protect the students, sometimes they make it worse because their plan of action is outlined for the students, but not the faculty. What I mean by that statement is that this student has been struggling with depression and anxiety for several years and there is one teacher at the school that would constantly provoke him and then when the student fought back it was the student getting in trouble and the administration backing the teacher because, afterall the student is a "problem student". The student's parents contemplated charging the teacher with harrassment but knew their attempts would be futile. In short, after several violations the student was finally sent to a rehab facility. I mentioned this because sometimes the schools are very narrowminded when it comes to HIB laws; they feel that they should only be outlined for students, but not teachers. In this case, the student was driven into a deeper depression because of his constant run-ins with one teacher and the administration would punish the student. Perhaps if HIB laws where established school-wide for both students and faculty, things would be different and suicide rates would decrease.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I believe that if you're someone who knows that a student is contemplating suicide or is incredibly depressed then they should take the first steps toward prevention and help. Regardless if you're a teacher, nurse, friend, coach, or cafeteria worker, if you see a student exhibiting signs of depression and suicide it's better to be safe than sorry because you may be that person who saves that child's life.
The numbers you have given are truly alarming and I agree with the fact that the HIB rules seem to not truly have been thought through completely. Schools are quick to point out that they have a zero tolerance towards bullying. However they take somethings to the extreme and other thinks that are serious go unpunished. Also, as you mentioned their arent "rules" or "guidelines" for teachers. And regarding your question of who should step up it should be everyone or whoever realizes there is a problem with a student.
ReplyDeleteIf a child has attempted suicide and not recieved assistance from the school then there is a major problem with that school and school district. I do understand how it can be difficult to get a child assistance prior to major signs showing themselves. With 150 kids every day, it can be hard to detect problems. Digging for those problems can lead to a child pulling away and shutting down, so you have to walk a very fine line. Teachers should be trained to some extent to spot red flags though. This seems like common sense. We are so focused on this anti-bullying crusade, which is important, but we might be neglecting how to spot signs of severe depression.
ReplyDeleteI think that if a student is having serious enough problems to contemplate suicide the parents should be the first to realize the situation and help their child. I feel that for teachers to effectively prevent students with serious problems from committing suicide teachers need to know their students on a more personal level and have a relationship with their students. That relationship may allow that particular student to feel comfortable enough to go to that teacher to talk about their problem. I do feel that the parents should be the first to step in if they notice something wrong with their child.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chet on this really difficult topic. Teachers are effective in helping students when they understand their students and understand the indicators associated with the type of behaviors relating to suicide and depression. I will say that it is not the primary responsibility of a educator to discover a student is having problems as their should be many people in the "line up" to tackle such serious issues plaguing students. It is difficult for all parties to identify issues which could explain the reason for children falling between the cracks especially when having inadequate training for staff members as well as parents. Schools should focus on interpersonal issues somewhere in the curriculum in addition to the core subjects and elective classes.
DeleteSuicide is a huge issue amongst teenagers in school. I am fortunate enough to not have had a situation like this occur in my field observations. I think it is shocking that it took the administration 3 times for a student to attempt suicide to do something about it. That is alarming! I think the student should be evaluated. He or she may have issues at home or may be going through a tough time at school. Counseling may also be necessary. The parents should definitely be contacted, if they do not know already. I think a meeting with the parents is also necessary in order to find the root of the students problems and concerns.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very touchy topic for a lot of schools. I think a lot of schools look over it, and do not do anything until something major happens in the district. Suicide is a huge issue these days, and I think it is pretty sad that it takes this long for them schools to do something. From what I have seen in the schools I have worked in, parent communication is very important. It is important to know what is going on at home, because it can most the time explain the behavior or issues that the teacher is seeing in school. Or it can also have the opposite effect and if they are acting out at home they may be having problems in school.
ReplyDeleteCorey, These facts on suicide are truely disconcerting. Fortunatly I have not observed such a serious situation like this, but I have been in at least two assemblies for students at my school that discuss bullying and siber-bullying. However, I feel that the school does not do enough to address the issue when presented with a bullying situation. I personally reported two students for bullying another student, and the administration was ok with just having them appologize for it. I feel that this wasn't a strong enough punnishment, especially because this student that was being bullied was crying histerically. I think that these types of things are what lead students into depression and possibly considering suicide. If the school was stricter with these bullies, it may possibly deter them from doing it again. They stress the topic
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is everyone's responsability in the student's surroundings to report any major problems they observe. Whether it be teachers, classmates, administrators or parents, it is a conjoined effort to try and help the student.