When will school violence end?

Perhaps never before have the keywords “school violence” and “juvenile violence” been so “hot” on social media platforms as they are today. Shocking incidents “emerge” almost every week. Most recently, public opinion was horrified by a surveillance camera recording a scene where an 8th grade male student in Lao Cai used a sharp knife to repeatedly stab his friend in the shoulder and back, then dragged him into a lake.

Previously, in Thanh Hoa, on the way home from school, a 12th grade male student was stabbed in the neck by a classmate, leading to death; a 10th grade male student was sitting in class when a group of 11th grade friends attacked him so hard that he suffered a brain hemorrhage, with a very poor prognosis. In Nghe An, a male student was beaten unconscious by a group of classmates in a billiards club, requiring brain surgery...

Such incidents are happening over and over again, becoming a big question for every family, every school and the whole society: Why can young people be so aggressive, so easily caught up in uncontrolled anger?

It's not that they are born bad, but because they are growing up in an environment full of violent stimulation and lack of emotional guidance. Social networks, online games and entertainment media are full of content, videos of fighting, killing, guns, knives, even livestreams to fulfill viewers' requests with ridiculous, inhumane, violent acts, just to be famous, to attract views and likes...

Being exposed to such toxic content, young people become numb, no longer afraid or surprised by blood and tears, even more stimulated. Adolescents also easily confuse real and virtual values, implicitly thinking that the more aggressive, the more ridiculous, the more attention, and attention is like a fat bait that attracts young people to follow.

A part of today's young people are not taught how to identify, control and resolve anger, so when teased or teased, they only know how to react with violence - the most primitive behavior. People often say "children are mirrors of adults". A child knows how to love because they have received love from those around them. A child knows how to control themselves because they have been taught how to breathe and calm down when angry. But in many families today, parents still use hot and cold violence towards each other, easily scold and even slap their children in anger; on social networks, adults are also ready to "throw stones", insult and slander others just because of different opinions; on the street, even a small traffic accident also causes them to get angry and curse. These behaviors, intentionally or unintentionally, become "life lessons" for children. They see, learn, and then repeat.

We also cannot ignore the pressure of studying and social prejudice, it is not uncommon for children to be forced into the race for grades, with no place to relieve stress, so small conflicts easily explode into major violence. Finally, there is the crowd effect when a group of children witness violence without anyone intervening, because at home adults have taught them that "when you see injustice, stay away to avoid getting involved", "silence is safer than righteousness"!

These incidents, one after another, paint a picture of a generation growing up amidst too much emotional turmoil, where the boundaries between right and wrong, love and violence, are gradually blurred. When anger is expressed through punches, kicks, knives, instead of words, instead of understanding, it is not only a failure of education, but also a wake-up call for adult society.

In the National Assembly, a delegate once questioned the Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son: “When will school violence end?” He answered, roughly: If one day there is no more violence in schools, that will be the day adults stop fighting. Children will only look at each other with eyes of pure love.

Yes, school violence does not come naturally, it is the result of a damaged cultural, behavioral, and educational environment. When parents, teachers, and teachers still act with uncontrolled anger, how can we expect our students and children to know how to use words instead of fists? When society still takes apologies lightly and despises kindness, how can we teach children forgiveness?

We cannot expect children to be kind in a world where adults still angrily ask “do you know who your father is?” or red-facedly “teach each other a lesson” over a traffic accident, a conflict in a restaurant, or a comment on social media. We also cannot expect students to be self-controlled when every day they see adults venting their anger at each other, at their subordinates, and at their children. Children learn from how adults love, but also from how adults hurt.

It is time, instead of just shouting the slogan "Say no to school violence", we need to start with ourselves. Learn to listen to your children, instead of giving orders. Teach your children that not everyone who hurts them deserves to be retaliated. Let your children understand that strength does not lie in muscles, but in the ability to control themselves, because a child who knows how to control emotions in the present is an adult who knows how to live civilly in the future.

Schools need to change too. Homeroom classes should be where teachers help students learn empathy, learn how to resolve conflicts, learn how to apologize and forgive. Emotional education should truly become an important part of the curriculum, like the way we teach math, literature, physics, and chemistry. As for society, we need to stop considering violence a normal part of life. Every time we share, comment, or praise fighting clips, even out of pure curiosity, we are contributing to violence.

There will never be a complete answer to the question “when will school violence end?” But perhaps, when adults stop fighting, stop hating, stop venting their anger on each other; when society stops being judgmental and starts sharing more, then that will be the first day of a generation that truly loves.