Re: Colorado - Seen from abroad

[Ian Welin <welin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Unfortunately, your comment that Canada is one of the countries in which school violence
to the extent to students shooting teachers and/or classmates does not occur is not
true. This past week a student shot and killed one other classmate and seriously wounded
another in a small high school in a rural town. Several years ago, a gunman shot and
killed 14 female students at a postsecondary institute. Although such behaviors do not
appear to be as common as they are in the US, Canadians have come to realize that they
cannot be as complacent about what is happening to the children and youth of their
communities. It is tempting, as the American media does, to search for one reason or for
a boogeyman, however, it is important to look at an ecological model. How inclusive are
schools and communities of those who are different? How do adults intervene when
children are bullied? How does a culture that glorifies violence not expect children to
use violence? How do adults model problem solving behaviors? Will these incidents result
in any proactive responses or will they be attributed to individuals and the rest of us
will go back to what we were doing before until the next time?

Leslie Welin
Instructor
Child and Youth Care
Malaspina University-College
Duncan, BC Canada

Oddone Virginio wrote:

> A mistake slipped into my previous posting. The CDC numbers are the
> following:
>
>                         Total homicide                  Firearm related homicides
>                          (children < 15 years)                 (children < 15 years)
>
> Ratio US : Non-US                5.0 : 1                                  15.7 : 1
>
> Sorry
>
> Virginio
>
>  ---------------------------------------------------
>
> Virginio Oddone MD
> V. Avogadro 6
> 10121 - Torino (Italy)
> e-mail: oddovir@ipsnet.it