I am very disturbed with the violence that is going on in schools this decade. It seems like violence has moved from the bad neighborhoods to all neighborhoods. I don't think there should be violence anywhere.
             Pushing our problems away and not dealing with them is one of the main reasons we still have shootings like we had a few weeks ago. I believe that society in general suppresses male's ability to openly express their feelings. The competition in schools for getting on an athletic team, gaining admission to a top college, or getting accepted by a desirable social clique brings stress to students. In addition excessive media attention to these violent shootings shines a spot light on these students and gives them attention and a feeling of importance.
             I believe in order to address these problems a few simple solutions must take place.
             The first thing I feel kids need to have a place where males can feel like it is okay to express their feelings. I feel this is hard for males because it is considered a sign of weakness and is not a masculine characteristic. If we made support groups with professional psychologists mediating available in our schools, it would enable students to express their feelings without resorting to violence. This would allow students to express their aggression and allow them to extinguish it peacefully.
             I also believe that an alternative sports program designed to allow all kids to participate without the highly competitive selection process that exists in normal high school teams. This would allow them to express their aggressions and teach them to work together in a group. It also gives them a group to belong to and would give them a sense of belonging.
             Although media attention will be impossible to stop, teachers should try to minimize the attention paid to students, both victims and perpetrators. The media attention needs to be redi
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