Op-Ed: Addressing Violence in Schools for Dignity and Common Good

This opinion editorial addresses the rising issue of violence in Australian schools, focusing on its impact on the dignity of teachers and students, as well as the broader community. The author argues that the increasing frequency of violence, including physical and mental threats, undermines the respect and safety within educational environments. The op-ed highlights the negative consequences of violence, such as lowered self-esteem, the development of harmful values, and the potential for students to perpetuate violent behavior. The author proposes solutions rooted in sociology and education, including improved communication with students, awareness of the effects of violence, mentoring programs, and proactive intervention when warning signs appear. The editorial emphasizes the importance of involving family members and promoting values that protect human dignity and foster a healthy social environment. The author calls for a concerted effort to address violence in schools to safeguard both individual well-being and the common good.

RUNNING HEAD: RISING VIOLENCE
SELF AND COMMUNITY

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The opinion editorial is prepared on the title ‘Self and community’. Dignity is the state or
quality of being worthy of honour or respect. Every individual is born with dignity and it
attains a key importance in his or her life. However, due to some specific events it results in
the loss of dignity (Bonefeld & Psychopedis , 2017). Various issues are lowering the
individual’s dignity including violence in schools. It mainly argues on the fact that violence is
rising in schools of Australia. The key purpose of this opinion editorial is to focus on the
issue relating to the dignity of human person and the realization of the common good in
professional practice. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to upgrade the knowledge
based on the rising issue of violence in schools in Australia.
There is a rising issue of violence in schools in Australia. It is identified that in the year 2018,
one out of three school principals were attacked. It was found that they were threatened with
knives and guns. They were also punched and furniture was thrown at them. They were
usually threatened by the students and their parents. According to the Australian principle
occupational health, safety, and wellbeing survey, the frequency of violence is enhancing.
Besides physical violence, they have also experienced mental torcher. After conducting the
survey of 2365 Australian principles, it was found that violence was the major worry among
them (Baker , 2019). Such practice greatly affects the dignity of the teacher in the current
time leaving an imprint on their whole life. The position of a professor is considered highly
respectable and rise of such practices is lowering the honour of the teachers in the schools as
well as in the society. This is because through such practices, an individual faces high degree
of embarrassment. Due to such happening, it resulted in lowering of self-respect among the
teachers. Practices like physical violence are mainly performed in public places and by
tracking on the activities of the individual. Thus, any form of inclusion with the individual’s
privacy is also result in lowering the dignity (Jiménez-Barbero et al., 2016).
Enhancement of such activities in the schools lays a wrong and negative impact on the
students. This results in development of wrong value among the students. Any student that
has become a survivor of violence in the school develops a negative impact towards the life.
It develops the chances of inclusion of the survivor in the same practices. Therefore, it lowers
the healthy environment of the school and other educational premises. Thus, it is assessed
that violence in schools is getting out of control and becoming severe day-by-day (Baker ,
2019). Therefore, it directly affects the human dignity resulting in lower self-respect and self-
esteem. Further, it will result in fall in the healthy social environment (Cornell , 2017).

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Initiation of violence in small platforms and (school) often does not come to end here only.
However, the individuals that perform such violent activities often gave rise bigger
malpractices. In relation to the discipline area of sociology
Initiating healthy communication with the student will directly help in lowering the issue. A
high attention should be laid on sharing the adverse effect of violence on the survivor as well
as on the performer. A high attention should be laid in developing two-way communication.
Active participation of the student will help in knowing their views and thoughts towards
such wrong practices. Besides guiding and providing them information, they should be also
be acknowledged with the real life incidents that have taken a huge turn and laid an adverse
effect on the human as well as on the society. Mentoring programs, universal, school based
prevention programs should be developed and monitored, as these will help in reducing youth
violence especially in schools and other educational sectors. Development of such practice
will absolutely help in reducing the frequency of such issues.
Besides the above practice, a high attention should be paid on students when they are
showing the warning signs towards violence. A teacher should be given the authority to
intervene in the minor violence practices prevailing within the schools. Moreover, family
members of the students should be involved to teach their children for not developing values
that lowers the individual dignity or harm the society in one form or the other.

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Bibliography
Baker , J., 2019. Knives, guns, threats: Violence at schools spins 'out of control'. [Online]
Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/education/knives-guns-threats-violence-at-schools-
spins-out-of-control-20190222-p50zq5.html [Accessed 11 October 2019].
Bonefeld , W. & Psychopedis , K., 2017. Human dignity: social autonomy and the critique of
capitalism. Taylor & Francis.
Cornell , D.G., 2017. School violence: Fears versus facts. Routledge.
Jiménez-Barbero, J.A. et al., 2016. Effectiveness of anti-bullying school programs: A meta-
analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 61, pp.165-75.