Action stalled by fear of overreaction
Addendum (4/20/07): As more and more news about Cho Seng-Hui emerges, it becomes apparent that many teachers and others in authority were aware of Cho’s disturbing behavior and made multiple efforts to get him help. My original posting stands, but now with the acknowledgement that some of my statements failed to recognize that likelihood.
In addition to being Reader Representative and associate managing editor at The Enterprise, I’m a mom. That means I know how to react and I certainly know how to overreact. It’s a mom thing. I think it’s also a woman thing.
While we are perfectly capable of being intelligent, analytical creatures, we’re also intuitive and more open with our emotions. If something offends us or scares us, we’re probably going to tell someone. If something offends, scares or threatens our children, we’re going to turn into raging, ripping lionesses annihilating whatever gets in the way of our mission.
Most of that behavior is biological. Unfortunately in some cases, civilization has tempered that biological imperative making us so concerned about societal reaction that we fail to do what our gut tells us to.
Cho Seng-Hui seems to be a fine example of that phenomenon. Here’s our story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/VIRGINIA_TECH_SHOOTING?SITE=TXBEA&SECTION=HOME
He was weird, odd, strange, withdrawn. His writings were disturbing if not down right frightening. Someone, a woman, noticed and referred him to counseling. I’m betting, hindsight not a factor, that she wanted to do much more than that, but was limited by school guidelines and basic professional pressure.
In the course of my years as a newspaper employee, I’ve been called upon to work with students in a variety of venues. I’ve coached, I’ve edited, I’ve read, I’ve judged. I can tell when a student is creative and has some writing potential. I can tell when a student is angry and frustrated. I can tell when I need to wave my arms and stomp my feet and point and shout – “Hey, teacher, over here, this kid has a problem!”
Some kids are just creative. They can visualize blood and guts and gore and horror and it’s just what they like and they want to put it on paper. Some kids are just so filled with teenage angst that every emotion seems extreme, good and bad, love and hate, life and death. Some kids are much more than that.
I have, more than once, read a work by a local student that disturbed me. Did I pass it on, smooth it over or simply ignore what really isn’t my problem?
No way. I’m a mom.
Disturbing writing, as Cho so vividly illustrates, can mean a disturbed kid. Pay attention. Fix it. Do something. Better to overreact than to fail to act at all.
In addition to being Reader Representative and associate managing editor at The Enterprise, I’m a mom. That means I know how to react and I certainly know how to overreact. It’s a mom thing. I think it’s also a woman thing.
While we are perfectly capable of being intelligent, analytical creatures, we’re also intuitive and more open with our emotions. If something offends us or scares us, we’re probably going to tell someone. If something offends, scares or threatens our children, we’re going to turn into raging, ripping lionesses annihilating whatever gets in the way of our mission.
Most of that behavior is biological. Unfortunately in some cases, civilization has tempered that biological imperative making us so concerned about societal reaction that we fail to do what our gut tells us to.
Cho Seng-Hui seems to be a fine example of that phenomenon. Here’s our story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/VIRGINIA_TECH_SHOOTING?SITE=TXBEA&SECTION=HOME
He was weird, odd, strange, withdrawn. His writings were disturbing if not down right frightening. Someone, a woman, noticed and referred him to counseling. I’m betting, hindsight not a factor, that she wanted to do much more than that, but was limited by school guidelines and basic professional pressure.
In the course of my years as a newspaper employee, I’ve been called upon to work with students in a variety of venues. I’ve coached, I’ve edited, I’ve read, I’ve judged. I can tell when a student is creative and has some writing potential. I can tell when a student is angry and frustrated. I can tell when I need to wave my arms and stomp my feet and point and shout – “Hey, teacher, over here, this kid has a problem!”
Some kids are just creative. They can visualize blood and guts and gore and horror and it’s just what they like and they want to put it on paper. Some kids are just so filled with teenage angst that every emotion seems extreme, good and bad, love and hate, life and death. Some kids are much more than that.
I have, more than once, read a work by a local student that disturbed me. Did I pass it on, smooth it over or simply ignore what really isn’t my problem?
No way. I’m a mom.
Disturbing writing, as Cho so vividly illustrates, can mean a disturbed kid. Pay attention. Fix it. Do something. Better to overreact than to fail to act at all.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 10:04 AM
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