Columbine High School Research Paper

In April of 1999, two angry teenagers decided to attack Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Before taking their own lives, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, shot and killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 others. The late morning of April 20th, 1999, Harris and Klebold were dressed in trench coats and began shooting at their classmates. The two gunmen had planned to bomb the school, but when the bombs failed to set off, they decided to go on a shooting spree. People all around the United States believe one of the motives for this particular school shooting was due to bullying. Bullying is a major educational issue within a school system that needs to gain much more attention from everyone. Parents within a community should …show more content…
Today, bullying is known as a worldwide issue that is increasing tremendously. I chose the time period of Columbine because I think it was the major starting point of bullying. Columbine is what I remember, and I have heard a lot about it from family and friends. I also studied the incident of Columbine in my forensic class in high school learning new information. The incident of Columbine hits me hard considering I am a recent high school graduate. It is very scary to think my high school could have been attacked, and my classmates and I could have been in danger. The two boys, Harris and Klebold, who took people’s lives and wounded others, felt they were being bullied and had no help. Columbine could have been prevented if the teenage boys could have had help from a teacher, parent, or administrator for being bullied. I think that over the past couple of years bullying has gotten worse than it has even been. Thirty or so years ago, students did not have access to any type of technology or social media, so bullies would just beat other students up. There is all types of social media and technology today, and I think that is a major cause for bullying getting way worse. Students are too scared to bully face-to-face, so they hide behind a computer screen. Cyberbullying is on the rise, more so than any other form of bullying. According to Fritz (2011), “Cyberbullying appears to be more harmful than in-person bullying because it follows a …show more content…
Students are now getting cell phones at such a young age, and it is causing many problems. One of the major issues of young students with cell phones is the topic of cyberbullying. Brunecz (2014) argued, “Cyberbullying has escalated so much that some victims commit suicide in order to escape their tormentors” (p. 13). Hurtful words can sometimes not be forgotten. Unfortunately, some students being bullied feel no way out it but to end their life. The new technology advances has honestly ruined our generation. Technology can be used for good things, but young students are not using technology the right way. Using technology the wrong way could harm students. Teachers cannot control what their students do on their phone, but teachers can have a rule of no cell phones being used at any time during school hours. Depending on where you are located geographically, some areas with lower income families may not be able to afford electronic devices, however; there could be different types of bullying occurring rather than cyberbullying. Wherever you are located geographically, some type of bullying is going to happen in schools. Teachers have to be aware of bullying and the affect it has on current educational practices. For instance, in the past, educators were focused mainly on the student’s education. Today, teachers have to worry about getting