I was shocked when I first heard the story of Dylan Quick, the self-admitted assailant in the stabbing at Lone Star College in Texas. Not only did he stab fourteen people with a knife resembling a box cutter, but he admitted to having fantasies of doing so since elementary school. Even worse, friends and family members said that they knew about these fantasies.
Why did they never get him help?
As a college student myself, I get upset every time I turn on the news and see that another tragic event has occurred at a campus in this country. The sad truth is that I wonder whether or not my school will be the next target of a gunman, or knifeman for that matter. It’s scary.
Nobody is truly safe. Incidents have occurred at schools both big and small from the east to the west. The alleged suspects are people’s children, friends, roommates, and classmates. They are regular people, but they are different at the same time.
They have alarming feelings that go virtually unnoticed for so long, until they finally decide to act on them. Then, everyone wants to backtrack and spot signs.
I believe that moving forward is better than moving backward. I believe that these emotions should be noticed sooner. I believe that troubled students should be helped before violence becomes a resort…before they hurt themselves and others.
Mental health checks in elementary schools will benefit all of us.
I attended public school all my life until college. My classmates and I were always told that there were guidance counselors readily available for us, but nobody really ever went.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a guidance counselor, and each of those times had to do with scheduling. A “door always open” policy isn’t effective when the child is too closed to seek help.
I went to four different elementary schools, two different middle schools, and three different high schools, but never once was I asked by a counselor or school official how I was handling my transition. It would’ve been nice.
Some kids deal with even deeper personal problems. Are we supposed to continue leaving it up to them to seek help on their own?
This method doesn’t seem to be working…at least not for everyone. “Therapy” or guidance often has a negative stigma, but if everyone is required to open up, then nobody will be singled out. Mental health checks and discussions with guidance counselors should be mandatory for every student in every school in every state, at least once a year. Then issues can be noticed and progress can be monitored before it is too late.
The economy has caused many schools to drastically cut teachers and counselors within the recent years. Although it may be costly, legislation must be passed to bring them back.
The benefits of hiring more counselors to aid children in schools outweigh the costs. There is no price to saving a life, especially one that may be demonstrating signs of aggression or sadness that could be manifested internally or externally in the future.
But beyond the violence aspect, emotional health often takes a backseat to the importance of physical health. This should not be the case. Our children deserve both.
Everyone can benefit from a little one-on-one time, from kids in inner-cities, to kids in the suburbs.
Regardless of whether or not a child is going to pick up a gun in the future, we need to ensure that they are OK. The only way to be 100 percent positive about their well-being is to speak to them.
Mental health checks in elementary schools and other places of public and private education are a must.
Do it for the kids!
-Ari Andrews
@Ariforshort so I know it’s real
