Another teacher shot at a High School

GLENVISTA: While she was still trying recovering from the news of the violent attack on a teacher at Glenvista High School, Grade 11 Bracken High learner Ayanda Mabindisa received a BBM message informing her that a teacher had just been shot by learner at another high school, September 20.

“It’s one thing hearing about a fight breaking out between students during break, but when teachers are involved, it is a whole different level,” said the concerned 17-year-old.

News of the recent violent outbreaks in schools has left many youngsters who are still in high school, very concerned.
The text which was sent to her by a fellow pupil informed that a learner at a school in Sasolburg had walked into a school with a gun in his possession, with the intention of harming an educator… which he subsequently ended up doing. This incident reportedly happened Friday September 20.

“Being in grade 11, I spend more than half of my daylight hours at school and I think that as a scholar, I should be allowed to feel safe there. Unfortunately, with the stories I’ve been hearing in the media about teachers and students attacking and harming one another, it’s not very easy for a person to feel safe at school. You shouldn’t have to fear anyone whether it’s a teacher or your fellow pupils.”

Ayanda believes that the main cause of violence in schools is an issue of lack of respect. “Everybody wants to receive it, but no one wants to give out any, and the sooner people realise that respect is earned, the sooner these problems will be resolved.”
“School violence is becoming a more common thing, and in my opinion, that is not acceptable. It should not be normal to hear of a fight at school between students, and least of all students and teachers.”

“A teacher will not earn respect by teaching a student badly or picking on them – instead the student will become despondent and fear the teacher. In the same way, a student will not earn a teachers respect by misbehaving to try and show that they don’t care about the consequences.”
A former scholar of Glenvista High School said that she was very disappointed to hear such news about her previous school as the school has been rated as one of the best schools in the south.

“Such incidents did occur where learners would be disrespectful to teachers but never to this extent. No one ever raised a hand to a teacher never mind a broom, I believe the cause could have been influenced by the boys home background or by peer pressure where he was trying to impress his friends,” said the former pupil of Glenvista High School.

Ayanda concurred with the views expressed by the former Glenvista High pupil adding that “I do think that in some cases the person accused of the attack has been emotionally abused by the victim and used a physical attack as their last resort. In cases like that, the person being emotionally attacked should talk to someone to let them know what is going on, in order for the school to be aware of the events and to prevent a physical attack from happening in the future.”