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Blacksburg. Jonesboro. Littleton. These quiet, nondescript corners of America turned into catch-words for an epidemic of brutal school violence almost overnight. Other tragedies both in the US and around the world have made it clear that these were not isolated incidents but a symptom of something larger and even more dangerous. Have we learned anything from all these tragedies? Are we able to halt and reverse this propensity for violence in our kid's minds? Do we know how to keep our children safe at school?

The Bully Culture

We are beginning to understand the link between a student being bullied and a student turning violent, so ending the bullying culture that has existed in Western education for the past several decades is probably the single most effective thing we can do to prevent school violence.

Eradicate bullying? Many would consider this impossible. It may well be, at least for now, but it's still worth taking some steps to at least try to minimize the bully's effect on childhood development. We can:

* Put more focus on social education in the classroom. Every school teaches kids how to read and write, but how many teach kids how to make friends? From the first day of Kindergarten children should be actively taught how to interact with their fellow classmates and society in general in a kind, polite and courteous manner.

* Put more focus on social education at home. Don't let your child go to school without making friends. Make sure he or she participates in some extra-curricular activities, and finds groups of people with some similar interests. Most of all make sure you send your child off to school having actively taught him or her how to interact with fellow classmates and society in general in a kind, polite, courteous manner.

* Create a culture of anti-bullying in schools. Ongoing education about the dangers of bullying is essential. Children should be taught from an early age about the tragedies at Columbine and elsewhere, and clearly shown how these shootings started out as bullying incidents. They should understand that the bullies, their victims and the bystanders who saw the bullying and did nothing all played a role in what happened, and the importance of playing an active role in stopping bullying behaviour before it reaches such tragic extremes.

* Actively manage bullying incidents. Parents, Teachers and School Administrators must act quickly and collectively when they encounter an act of bullying. Active involvement from all parties

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