My Modest Proposal for the End of School Shootings and the Beginning of a Better Society | Teen Ink

My Modest Proposal for the End of School Shootings and the Beginning of a Better Society

January 31, 2019
By Chicken_McSpicy BRONZE, Spring, Texas
Chicken_McSpicy BRONZE, Spring, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

April 20th, 1999. Two teens, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into the Columbine High School at approximately 11:19 and began shooting fellow students. They killed 12 people and wounded more than 20. December 14th, 2012. Adam Lanza went into the Sandy Hook Elementary School and murdered 26 people-20 children and 6 adults. February 14th, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old man, opened fire on children in the Parkland Elementary School, eventually killing 17 people. 
School shootings are deadly. Many of these shootings have spurred movements, such as the MeToo movement. Despite these movements that apparently stop incidents like these, shootings still happen daily. Before focusing on little cases of shootings, we should prioritize the students and teens that will one day lead this country. Therefore, to protect the young students, we need to ban schools. 
Banning schools will have multiple benefits to the mind. First and foremost, banning schools would be the most efficient way of saving lives. We have movements like the MeToo movement trying to change things, such as banning guns. I say no. Attacks do not have to be carried out with guns. Other weapons could be brought that could be just as deadly. There are also ideas about bringing in more protection for the children. I say that that is inefficient. Police officers should be placed in charge of other important matters when we have such a clear solution. Without school, attacks cannot be carried out. They must be carried out in other places, such as cities and towns. Cities and towns with police on patrol 24/7. 
Secondly, this is more efficient than building a school. There would be no need to build up an actual school. It costs $10,615 to send a kid to public school for a year. (That's federal, state and local government spending combined.) Nowadays, everyone is connected to each other through the internet. A lot of people own computers, too. Instead of creating a facility that costs money, we can teach children at home on computers or have a parent teach their child, which is something that many do today. The money that is spent on schools could be directed at something else, like roadwork and defense spending. 
Thirdly, this is also beneficial to the teachers and students. They will not have to go through the trouble of waking up early and getting dressed. They can simply wake up at the appropriate time for class and log on to the system. Through many stories told by other men, they sometimes just put on an appropriate top for things like interviews or photos, since they only had to show their face. Having school online would give everyone more time to do the things they want to and must do. 
Fourthly, banning school can get rid of a lot of pent up stress. Not having to go to school alleviates a lot of stress for students. Schooling at home will be less stressful for the student because much of the difficult projects and tests do not have to be taken. In some cases, stress can lead to multiple health problems, including but not limited to suppression of the immune system and a higher risk in getting a heart attack. In extreme cases, too much stress can lead to suicide. 
Fifthly, we could suppress bullying done by teenagers who are in school. Bullying is a big problem in schools. Many bullies bully others physically, some do it verbally, and some even do it by social media. A study done in 2017 by Florida Atlantic University found that out of 5,600 teenagers aged 12-17, 34% of them experienced cyberbullying. Another study done by The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2016 stated that there was a clear relationship between bullying and suicidal thoughts. Much like stress, bullying can also cause suicide. 
Sixthly, it takes a lot of work for the parents as well as faculty. If we have students take online course, it will relieve a lot of stress from adults. Parents take the time to wake up early, prepare breakfast, get dressed, and make two trips to the school. All of these, except maybe breakfast and getting dressed, are inconvenient and unnecessary. Therefore, parents can afford to take an extra-long, well-deserved sleep, the sleep that we all want. If we want it, how could others not? Think about the amount of work parents put into you, the amount of work it takes just to help you come to school. And imagine it could all be solved with one simple solution. 
Now, many would say that getting rid of schools would be bad for the student’s social skills and make many lose their jobs, whether it be janitors or principles. I disagree. A student’s social skills will be preserved through online courses. Taking online courses with other classmates would bring them closer, since the number of classmates would be smaller than that of an actual classroom. As for workers, I ask you this question. Which is more important, the livelihood of a worker or the life of a student. I would that it would be the student. Besides, there are many other jobs that are available for them, ranging from social workers to nurses and doctors. 
My solution is clearly the most efficient way of getting rid of multiple problems, such as bullying and shootings. The lives of students, teachers, and faculty alike could be saved by my plan. Banning schools is the only way to truly get rid of evil, by getting rid of the roots. 


The author's comments:

This work was inspired by "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. The idea of his satire that it would be so ridiculous that it would be funny.


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on Feb. 21 2019 at 3:58 pm
Chicken_McSpicy BRONZE, Spring, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
I have made a mistake.