Teens, Violent Flash Mobs and the Role of Public Schools

Near where I live, you have to be careful where you go at night. A lot of people think it is best to stay away from shopping centers and gas stations. The Mayor is considering whether they should end nighttime high school football games.

The problem? You might get caught up in a violent flash mob of young teens running through designated areas in a raucous manner quite possible hurting people who get in their way. Such mob behavior has created problems in Chicago, Louisville, and Philadelphia and other cities. Many mayors have created curfews and put restrictive rules into place as precautions. But what are the deeper reasons for this behavior in teens? How do schools fit into this problem, or do they?

I think public schools do play a role. Teenagers have always garnered attention for acting rebellious, but schools can help in curbing such behavior. Schools should help students feel good about their qualities and help them find their way. In our inner cities we have failed collectively to do that.

Here are some reasons why I think public schools are connected to violent flash mobs:

• I always hear school reformers argue that funding won’t solve the problems of public schools. But cuts to school programs, especially in the inner city, directly and indirectly remove functions that keep students engaged and also give them hope for the future. These schools have been defunded and programs have been recklessly cut.
• A high focus on high-stakes testing treats students impersonally. Students are taught that the score they obtain is more important than anything else. They are data points. Even if you do well, who really cares about you? If you don’t do well…don’t look for an escape hatch because there is none.
• Along with this, a push for everyone to attend college means that some are left out. Where are good career-technical or vocational ed. programs for students? In the College for All mantra, these programs are still made to look less than ideal even though they are very important to society and could lead to wonderful careers.
• Students are still segregated by class and race. This, of course, does not bring young people together.
• Wealthier schools pull students and the community together for functions like school plays and band concerts, developing school pride, but poor students have fewer, if any, such congregations. Other than possibly still having team sports, many inner city schools have lost drama, music, and art. One high school near me announced the end of their marching band. If students are not allowed to express themselves in these areas, they will find other ways to obtain attention.
• Parents are often criticized, and certainly they have an important role to play in their child’s behavior. However, due to economic problems and slow growth of the economy, parents might have several jobs, none of which provide a living wage, and not be able to provide good supervision at home. That could be one problem.
• Students have trouble finding jobs too. How is the school helping here? Where can you find school-to-work apprenticeships that pay students an acceptable wage?
• Many schools are no longer community schools. They are charters that value high test scores and little else. Or they are online charter schools that ignore socialization.
• With no extracurricular school activities, young people might feel angry, powerless or just plain bored. When a young participant in a mob was asked why he participated in the mob behavior, he said because it was fun.
• Along with the “fun” statement, social media is a funny world. Flash mobs have sometimes been fun, leading to enjoyable disco dances and YouTube videos. Students might be confused as to the parameters of a flash mob starting out as fun and transitioning into something quite dangerous.
• School counselors have been pushed to focus mostly on college and career planning and less on problematic behavior and student difficulties. Students who are not provided assistance for their difficulties will act out. Really troubled students will drop out, never having been given the help they so desperately needed.
• Many public schools are overcrowded when schools are closed or combined. Some schools have rival gangs under one roof and this goes unaddressed.
• Class sizes are large and teachers don’t get to learn much about the students they teach. They can’t tell what strengths their students might have.
• Many school and local libraries have cut hours and services, and youth offender programs have been cut in some places.

Of course there are probably many other reasons that affect why violent flash mobs occur. I think in terms of schools because I have an educator’s background.

Mostly, teens want to feel like they belong, that they have worth and that the adults in their life care for them. They want us to pay attention. Unfortunately, when we don’t, the media does. Then we all sit back and wonder why young people have such bad behavior.