Virginia Tech Campus has experienced a horrifying Monday on 16th April when a gunman killed 32 people before pointing gun at himself. The shocking behavior of a 23-year-old Korean student is way beyond our imagination. Critics had cited schools as being careless while dealing with students with mental problems. So, to what extent can school do to protect its own students?
I agree that schools should play a part in keeping its environment safe for all but in Virginia Tech 26,000 students are in mental distress, it is also impossible to keep track of everybody’s behavior. It may be too late before another gunman show up to kill the innocents thus schools cannot be wholly blamed for not expelling Cho earlier on. I believe that mental distress can be alleviated by counseling sessions and support from friends. Virginia Tech had done well to counseling students however; do people like Cho receive moral support from peers? I doubt so.
It is reported that Cho had being diagnosed with autism since he came to America at the age of 10. It is not easy of him as a foreigner to cope with studies in America especially language barriers. Classmates seemed to discriminate as they were laughing at him after he finished reading a text in English. Hence, he did not really have good friends in America. People who have known him described him as eccentric and loner. For Cho, that was definitely not an environment suited for him yet he lived with that for 13 years.
The massacre had caused grievance among many people but I think it would be a lesson learnt for all to care for everyone one around us. Such a tragic events only shows that everyone has a limit to stress and a built up of stress can have its adverse effects. Schools can help to monitor students but wont it be the best if students learn how to take care of one another?
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