Name : Angelique Marié Anne Guentin Tuitt

Subject : Communication Studies

Topic : The Causes of School Violence Between Students at

Secondary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

School : Trinity College Moka, Maraval

Territory : Trinidad

Registration no : 160088****

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................................................................3

PREFACE .............................................................................................................................................................................................4

REFLECTIVE ......................................................................................................................................................................................5

ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

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INTRODUCTION

This portfolio is focused on the causes of school violence between students at

secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. School Violence can be defined as “any

behaviour that violates a school’s educational mission or climate of respect or

jeopardizes the intent of the school to be free of aggression against persons or property,

drugs, weapons, disruptions, and disorder.”1

(Just what is school violence?)

The purpose of this theme is my concern for the adolescents in our country. This theme

relates to my academic interests since I like to investigate human behaviour due to my

love of communication studies. It relates to my work-related interests because I would

like to enter the field of criminology as a career evaluating the violent mind. It also

relates to my personal interests because I generally like to analyse the subject matter

due to my own experience with violence.

My intended audience are the innocent victims who end up hurt and the lawbreakers

who injure or even kill students and jeopardize the school systems of Trinidad and

Tobago.

[190 words]

1 Definition according to the Centre for the Prevention of School Violence in the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

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PREFACE

In this preface, I will discuss the inspiration, the intended audience, the situation and the

purpose of my reflective piece.

The main thing that inspired me to write this poem is my personal experience

throughout my school life witnessing the gruesome beatings of students by other

schoolmates.

The intended audiences are all secondary school students who have been victims of

school violence and also the parents or guardians in order for them to witness the

horrors students are faced with behind closed doors.

The main purpose of this piece is to show how frightening it is for a mother to hear that

her son was hurt within the school walls where she believes him to be safe.

[118 words]

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REFLECTIVE

POETRY

“Sweet Dreams my son,

Have a great day tomorrow with everyone!” The morning waits, Another day rushing to school, To meet the ringing bell at the gate. In time to come, All pressures will be done. “Oh Sweet Dreams my son, Have a great day tomorrow with everyone!” Starting the engine to arrive and be greeted by your smile, Your school within three miles, Thoughts of you dancing in my mind, Is this a motherly sign? Raging sirens and flashing lights of blue, white and red pass me by, I think to myself, “An accident ahead, Oh my!” The boisterous screams of my son bleeding to death, Was probably the last thing on my mind. Minutes later, I receive a call, “There been a shooting! Your son has taken a fall!” Without hesitation to bawl; tears flood my tired face, I mashed the pedal harder. My son! There is definitely no time to waste! I raised the music louder blasting the inside of the car to mute my thoughts, Prayers in my mind warring against negativity of all sorts. Hoping my beloved child is more than okay, Today, oh today is certainly not a good day.

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The road became unclear, blurry even, Thinking about how the one above could do me such treason. 150 miles per hour and faster I go, Tears racing towards my chin, my poor baby, how could this happen just so? The car came to a halt. The pain was not done. I rushed out the car and began to run. The racing lights that flashed before me was parked with frantic paramedics rushing bodies into cars, The pain now converting slowly into scars. My chest burning inside as a body bag passed beside me, People sprinting out in fear, How could the precious dream of my son, Turn into a dreadful nightmare? I take off my high heels and fling them in the grass, Enter the doors of the dead, running, “Excuse me! Can I pass?” Crying and screaming pierce my ears, The entire hall flooded in blood, sweat and tears. Running up the crowded stairs, Through the corridors swamped in bodies as if the job was done. “Where’s my son!” “Oh Gawd! Where’s my treasured son!” Students and teachers screaming and running scared, There’s blood everywhere. Looks like a student full of rage, Went to school with guns and hand grenades. Men in bullet proof vests and armours of steel, Draw their rifles to steal the deal.

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Virile voices echoed the halls, They found the culprit hiding behind the classroom wall. He held a pistle. His little hand shaking in distress. The officials threw him on the floor and handcuffed him. Time to clean up this mess. Out into the daylight they walked, My throat burned. No voice escaped to talk. Where oh where could my boy me? Hoping that one of his teachers call out to me. “Mrs Johnson! Yah boy is over dere!” His physics teacher points me to his direction. Oh dear! I took a big gulp and slowly opened the classroom door, Paramedics over a still body on the wooden floor. “Breathe baby breathe!” I called out to him. “Can you hear me?” My son’s blood smeared on the ground, Bawling and screaming in my head yet no sound. His body motionless laying there, Too much to handle. So much to bear. My son opens his eyes, gasping heavily for air, “Get up! Shake it off my dear!” Stretcher reaches. All Aboard. My baby will be ok. Yes my lawd! Dashing faster than the wheels are turning, Yet ah feel ah part of meh heart burning.

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Sirens turned into soothing sounds of the ocean, Still watching silhouettes being moved. Everything in slow motion. At the back of the ambulance we, side by side, inhale, Seeing his breath within the oxygen mask. Pale. Speed. Sharp turns. No ends. My little chick is badly hurt. What to do as the hen? Paramedics over him. I can’t see his breath anymore! I see light as nurses from the hospital open up the back doors. Thumping in my chest as we enter and race down the emergency corridor, His thick blood dripping on the white-tiled floor. Bright white lights blind my drowned eyes, He’s dying. Please tell me this is not goodbye. “Ma’am stay here!” the Doctor tells me as he closes the emergency room door. I burst into tears and fall onto the floor. The clock is ticking, On the ground. Tears dried. Waiting… I turn my head to a creak. My eyes greeted by the sole of the doctor’s feet. Jumping up from the floor and dashing to the room. Dropping to the floor of my son’s doom. Body covered in black, The Doctor’s face. Blank. Defribulator off. A long beeping noise deafening me.

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It’s all over. The boy’s job was done. “Oh Sweet Dreams my son, Have a great day tomorrow with everyone.”

- Angelique Marié-Anne Guentin Tuitt

[822 words]

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ANALYSIS

REGISTER

‘Register’ could be defined as the level of formality of the language expressed. The

mother code switches from an intimate register to a formal register. She speaks

intimate towards her beloved son then switches to formal to describe the events that

took place.

Examples of intimate register-

“Oh Sweet Dreams my son…”

“Breathe baby breathe!” “Get up! Shake it off my dear!”

Examples of formal register –

“Bright white lights blind my drowned eyes”

“Looks like a student full of rage went to school with guns and hand grenades.”

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COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOURS

Communicative behaviours could be described as non-verbal communication. This is

process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages.

Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch (Haptic communication),

by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also

be communicated through object or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or

architecture). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including

voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such

as rhythm, intonation and stress. (Non Verbal Communication) These types of non-

verbal communication focus on physical actions and manipulations to convey meaning,

they are often referred to as communicative behaviours.

In terms of posture, the phrase “Paramedics over a still body on the wooden floor,”

illustrates the postures of both the paramedics and the body of the mother’s son. The

paramedics being over her son indicating that they were there taking care of him and

her son being still on the floor meaning that he was badly wounded from the gunshot.

Secondly, in terms of posture, the phrases “I burst into tears and fall onto the floor… On

the ground. Tears dried. Waiting…” and “Dropping to the floor of my son’s doom,”

signifies the mother’s distress, sadness, frustration and despair on what was

unexpectedly occurring to her beloved son.

The mother showed her emotion through her actions such as the phrase “I mashed the

pedal harder.” This action indicates that she was in a hurry to be with her son and

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ensure that he was okay. This phrase, “Thumping in my chest as we enter and race

down the emergency corridor,” suggests that she was anxious and frightened for her

son in the situation they were in. The phrase, “The Doctor’s face…Blank,” suggests the

doctor’s hidden expressions of disappointment and grief shortly after the death of her

son.

CONCLUSION

School Violence not only distresses students but affects the community, families and

the entire country as well. It makes a major impact on society due to the fear of

students, parents and even teachers. We as a country must come together and stop

the violence by implementing various strategies such as providing student guidance

counsellors to every form in all schools to prevent future events. We must take action to

protect the children who simply strive for success within Trinidad and Tobago.

[387 words]

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APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE

Directed to the students of Secondary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

1. Have you been a victim of school violence or know someone that has been a victim?

Tick one:

Yes

No

2. How is discipline handled in your school?

Tick more than one if they apply:

Students are arrested or severely disciplined for violent acts or behaviour.

Students who commit violent acts are often ignored.

Students often receive a “slap on the wrist” and are sent back to class.

Students are disciplined unfairly for minor things or things they didn't do.

3. Does the threat of violence at your school affect you?

Tick one:

It really affects me

It affects me a little

It does not affect me at all

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4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how safe do you feel at your school?

Tick one:

1 6

2 7

3 8

4 9

5 10

5. Have you committed any acts of violence?

Tick one:

Yes

No

Use these ratings for the following question.

1:Never........2:Rare........3:Uncommon........4:Occasional........5: Common........6:Everyday

6. Rate the activities of the student body in your school.

_____Distribution of illegal drugs (distributing/using drugs on campus).

_____Fights on campus

_____Shootings/stabbings

_____Vandalism (Destruction of school property, spray-painting on walls, arson, etc.)

_____Harassment or battery of teachers by students.

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_____Student threats against other students or faculty.

_____Carrying weapons (knives, guns) on campus for use or self-defense.

_____Presence of threatening gangs on campus.

7. What measures has/is your school taken/taking to prevent violence?

Tick all that apply:

They've done nothing. Our school is perfectly fine.

School security patrols the halls.

Cameras have been installed.

A police officer occasionally checks on the school.

An armed police officer is stationed at the school.

Armed security guards patrol the halls.

Teachers are required to take self-defense training.

Metal detectors at the entrance of buildings.

Occasional random weapon and drug searches.

8. Which of these major criminal activities happened at your school?

Tick all that apply:

Rape

Murder

Robbery

Suicide

Fight with a weapon

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9. Does your school have a zero tolerance policy for school violence?

Tick one:

Yes

No

10. What do you think is the most effective way of reducing school violence?

Tick one:

Automatic suspensions for weapon violations

Police on campus or in school hallways

Frequent locker and desk searches

Conflict resolution and multicultural programs

Metal detectors at entrances

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Just what is school violence? (n.d.). Retrieved 2011, from Center for the Prevention of School Violence: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/pdf_files/newsbrief5_02.pdf

Non Verbal Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication