After the most recent mass homicides I hear, “we should
focus on the victims.” Some even go so
far as to refuse to mention the killer’s name.
While the purpose of focusing on victims is laudable, perhaps, and even
wise if doing so discourages publicity-seeking copycat killers, I fear that
another motive for some may be avoiding the complexities of the killer’s
deeds. Instead, we gravitate to what
have become almost taglines to mass killings—mental health and availability of
guns (despite the fact that three in the Isla Vista, California killings were
stabbed). This recent case is different
from other recent ones, it seems to me, in that the killer, Elliot Rodger, left
behind a memoir. Though exhausting and
depressing to read, and though it is reality as seen through the looking glass
of a woefully troubled individual, it still points to some truths that need not
pass through the NRA or other lobbying barriers--especially those involving the
individual’s education and socialization. It reveals a lot more, I think, but let me
zero in on this area, one I know something about.
A couple of qualifiers: I am not a psychologist and make no pretense
of analysis. I have taught several
community college students diagnosed with Asperger’s, however. While that condition has its own challenges,
he did not become a killer because of it. I also want to emphasize that my
comments are not intended as criticism of anyone; rather, I merely want to observe
the moments when another choice might help someone faced with making decisions
for another troubled child.
I was chilled when I read his debate about whether to target
the college or the community on the Day of Retribution. What does his story tell us that could help
others—parents, friends, and teachers—support a troubled student enough to
decide that life is worth living?
- Athletics: Throughout life, his height troubles him, especially when it comes to sports. Skateboarding offered respite, but what if a child filled with similar frustrations were to try a sport such as gymnastics where small build is a value? Or a size-neutral sport such as golf?
- Learning:
The students I have had with Asperger’s are often bright, though often extra
effort is required to get them to interact appropriately. That appears to be part of the problem
throughout his school years. What if a similar
child had a learning coach (see Supplemental Instruction, for example) in the
classroom with him to provide interaction, guidance, and interpersonal
communication?
- Socialization:
Missing from his tale is anything about giving—until he is in college
with a life coach. Wouldn’t some sort of
sharing/giving ritual be a helpful routine for a person with difficulty communicating
and feeling empathy? Even setting a
practice of answering a single daily “what have I done for another?” would have
its own value. I found the artificiality
of setting “play dates” for him throughout his school years very sad. Couldn’t higher ed. institutions provide an
academic group environment with learning communities and opportunities for
peer-to-peer collaboration?
- Classes:
Why do students think less is better?
I shook my head each time the writer reported on his two or three
classes. And an online class for a
person who needs human interaction? Why was 16-18 hours the norm in years prior
to computers, yet now nine or 12 seems to be a full load? For many college students, the other half of
their lives is taken up with a job or two, which makes a light load wise. But wouldn’t a student who is not engaged in
ongoing activity outside of college benefit from a robust schedule with a
variety of course demands (fine arts, phys. ed. in addition to traditional
academics, for example) distributed across the week rather than a sparse one
with long gaps between classes?
- College Choice:
Some people confuse community college with high school. Wrong. Some schools are quite large: Enrollment at Santa Barbara City College is
at least 20,000 according to their web site, and my former school is comparable. And, while I cannot speak about SBCC, I know
that the commuter nature of my former school made it difficult for students to
develop friendships, form groups, and become engaged in school
communities. Likewise, when a community
college has no dorms, the lack of on-campus housing complicates monitoring
students in need; there are no resident hall personnel to check in on troubled
students. Wouldn’t a small, residential
liberal arts college with a strong support service for struggling students make
sense?
- Apartment Living: An important part of the college experience
is the campus life. Apartment living
away from the campus itself is not always ideal. Wouldn’t a student needing to develop social
skills do better in a living environment directly associated with the school,
with campus supervisors present to provide support?
- Apartment Living 2: The killer lived in an arrangement where he
gained roommates at random. True, the
roommate-at-random is often the norm in resident halls as well, but in that
environment there is some sort of residence hall supervision available. If I had a child with a known socialization
issue, wouldn’t I be wise to work with the school to establish the best living
arrangement possible? Though I was adamantly opposed to the elitism of the Greek
system when I was in college, it has changed enough that I might have second
thoughts if I were a parent with a college-aged son or daughter, today. Who does a better job of research prospects
than fraternities and sororities? I
would do my best to avoid the temptation to run a background check on the
roommate(s) after this incident, but I would be tempted.
- Counseling Articulation: The last pages of the manifesto identify a therapist in the writer’s hometown and life coaches available to him in Isla Vista, apparently from a private company. Support from the school isn’t mentioned. (It won the Aspen Award, which indicates some excellence in all its services, including student support and counseling. ) Were the services used? Apparently not. Why not? This lack of articulation isn’t unusual. Three times in two years, I had troubled students who had at least two—and in one case, three—therapists, who did not communicate with each other, or me. Why can’t privacy regulations be waived in such cases to allow articulation among private and school counselors AND the instructors involved?
These are the education-related points related to the Isla
Vista killings that struck me as significant to discuss. I’m confident others who work with students
will find more.
