World History
I usually do not comment much on current events at this blog. I realize most such commentary is suspect and often spins the commentary of the writer into a political commentary reflecting modern politics which often leads to compromised history.
However, I am making an exception today.
Duane Morrison broke into a school in Colorado and killed a girl. He targeted female students. Wikipedia notes, "On September 27, 2006, 11:40 AM MDT, Morrison entered the school carrying a backpack, in which he had stated there were explosives. A police report was filed later saying that he fired his handgun when the teacher did not do what he asked. He appeared to have no apparent motive in the classroom, but told the male students to exit the classroom, leaving him with six female students hostage. It has been reported that he sexually assaulted the hostages while in the classroom."
Carl Roberts IVdid something similar after the Colorado attack. FoxNews.com reported, "Before he started shooting, Roberts released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks, a fooseball table and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together."
How likely is it that two such horrific crimes which targeted female students happened so closely together? Probability theory indicates this would happen by chance occasionally but I suspect the Morrison Colorado killing influenced the Roberts Amish slayings.
I am not alone in suspecting this. An article from Newsday.com notes, "Levin suspects last week's shootings -- a 53-year-old gunman in Colorado fatally shot a female high school student and then himself, and another in Wisconsin where a teen shot and killed his school principal -- may have helped determine the timing and the form of Roberts' actions.
I hope no other misogynist are inspired by these two attacks. This is history which I hope is never repeated. Unfortunately, the killing of school children is not limited to America. This terrorism on children has recently happened in Iraq and Russia. Jihadists in these countries have killed hundreds of school children. Over 350 died in a single school attack in Russia alone in 2004.
History shows that children are often attacked. This is not a new 21st century occurrence. But I hope this is the last century it happens.
- History's Happening
History's Happening. Links to some of the best sites for junior high and high school students who are studying US and World History. I like this site for several reasons. To begin with, it is organized by category. Hence, it is easy to find sites...
- The Classic Slum
The Classic Slum. This is a book review of this work by Robert Roberts. It gives a chapter by analysis of this book which deals with English slums in the 19th and early 20th Century. From the site: In his classic book, The Classic Slum, Robert Roberts...
- 1927 School Bombing Killed Nearly 40 Children
1927 school bombing killed nearly 40 children. It happened in Bath, Michigan. It was the worst attack on students in American history. And worth noting, it was done without any guns. From the site: BATH, Mich. ? The magnitude of the horror that...
- Deeper Learning Through Technology
So I still have books to sell! Mine - in case you are new to the blog is about personalizing the education of your students and is called Deeper Learning Through Technology: Using the Cloud to Individualize Instruction. The book starts with an...
- Motivating Your World History Students
I have a great group of freshmen this year, but I always have students who do not understand the importance of education. Since this is a world history class, you might want to show the first few minutes of this film to your students (although you...
World History
Charles Carl Roberts IV and Duane Morrison: A Connection?
I usually do not comment much on current events at this blog. I realize most such commentary is suspect and often spins the commentary of the writer into a political commentary reflecting modern politics which often leads to compromised history.
However, I am making an exception today.
Duane Morrison broke into a school in Colorado and killed a girl. He targeted female students. Wikipedia notes, "On September 27, 2006, 11:40 AM MDT, Morrison entered the school carrying a backpack, in which he had stated there were explosives. A police report was filed later saying that he fired his handgun when the teacher did not do what he asked. He appeared to have no apparent motive in the classroom, but told the male students to exit the classroom, leaving him with six female students hostage. It has been reported that he sexually assaulted the hostages while in the classroom."
Carl Roberts IVdid something similar after the Colorado attack. FoxNews.com reported, "Before he started shooting, Roberts released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks, a fooseball table and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together."
How likely is it that two such horrific crimes which targeted female students happened so closely together? Probability theory indicates this would happen by chance occasionally but I suspect the Morrison Colorado killing influenced the Roberts Amish slayings.
I am not alone in suspecting this. An article from Newsday.com notes, "Levin suspects last week's shootings -- a 53-year-old gunman in Colorado fatally shot a female high school student and then himself, and another in Wisconsin where a teen shot and killed his school principal -- may have helped determine the timing and the form of Roberts' actions.
I hope no other misogynist are inspired by these two attacks. This is history which I hope is never repeated. Unfortunately, the killing of school children is not limited to America. This terrorism on children has recently happened in Iraq and Russia. Jihadists in these countries have killed hundreds of school children. Over 350 died in a single school attack in Russia alone in 2004.
History shows that children are often attacked. This is not a new 21st century occurrence. But I hope this is the last century it happens.
- History's Happening
History's Happening. Links to some of the best sites for junior high and high school students who are studying US and World History. I like this site for several reasons. To begin with, it is organized by category. Hence, it is easy to find sites...
- The Classic Slum
The Classic Slum. This is a book review of this work by Robert Roberts. It gives a chapter by analysis of this book which deals with English slums in the 19th and early 20th Century. From the site: In his classic book, The Classic Slum, Robert Roberts...
- 1927 School Bombing Killed Nearly 40 Children
1927 school bombing killed nearly 40 children. It happened in Bath, Michigan. It was the worst attack on students in American history. And worth noting, it was done without any guns. From the site: BATH, Mich. ? The magnitude of the horror that...
- Deeper Learning Through Technology
So I still have books to sell! Mine - in case you are new to the blog is about personalizing the education of your students and is called Deeper Learning Through Technology: Using the Cloud to Individualize Instruction. The book starts with an...
- Motivating Your World History Students
I have a great group of freshmen this year, but I always have students who do not understand the importance of education. Since this is a world history class, you might want to show the first few minutes of this film to your students (although you...