In March, nine third graders at Central Elementary School in Waycross, Georgia, plotted to attack their teacher. The students were between eight and ten years of age. They took a broken steak knife, handcuffs and duct tape to school. The students apparently planned to knock the teacher unconscious, bind her with the handcuffs and tape, and then stab her with the knife. The students were angry with the teacher because she had scolded one of them out of the classroom for standing on a chair.

It is a shocking story that made us ask the questions—What caused this to happen? Who is to blame?

We could blame it on the society we live in, one that is filled with images of violence every where we turn. We could say that even the best parents can not watch over their children 24/7, but the reality is that teaching children right from wrong begins and ends at home.

Parents should monitor their children’s access to media. Television shows, movies, and video games sometimes have inappropriate content and are often the sources from which kids and teens get the ideas of violence. Kids that watch too much television or spend too many hours playing video games are most likely to be influenced by what they watch or by the video games they play. Even cartoons can have an effect. Some cartoons show how one of the characters dies, jumps off a cliff, or gets shot and comes back to life and continues as if nothing happened. That example might have had an influence on the actions of this group of third graders; maybe they really did not understand how their actions could hurt the teacher. Maybe their parents could have done a better job of teaching them the difference.

Parents and society also play an important role in how kids learn about violence. If there is sexual or physical abuse in a home, kids grow up seeing that example and not knowing that it is wrong. They may end up doing the same violent things themselves. Kids might also have anger over the abuse and may try to take it out on other kids at school or in their neighborhood.

Parents play a really important role in the education of their children outside of school. Parents should be involved in their kid’s lives and know what they do at school and who their friends are. They should talk to their children about violence. Parents should also spend more time as a family. They should show their kids how much they love them and care for them. And when they make mistakes, like these third graders did, they should do everything they can to make sure it does not happen again.