Wayward Comments by a teacher

The other day I was perusing my Facebook feed and came across a post by my cousin. This post disturbed me greatly. My cousin is in high school and one of the teachers made a joke in class and when the students didn't laugh the teacher stated that she was going to go kill herself. SERIOUSLY!?!! A teacher stated this to a group of impressionable teenagers who then laughed at the suicide comment.


This teacher just basically made a joke of suicide. Some of these kids may even be depressed and now could see suicide as a valid solution to a temporary problem. I am appalled. Suicide is not a joke.

Per the CDC:

Youth suicide is defined as: Suicide (i.e., taking one's own life) is a serious public health problem that affects even young people. For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. It results in approximately 4600 lives lost each year. The top three methods used in suicides of young people include firearm (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%).

Deaths from youth suicide are only part of the problem. More young people survive suicide attempts than actually die. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9–12 in public and private schools in the United States (U.S.) found that 16% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13% reported creating a plan, and 8% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey. Each year, approximately 157,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries at Emergency Departments across the U.S.

This teacher disgusts me. They made a  mockery of educators and suicide itself. Please if you or anyone you know may be contemplating suicide contact someone for help. Search the Suicide Prevention Wiki for a list of contacts http://suicideprevention.wikia.com/wiki/USA