It is predicted that there are 25-50 active serial killers in the United States currently. Majority of those killers most likely displayed common psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies, such as hurting animals or narcissism, both things that could’ve been corrected if caught earlier. Imagine what the number of active serial killers would be if we had noticed it from an early age?

Most serial killers have a motive as to why they want to kill. A child who has grown up in a loving, caring home surrounded by friends and a good environment are less likely to become a serial killer. It all  starts in the person’s youth, and is shaped depending on the parents and the child’s environment. 74% of serial killers were emotionally abused as children, 42% were pyschically abused and 43% expierenced sexual abuse, as claimed by the website ‘The Term’, this is a traumatic experience for the children and may cause the child to have a rage for those who remind them of the abuser, such as a female who reminds him of his mother. Some kids show it through their personality, being self absorbed and unsympathetic are both common personality traits in serial killers. Those are all things that can be prevented and corrected if we knew what to look for. It would help decrease some of the numbers if teachers and those who work with children were trained to detect those common traits and signs. These signs are something that most people can note, especially teachers since they spend the majority of their weeks and days with the children. 

Bullying, isolation, stutters and weight problems are all common factors in serial killers as well, if these things are noticed at a young age, they can be corrected, making it so the child doesn’t grow up with a rage and urge to kill. 

All of these things could be easily fixed with a bit of attentiveness from teachers and those who spend a lot of time around kids. Teachers and childcare workers are already required to take various courses before being granted the ability to teach kids, those courses include first aid, CPR, safety and a wide range of other topics, so why not add another one? One of the various responsibilities that come with becoming a teacher and care-giver is taking care of the well being of their children, teaching teachers and childminders alike  how to spot signs of common serial killer tendencies will help not only the child, but also the safety of everyone else.