The fear of school violence drives "defensive" schooling policies, and it is not unlike the fear that currently supports aggressive foreign policies that sanction drone strikes and the incarceration of suspected terrorists. However, the current measures taken for defense against terrorism are not working, and the same types of "warlike" measures will not make schools safer places either. To move away from aggression a different response is needed, one that does not strike back with violence assaulting the human spirit. A different story is required, for narratives shape how groups and individuals live in the world.