You know what frightens me? Guns in our classrooms.
I鈥檓 just going to lay out some quotes from a NPR piece I read earlier this week, 鈥�.鈥� I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 much explanation needed...these statements say a lot by themselves.
- 鈥淲ill arming teachers make schools safer?鈥�
- 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that educators here would like to consider themselves first responders -- stopping possible shooters and treating victims.鈥�
- 鈥淒o these educators, who normally work as caretakers, have the right mindset to kill a shooter? What if the shooter is a student?鈥�
- In regards to teachers who carry in the classroom (I can鈥檛 believe I just typed that): 鈥淲hat about when students, especially little students, ask for a hug?鈥�
- 鈥淥ne teacher at the training says she just positions the gun so it doesn鈥檛 interfere with students鈥� hugs.鈥�
Read that last sentence again. Yep. You read it right.
The piece goes into further detail about weapons training that teachers are receiving in order to be first responder. Teachers, not cops. The same educators who are teaching our students how to collaborate and problem solve, how to read their first picture books, how to get along and take care of each other as human beings.
I have so many issues with this, I almost don鈥檛 know where to start. My main fear has to do with the amount of accidents that happen in a classroom, just because of being outnumbered as a teacher, usually about 25-30 to 1. It鈥檚 hard for a teacher or paraprofessional to have their eyes everywhere, all the time. As you have more experience as a teacher you learn to sense those accidents before they are an inkling of an idea in a kid鈥檚 head, but they happen. A lot. It鈥檚 a part of life and being human, especially with kids who are learning. It鈥檚 part of our job as educators to keep that classroom environment as safe as possible, so our students stay safe and sound. And I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 what we are doing if we are keeping guns in our classrooms.
Accidents happen.
One of my friends had a gun accident in college that I鈥檓 reminded of after reading the quote above about the teacher positioning the gun so it doesn鈥檛 interfere with student hugs.
I am a proud Clemson tiger. In South Carolina in the late 1990鈥檚, when I was an undergraduate student, we would frequently have cops roam the streets in the evenings, strolling from bar to restaurant, ensuring that there is no disorderly conduct, underage drinking, and that everyone is safe while letting their hair down after studying (hopefully) all week.
One of my girlfriends was out in the evening and saw one of the Clemson cops strolling through the second floor of the bar/restaurant she was in. She thought it would be funny to pretend to reach for his gun. I don鈥檛 know all the details (either I鈥檝e blocked them out or my memory is a bit fuzzy). But what I do remember is what you are most likely guessing: The gun went off, nobody was hurt, but it was quite a close call.
Accidents happen, even with those who are trained to be full-time first responders. And teachers are trained to educate our youth, not react to a shooting incident. That鈥檚 a whole different ballgame.
So, guns in schools? Take those guns, pack them up, and get them away from our students. Not this teacher, not my kids.
Photo courtesy of Peretz Pertensky.