Questions from the classroom this week....

I was originally going to call this "questions and answers from the classroom this week", then realized that I don't think I have THE answers...I have my answers, that I've given when I was asked these questions, but I don't think I have the answers.  So in the spirit of thoughtful discussion...I present "Questions from the classroom this week".....

Question I:  "What do you think about arming teachers?"  The last few days, as always, have been interesting.  If you follow me on Facebook, you know that about a week ago, a friend posted this political cartoon. 

 

The original poster (not a teacher) and I engaged in a bit of a spirited discussion, joined by other friends (who also aren't teachers) who (in a nutshell) told me that if I wasn't willing to protect my students with a gun then I shouldn't be teaching.  We continued the discussion and they eventually brought it down to something like, "well, we get it if you aren't comfortable with guns, but lots of other teachers should carry".  The question, asked by them (and actually in the following days by my students and my own children) was "Well, why wouldn't you carry?".....Here is a selection of my answers in no particular order:

1.  Ask me to reenact my "where are my keys" skit.  Yes, I know that I could wear a concealed carry holster.  I could lock a gun in a drawer/cabinet/closet.  But in an emergency...do we really need teachers wondering where their gun is?  Scrambling to "the other classroom" to unlock somewhere and get their weapon?  We don't have our own classrooms at my school--almost all of us travel from room to room...which room do we lock our weapon in?  Is there a weapon locked in every room? In an emergency (or non-emergency)do we really want teachers wondering "derr...where are my keys gun"?

2.  I have no idea how I would react to an active shooter situation.  When I worked at the alternative school we took guns and knives from kids...but it was never in a crisis situation, it was always "What is pulling your pants down? Dude, hand it over...what were you thinking bringing that to school?!"  I am not trained in hand to hand combat, nor at this point in my life, do I want to be.

3.  I don't like handguns.  It's complicated.  In the Zombie Apocolypse scenario discussion that comes up every so often, I've said I would want a single shot, bolt action 22 with a ten shot clip. (If you worked at camp with me you know exactly what I'm talking about).  But I don't want a 22 in my classroom either.

4.  All the reasons other people have so eloquently stated elsewhere--who pays for the weapon, the ammo, the ongoing training? (And when some billionaire comes up with the money, I will respectfully ask him/her to buy me some textbooks, lined paper, a dvd player that works with my projector, a new projector, and toner cartridges instead...).  My job is to teach...if you have some spare money to help me do my job, cool, don't give money for a new component when I need resources for the original component!

5.  Despite this being a world in which high school teachers shouldn't hug their students, sometimes we do.  It just happens. Sometimes kids come flying across the room in crisis or excitement, sometimes they are in the hall and just fall in our arms crying...it happens...they are hormonal little people and face real problems and issues every day..  What about the kid who I give a hug to, because they are upset about violence that happened in their home...and they feel the concealed gun?  Nope..at that point, I lose my ability to help them problem-solve and become another violent adult in their mind.And some of them are good actors....what an excellent way to get a concealed carry weapon...pretend to be upset...grab it.  I'm no shrinking violet, but I am not a 22-year-old soldier...in fact, statistically, I'm old enough to be that 22 years old's mother....so please don't put in in a position where I could be overpowered and my own weapon used on me or others. 

6.  And here, folks is my number one reason for thinking that me carrying into the classroom is a terrible idea.  I teach high school.  I work with lots of kids with a variety of mental illness and diagnosed issues.  In my mind, there is a decent chance that if there ever was an active shooter at school, it would be someone I know...perhaps someone I know pretty well, who kept their plans secret or who engaged in an impulsive act....would I be able to use a firearm against a kid that I've sat with, counseled, problem-solved with, met with their parents, comforted......?  We've heard over and over how sometimes people slip through the cracks, someone should have done something...but that sometimes shootings happen out of the blue...we would never expect it from "that kid".  I don't know.  I did not sign up to be a soldier or a policeman.  I don't know if I could pull the trigger on any human, even one who was threatening me and my students...but especially someone who I considered "one of my kids".  I just don't know...Could I hit them with a chair?  Throw things at them?  I don't know about that either.  Probably at a stranger (although again, never having been in hand-to-hand combat...I don't know how I would react)...but at one of my kids, even one who was trying to kill me?  I just don't know.  And this is the only one of the six answers that I haven't shared with many folks until now.  But it is the one answer that springs into my mind at the oddest times and causes me to "what if" and "could I" over and over again.  It shouldn't be a factor in any decision I make...but for me, it is a huge factor.

Question II: "Well, what about arming more people, not necessarily teachers, at the school?  What about metal detectors and searching backpacks?"--I'm willing to hear and talk about this...come up with a plan of who, how they are trained, paid for, and what their role will be on a day to day basis...Sure, let's talk...We have school SRO's, I know they have locked weapons in/near school...someone with more expertise than me come up with a plan and I'll happily give my two cents.  And I don't have a problem with metal detectors at all--we had them at the alternative school twenty years ago--just make sure there are people trained and available any time someone needs into the school (since I get there at 6:45 am...someone should be there to scan me). And be consistent--the guy delivering snacks to the vending machines gets to be scanned, too...a uniform and boxes of snacks are not impossible to procure....

Question III: "Why don't we just ban all assault weapons?"  I don't know that this is the answer...I don't know that its not...but 9-11 was carried out by men with boxcutters...so if a ban happens, I think people with evil intent will just be more creative...so, by all means, do what you think is appropriate, but this alone (in my opinion) is not the answer.

Question IV: "What about more wait time/background checks/periodic checks on/about people who already own guns?"  Sure...again, give me a plan that has details...there are times we ask people to re-take the driver's license vision test, to make sure cars are safe, to have a license to drive and that they are in good health to do so...I don't think it violates my rights to ask me to verify that I am a safe and responsible gun owner. (I suspect this point could get some spirited discussion...).  I have to prove that I take recertification classes to remain a teacher (as do lawyers, doctors, nurses)...so "recertifying" gun ownership doesn't sound unreasonable...

Question V:  "What about walk-outs by students?  Are you going to be mad or punish your own kids if they do it?"  When my daughter asked this question I told her if she can tell me her reasons, and if she tells me when it is happening, then no, I won't be mad. I don't have to agree with the reasons, but she has to be able to articulate why she is walking out...  We talked briefly about opportunity cost--it might not be a good idea to walk out during the AP Gov test, during the SAT, during a Trig test...choices have consequences and costs.   I walked out in middle school to protest the boy's swim team not being able to wear mohawks to school....(We chanted "no hair, no fair!" in response to the boys having to shave their heads and scampered back to class as soon as the AP said, "ok, you made your point...get back to class").  Protest is still part of the first amendment...protest your little heart out but you better be able to tell me why...not just you "want out of class".  And, because I'm a suspicious "old lady"...if you've advertised your walkout ahead of time, please be alert and viligent about what is happening around you--keep your eyes and ears open for counter-protesters and others who might mean harm--and have a plan for where to go for safety (ie:  be outside, but near the unlocked set of school doors, so you can get back in...)  I told my own students that I'd appreciate knowing when/if a walkout is happening and I'll adjust what we are doing (so that we can talk about the purpose of protest in a democracy if nothing else) and so again, I can try to help them be safe while protesting.

and finally...

Question VI:  "Do we need more mental health support/resources/compassion in schools and in the community?"  Yes.  Do we really need to discuss this? Would it catch every person intent on harm?  Probably not..but do we need more resources? Without a doubt...yes.  Just yes.  How do we pay for them? I don't know...but I do know it begins with trying to know our neighbors, trying to take care of each other. It begins with teaching people (kids and adults) that it is ok to "narc" on someone if the report is going to lead to help.  And that all the time we need to be aware and thoughtful about how the people around us are feeling.  Many of the shooters in these horrible situations have been disenfranchised and isolated--their world was very small.  We have to get better at not only official services, but also at noticing and reporting things--not to punish people, but to get them help.  And we have to be better as a society about listening--not to throw people in jail or a hospital "without cause"..but to perhaps head off more tragedies by being more aware of the people we interact with.