My school home. |
Wednesday—Valentine’s Day—while my students were all
celebrating love and friendships during lunch, a school in Parkland, Florida was under
attack. In 6 minutes, 17 students and teachers lost their lives. A fire alarm
being pulled was part of the trap to get everyone out of the classrooms and into
the line of gunfire.
Thursday—yesterday—we had an unannounced fire drill. This
was poorly timed, to say the least, on the part of one of our administrators,
but even more- how are we to trust that the fire alarms are now really for
drills, emergencies or a trap?
As a high school librarian, I’ve always realized the vulnerability of
being in a library during a potential attack by intruders. Libraries are
inherently welcoming, inviting places- usually with windows and lots of open
space. The two libraries I’ve presided over have been just that. My current
library has five huge windows looking out into the hallway. The only way to
lock the door is to go out into that hallway to lock it. Four of the five interior
rooms have large windows that make them easy targets for anyone wanting to
shatter glass to get inside. The fact that I’ve had to strategize with the two
teachers in the library as to how we would hide any number of students who
could potentially be in both their classes and the library makes this all too
real for educators.
Educators have to worry about so much when it comes to our
students. Will I teach them what they need to know to pass “The Tests?” Will my
students be able to succeed in college or career? Will they be productive
members of society once they leave the school doors? And now a new one- Will my
students survive the school day?
Thoughts and prayers are nice condolences, but they do
nothing for someone who has lost their family due to gun violence. The guns in
these mass shootings were purchased legally. When owning a gun is more
important than a child or educators life, we really need to re-evaluate our
priorities. We need to legislate to make sure the part of that 2nd
Amendment that says “well regulated” is actually well regulated.