It amazes me when I hear about how these people were loners, with no friends, etc., like that somehow makes it understandable.
I just retired after teaching for 30 years. The number of "loners" has increased exponentially -- and kids with "anxiety" has increased as well. In general, kids seem to have "buddies" with whom they chat in class -- but not good friends like they had back when I was a new teacher. In general, kids don't talk to one another, don't hang around after school together, and have lesser social skills than they did back when I was a new teacher. Lots of kids sit alone at lunch (often a whole table is "sitting alone" together) watching this-or-that on their phones; I have come upon kids hiding in various spots around the building rather than going to lunch.
This is all very concerning.
teachers have bought escape ladders with their own money, unscrewed window hinges so they open more, bought shades for their windows, and made special doorstops that work on our waxed floors.
Yes, a speaker at an Active Shooter Drill suggested that each of us consider our spot in the school and determine how we would behave if we were alone our room when a shooter came in ... and how we would protect our students. Every one of us had multiple things "at the ready" ... all legal things but things that could be used in case of a shooter. But WHY is this an individual teachers' responsibility?
One of my teaching colleagues had one of the worst possible situations occur: This was 25-30 years ago, but a student in her classroom pulled out a gun. (All the trainers have told us, if the gun is IN YOUR CLASSROOM, you just don't have good choices.) In her case, the student sat quietly at his desk, as if he didn't know what he should do with the gun. She told the other students to leave the room -- I doubt they needed much encouragement. She left the room. The student stayed in the room and killed himself. I honestly don't know if I could've handled it as well as she did.
You will not deter criminals nor will you stop them from carrying guns. It's way deeper than a law abiding citizen carrying. Problem... nobody wants to tackle those issues.
Absolutely. It's part availability of guns, part mental illness, part lack of parenting and social media. It's part violence on TV, in video games and music. It's lots of anger and disconnectedness from others.
BUT I don't want guns to be taken away ... used properly, guns are useful. We shoot nasty coyotes on our land -- they definitely want to hurt my dogs, and they might even come after my small nieces, nephews and grandson.
My brother (ex-military) carries a gun while he works, and THREE TIMES pulling out that gun has prevented him from being robbed (maybe worse). Once at a gas station, once at his office late-late at night, once on a remote job site. He jokes that bad guys with bad intentions can run like Usain Bolt when he pulls out that gun. My brother is an example of positive gun ownership ... and he's the majority.
Having said that, I think gun ownership laws are too lax. I have to renew my driver's license every few years -- but once I own a gun, it's mine for life. Similarly, my husband owns a bunch of guns. If he dies, they're mine, even though I've never been vetted as a safe gun owner.
This is a multi-faceted problem. Anyone who points to a single solution and says "THIS will stop mass shootings" IMO has blinders on.
Agree. People are complex. Their choices aren't based upon any one issue.
Did you ever wonder why there weren't mass school shootings 50 years ago?
Just to be difficult, I'll point out that we did have Get-Under-Your-Desk-Because-Russia-Is-Going-To-Bomb-Us drills when I was in elementary school in the early 70s. I was very afraid during those drills and genuinely expected that one day it would happen.
Really we had a nasty thread about this. Kids do have values. Are you really implying all kids don't have values?
Are you not teaching your kids values?
All human beings have values - we, the majority, just don't like some people's values.
For example, "Get what you want at any cost, and if someone gets hurt, too bad for the weak" IS a value. "If someone insults you, hit him, shoot him, make him bleed" IS a value. "People of this race deserve to be shot" IS a value. "Drugs are okay -- anyone who says otherwise just doesn't want us to have any fun" IS a value.
The vast majority of us don't agree with these values, but they ARE still guiding principles that some kids hold these close to their hearts.
Wow. I didn't realize there were so many.
I've been going to Active Shooter Trainings in school for probably a decade (as I said, I just retired, so I haven't been to one this year), and something the speaker told us: The most common school is not a Columbine-type angry student in the halls shooting indiscriminately. Rather, the most common shooting occurs in the parking lot after school; it occurs between 2-4 people who know each other /hate each other /are specifically targeting one another. More often than not, drugs are involved. So those numbers are kinda misleading. Don't get me wrong -- even one shooting is too many, and it's entirely possible that your innocent honors student could be injured /killed just by being in that same parking lot. But recognize what is the most common "school shooting".
Other things I learned /really stuck with me from those trainings:
- We hear about school shootings -- in part because we have a deep-seated belief that school /children should be safe -- but most shootings happen in businesses. Last year we had a shooting at the grocery store right by my school -- it was exactly what I've been told is "the most common school shooting" -- a couple thug-kids who had a beef over drugs, and one ended up shot twice. The really bad thing: he came back to school meaner than ever, as if he were thinking, "I've been shot now. I'm one of the real tough guys." He learned nothing from the experience.
- The trainers emphasized to us that if we're in a business place and a shooting happens, we should not try to exit through the main door -- though it is human nature to try to do so. Chances are the shooter is at the main door. He says run through the back /through the employee areas -- for example, at a grocery store, go into the area where they keep all the crates. He said we should seriously look at the places we shop often and think, "What would I do? Where would I go?" I thought this to be excellent advice.
- The trainers emphasized that if the police are there, taking charge of the situation, DO NOT have a phone in your hand. They emphasized that even the police are on edge during this type of situation, and a phone can "flash metal" and look like a gun. The police are on the lookout for a shooter trying to blend in with the victims, and you do not want to look like you're holding a gun -- in a split second, that could get you shot by a police officer. He says, once the police are there, put your hands in the air so it's clear you're not a danger. I would not have thought that on my own.
