My Take

When tragedy hits I either have a knee jerk reaction or I take a few days to process it, read about it, before sharing my opinion. And, as with all my blogs, they are my opinion, food for thought.
While reading about the school tragedy in CT I couldn't help think about my teaching profession, our sons going to school one day. When 9/11 took place I can honestly say that was my worst day of teaching because I kept thinking, "The kids are supposed to feel safe here. They're at school." Yet I knew there was 1 of me and almost 20 of them so keeping them all safe was close to impossible. Since that day, whenever I've been in a Code Red (lockdown), I think about what I would do if an intruder came in the classroom. Who I would save, how I would do it, etc. It's a scary thought to be faced with.
Is there an answer? In my opinion there's not. I do not believe that teachers should have guns in their possession in the classroom for many reasons (although I am not opposed in the least to civilians having a gun on their person). I do believe that it's our responsibility, as a society, to stop glorifying everything children do. I don't believe that all kids should be on a sports team. I don't think all students should be praised 24/7, especially when a student is making bad choices, being a brat. I don't think kids should be given an award if they haven't truly earned it. I think "tough love" builds character, teaches kids how to cope with difficulty, shows them how to deal with rejection. This in turn helps them become more adaptable adults. I'd love to say that I have the musical ability that my brother has but anyone that knew me in Jr. High/High School could testify that I couldn't play the saxophone to save my life. I also never tried out for sports teams because I knew I didn't have what it took. Did I ever think about going to my school and killing people because of it? No!! I just learned to find the things I was/am good at. I think today's society tries to fluff up kids' self esteem so much that kids lack coping skills.
Now throw in the mental health issue and that's a whole new ballgame. I took 2 years off from teaching to work with adults with disabilities. There was 1 lady that I worked with that I feared. She attacked me while I was driving because I told her we didn't have time to stop at a store she wanted to go to. From that point on little things would set her off and my staff learned to fear her as well. Did she deserve to go to jail for attacking staff? Not in my opinion. But, putting her back in her group home every afternoon and returning to our agency the next morning wasn't the option either. I believe that insurance/medical assistance needs to be modified so those that need to access it can readily do so. I think people with mental health issues need to have more advocates to fight for them instead of family members that write them off because they're a "problem". Then people with mental health issues would hopefully get the help and/or medication that is needed.
This is a tragedy with no easy answers. I think it starts with the home and with changing the education system but past that it gets sticky. I know everyone has their own opinion about the murders that took place, everyone has their own solution but all I really have is no answers and a heavy heart. I can't imagine losing one of our boys in such a hateful, senseless attack. I can't imagine our sons losing their innocence at an early age when having to witness something so violent. So, without answers, all I can do is pray. Pray for the victims' families, the survivors and their families, and all the people that had to be a part of this tragedy. Hopefully someday the answers will be easy and the world will become a better place. Until then all I can do is pray and raise our boys in the way we see fit.