Aftermath

I can't let the tragedy of last Friday pass without reflecting on it.

On December 14th, at approximately 9:30 in the morning, a 20 year old young man shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT and murdered 20 first graders and 6 teachers & administrators in the school after first murdering his own mother at their home.  There doesn't seem to be any connection between the attacker and his victims at all.  Not that any connection or reason would justify such a heinous act.

The savage nature of this attack on such young and innocent victims has rocked our nation and brought grief to this holiday season.

It is eerie to me that only days before this crime, we had our school lockdown drill.  We hold one each year.  Only one.  My third graders took it in stride and asked the standard questions as we huddled in the corner of the darkened and locked room.  "What if I'm in the bathroom?"  "What if the classroom door is already locked when I get back from the bathroom?"  "Who just jiggled the handle of the door?"  But mostly they treated it like any other drill and dismissed it from their minds as they returned to their work when it was over.

When the 3rd graders returned to their classroom and a class of 5th graders arrived for art, their core teacher told me that they joked and laughed about the drill and did not take it seriously at all.  So I spent the first several minutes of class sobering them up about the seriousness of lockdown situations.  Once they realized it was no joking matter, they asked the million "What if" questions that could only come from upper elementary aged students.  "What if it is the FBI with assault weapons coming in the school?  Would we lock down, then?"  "What is the percentage of probability that this will really happen?"  "What if I hide and the bad person finds me?"  One girl suggested that if you are caught outside of a classroom, you should just run outside.  After her suggestion, I told them the story of the only time I have been in an actual lockdown situation.

I can't remember how many years ago it was.  Maybe seven?  I was working as the art teacher at Aspen Elementary School at the time.  The afternoon release bell had just rung and students were flooding out into the hallways when the Principal suddenly came over the intercom shouting "Lockdown!  Lockdown!"  I looked with dismay at all the children in the hallway as each teacher quickly gathered every child within reach and shepherded them back into classrooms and locked the doors.  I remember running the hallway with a fellow teacher to make sure we had everyone in sight, then locking myself into my classroom with an assorted group of children of all ages.  No one was with the correct teacher and no one was certain if every child had been accounted for.  We had no idea why lockdown had been called for, but I knew it wasn't a drill, because no one in their right mind would do a drill at that moment in time!

I had students in tears because they didn't know where siblings were.  Someone needed to go to the bathroom.  They all wanted to know what was going on and I had no answers for them.  All I could do was assure them that we were safe and we would have to wait for the all clear signal.  After 20 minutes, that signal was given.

We found out the reason for the lockdown after the fact.  The police were in an armed standoff with a man who had barricaded himself into a house just a block from the school.  When the release bell rang, the police realized that children were about to start walking through the neighborhood and ordered our lockdown to keep that from happening.  So, we were never in danger within the school after all.

Still.  Lockdown is a scary situation.  What a world we live in that such a thing is necessary!

So, last week when I had students in my classroom asking questions during the lockdown drill, I emphasized the importance of taking lockdown very seriously, but I assured them that elementary schools are very safe and that the chances of a bad person coming in to harm them are very, very remote.

And then came Friday.




In the aftermath, there is a firestorm of commentary and opinions about everything from gun control to mental heath sweeping the nation.  There are calls for higher security in schools.  People are polarized particularly on the issue of guns.  Some insist that guns should be outlawed all together.  Others claim that this wouldn't have even happened if teachers and other adults in schools were allowed concealed carry on school grounds.

I don't see how higher security in schools could have stopped this madman.  He shot through the locked doors with a powerful assault riffle.  Sandy Hook actually had higher security than most elementary schools I've ever heard of.  You had to be buzzed into the building.  Most schools can be walked right into.

Do I think guns should be outlawed?  No.  I think rapid fire assault weapons should be regulated more strictly, though.  I see no problem with people owning riffles for hunting and hand guns for defense.  But I see no reason for machine guns to be in homes.  Those are war machines.  I know there are those who would disagree with me.  Freedom to keep and bear arms and all that.  But it is how I feel.

Do I think mental illness needs better coverage within the system?  Absolutely.  Do I think it will happen?  Not with the crappy setup we have now.  Obamacare has worsened the health care climate overall, so I don't see an improvement coming for any one aspect of it.

However, I do think there is one dialogue that deserves more attention.

Raising a civilized generation.

Some have brought up the point that we are bringing this violence upon ourselves by raising a generation on glorified violence.  It is everywhere and it is gratuitous.  Movies and video games are awash in it.  How can we justify allowing our young people to desensitize themselves at so young an age?  There are ratings in place to protect the young from experiencing the graphic violence, you say?  The ratings system is a JOKE!  I have young students (8-11 years old) who play Halo and other violent video games all the time!  The "M" rating (mature) on the box didn't seem to stop their parents from buying it for them!  No ratings system will replace the common sense and discipline that should be in place amongst the adults of the world who should be putting their proverbial foot down and saying "NO" to violent games for the young.

And see what a hypocrite I am.  We have violent video games in our house.  I am not on a soap box preaching at others that they need to be more like me.  No.  I am also to blame.  We all are.  I am saying that as a society we have veered sharply off course.  You cannot raise a civilized society on violence.

I do not know if media violence had a part to play in this young man's decision to carry out his unspeakable act, and if this was an isolated incidence of violence...

...but it wasn't.  The mall shooting in Oregon.  The movie theater shooting in Colorado.  The college campus shootings in California and Virginia.  The DC sniper.  Columbine.  The list goes on and on.

So, what is to be done?  How can we be more safe?  How can our young be more protected?

For now, you will see a sharp increase in security in all the schools across the nation.  But will we take a stand and start protecting their minds as well as their bodies?