I’m not good with numbers.
It’s never been my strength… but 19 (NINETEEN) second, third, and fourth graders — and a teacher —and a grandma… is too many.
Too many to die on the magical cusp of summer.
And there has to be some gray space that we as parents and grandparents and humans can meet? Just forget left and right. Just for now. For this.
Can we agree on the importance of the 2nd amendment? And also agree that elementary kids shouldn’t leave school in body bags? Can we agree that their families shouldn’t have to provide DNA to identify their bodies?
And I hear a lot of ugly things about teachers lately. I’m in six schools. I only see exhausted educators who love those kids and if put in that situation would do anything to keep those kids alive.
Your kids alive.
I know.
I’m one of them.
I’ve ran the scenarios in my head. For every space I work in. What doors to send them out. Where we would hide. What would I throw.
We all do.
One year at inservice- we opened the year with “Stop the Bleed,” “Suicide Prevention,” and “ALICE” training. ALICE is a strategy for dealing with active shooters.
All good info.
All for public school teachers in a South Dakota district.
All before lunch on the first day of in-service.
I don’t have answers. That’s not my job.
I know we can’t stop them all.
But I know other countries are doing a lot better.
At keeping kids and grocery shoppers and church-goers alive.
I know hypothetically politicians are supposed to find the best outcome, or negotiate to it… but I also know they mostly become entrenched and bought by special interests and instead write speeches and eulogies… send thoughts and prayers.
And I know most of us voters picked a side and some pretty talking points to throw like grenades a long, long time ago.
And most won’t even read this.
Or at least this far.
Most started writing a cliche-ridden comment two paragraphs ago.
But if you are still reading:
Stick with me.
Kids are tucked in morgues tonight.
Thursday was supposed to be the gateway to summer.
So. Stop.
And be human first.
And ask if we can compromise to something better for them.
For the Texas kids now caught in perpetual spring. Who won’t see another summer.
And I’m not trying to take away your guns.
Yes, we do need to fix the explosive cocktail of divisive culture, bitter politics, mental health, and general apathy toward human life that so often sets these shooters off.
But we can maybe also talk about background checks. And gun show loopholes. Too.
But figuring this out isn’t my job. I’m just a mom and a teacher- who probably has hard questions to answer tomorrow. At home and at school.
Who won’t sleep well tonight.
Because it’s hard to explain to smart kids how the grownups in the greatest country in the world… won’t even have a real conversation about how to do a better job of keeping them alive.
Hug your kids.
And know every teacher you are sending them to tomorrow- is reviewing active shooter drills as they try to go to sleep.
Goodnight America.