Schools are different than they were 30 years ago. Now you walk in and you question if today is the day somebody will shoot you. The real problem lies in the fact that if someone decides to whip out a semi-automatic and start blowing you and your friends away, there’s not a thing you can do about it.
When the writer went to school, if the freshman teacher did not like you cutting up in class with your partner, you might be surprised by his reaction. Picking both of the instigators up by the collar, banging their heads together, and physically throwing them out of the classroom actually happened.
Today, that teacher would be brought up on charges, the guilty kids would receive profuse apologies, and the teacher would likely loose his job. But those were the days when teachers were respected or even feared, when you came to learn and not to see how you could weasel “out”, when you never worried about a school bully, never thought about pulling a prank in school, and never thought about smoking on the school grounds.
But in the last 18 years, there have been 23 well documented incidents of guns being used to kill---in school. Some of the well known were Columbine(4/20/99), Virginia Tech(4/16/07), and SuccessTech(10/10/07). There’s been at least one/year for the last 18, and we know there’ll be others.
It sounds like it is past time to remedy the situation. We can have every parent change the attitude of their progeny. In other words, we must insure that those parents instill a sense of respect for teachers. Not many agree that this is a short-term goal, however. The only short-term one is fear. And the only way to achieve that is to have teachers ‘pack heat’—perhaps visibly.
How many cite claims of having a renegade kid somehow wrest control of guns from teachers who have them? First, not every teacher will have a gun. Second, properly trained teachers know where and where not to put their gun. Third, every teacher must be properly trained and equipped to ‘carry’. And fourth, properly trained teachers know you don’t leave your weapon lying on your desk for someone else to use.
Very few kids will bring weapons of mass murder to school if they know their effort will meet known and immediate resistance. But without any packing teachers, the students know that if they do have a weapon they are free to slaughter as many people with as many bullets that they can carry.
How less likely are kids to bring weapons if they know they face armed resistance? Even if only a small percentage of teachers are armed, perpetrators still know that resistance is present. But it seems we have clearly signaled a “loss” in the classroom, or some measure of resignation.
One thing armed conflict teaches you--a signal of resignation in a battle typically invites more killing and mayhem. There are too many teachers who know exactly how to handle firearms—right now.
And for those teachers who want to lead students to a better life, it is indeed a battle. Teachers and administrators need control to teach—total control. Parents need that to teach their young ones almost everything.
Per Doug Giles(www.clashradio.com), “We can’t afford to rely on chunky security guards with golf carts, pepper spray, whistles and plastic badges to safeguard against these armed little death dealing b--stards from hell.”
Parents of those dead students certainly wish that someone could’ve been there to stop the chaos and the killing. If more students see a visible weapon on a hip of a teacher, more schools will cease to be a shooting gallery for young culprits. Those perps will likely think twice upon realizing the limited number of potential victims, and their likely demise. If a student actually tries to take a holstered gun from a teacher, he would and should be met with unqualified resistance.
Some people still don’t want teachers carrying weapons. But they’re for ‘free choice’ for abortion, sex, drugs, and marriage---but not for ‘free choice’ with vouchers, or armed teachers. Is there something wrong here?
Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.
