2/16/18
I’m going to be a teacher in three months. And right now I’m terrified. Which is normal – but I should be most stressed about learning how to plan lessons, and how I’m going to connect with kids who are struggling and help them get excited about learning, or all the other intricacies of learning how to be a good teacher. But instead, my most stressful fear is thinking about the fact that there have been 239 school shootings since Sandy Hook, and still, nothing has changed. (https://www.nytimes.com/…/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkl…) I’m already thinking about how the first thing I want to do when I get to my classroom is learn all the emergency procedures and make plans for the worst, and how I would protect the 30 little lives I know I’ll love so much. It’s unthinkable that teachers should have to focus their energy on protecting children’s lives from senseless scenarios that shouldn’t even be allowed to be possible. I want to be worried about my lesson plans and whether or not my kids understand the material, not scared because our government won’t come to the most basic, common sense conclusion and realize that things need to change now. Are hundreds of shootings not enough? How many bright young students and hardworking school staff need to die before change can happen? I’m infuriated that our president would say how tragic this is, without mentioning gun control. How dare he say that no children should feel unsafe in American schools, and then do absolutely nothing to change that? It’s easy to feel powerless in situations like this, and I do feel a little bit that way, but we aren’t powerless. No matter how much money the NRA gives some of these people, they’re still accountable to the ballot box. So let’s please, please rally this year and get them OUT.