Soldier or Teacher?

Another school shooting! Seriously why is this happening? What do we do about it? As a mom and a teacher it is always on my mind. This time it hit a bit closer to home because it started in the art room. My art room is a melting pot of all kinds of students so for it to start there where even the strange feel at home is so upsetting. In one class alone I have gay, straight, transgender, honors students, jocks, furry's, loners and social butterflies. They all get along in my room they help each other and know that they are accepted for who they are or even who they want to be. I do not judge them and they know this, I teach respect for all no matter what their religion, sexual preference, political party or race.

The school districts go to for safety is to lock all the doors. For me this poses a few problems. Number one, when a student is tardy or gets called to the office they are then locked out and need to walk all the way around to my back door to knock on it for entry. So in my opinion they have become sitting ducks for anyone lurking around the building. Not to mention on bad weather days they are expected to walk through torrential storms to get to class. Number two. when they knock on my door we can not see who it is so essentially we could be letting in a shooter since we have no idea who is knocking. Number three, art is happening in our hallway as we are working on a mural so then those students are locked out of my room and must knock on it for entry for supplies which then interrupts everyone else in class. This safety measure is not ideal and not good for the long term. What do we do? How do we fix this problem? Those are questions that every teacher I know is thinking about.

I have actually created a safety plan for my room which includes an escape plan to the woods and includes how I have turned the middle room that holds my potter's wheels into a bunker. How sad is it that I have actually planned this and have told my students about it? When did teaching suddenly involve a combat plan?

For me I teach a lot of the students who do not fit in anywhere else, I am the reason a lot of them actually come to school, I am the place where they feel at home, the art room is the place where anyone is welcome and all are loved. I have the smelly kids, the loud kids, the gifted kids, the smart kids, the politically vocal kids, the gay kids, the gay kids that their parents don't know they are gay-but in my class they can talk about it without fear of getting kicked out of their home, the transgender kids, I have the always hungry kids-whose parents do not give them food and are too lazy to fill out forms so their kids can eat, I have the religious kids, special needs kids, the creative kids, the kind kids, the athletic kids, the leader kids and yes the weird kids. In my room the quiet ones find their voice, the loud ones help the quiet ones, they all use their creativity to voice their opinions and they are accepted for who they are not who they are expected to be. So, for this shooting to begin in an environment like mine it is beyond upsetting. How can a shooting happen in a room where everyone is allowed to be themselves without judgement?

As a mom it upsets me that my boys are in this crazy world where just going to school can be the death of you. I do not know the answers but as a teacher we are not paid enough for the extra burden of keeping 30 plus students per class safe and also educate them. I personally am exhausted, over burdened and extremely frustrated. We need help and unless parents (yes you) get involved nothing will change. How would you like to be a sitting duck? I feel like one every day and wonder to myself is this the day that "Johnny" cracks or when "Johnny's" parents crack?