“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” MLK
Tuesday, Feb 14 in the afternoon, during my 7th hour class, a student looked up and said, “Mrs. Moore, something has happened in Florida.” I thanked him for the update, refocused the class, and we moved on, working on our research projects. As soon as the bell rang, I met with some students regarding their college interviews and we practiced questions. During these sessions we had heart-to-heart discussions about how senior year is wonderful and horrible. We talked about how it is never what we think it's going to be. We talked about the idealism of the year versus the actuality of the year. There were tears and laughter. As I headed to my car, I felt really great about my day, and I was authentically excited about my lessons for the next day.
On the way home, I turned on NPR (because I’m an English teacher and I don’t want to disappoint your stereotypical view of me--I also wear funky patterned dresses, carry a huge bag, wear my hair in a bun occasionally, and love office supplies). “17 dead, 14 hospitalized after a student entered a Florida school and engaged in mass murder.” My breath caught in my throat. Not again! As the days passed, I avoided some social media and tried my best to insulate myself from all the politics. But I can’t any longer. If you want to read on, KNOW THAT I’M GOING TO GET POLITICAL. People need to understand why politics matter now, and they also need to understand why, unintentionally (I am choosing to believe) some of the kindest hearted, most thoughtful people are posting incredibly offensive and insensitive things and it needs to stop.
First, when I teach my students, I explain to them that educated people see through over simplification. If you are posting something that oversimplifies and proposes a simplistic solution please stop. This is a complex, heartbreaking issue that will not be solved by a meme or a tweet. Educated, thoughtful people don’t do this. A tweet or meme or facebook post is not a solution and will simply create more polarization. Engaging in discussion about the really challenging, nuanced issues and working to a better solution will require an acknowledgement of all sides and solutions—and money and time to implement things. It is time we invest our time, our intellect, and our dollars to improving the safety of schools.
The first incredibly insulting thing I have seen is a picture of the school shooter with a post about his problems with the insinuation that perhaps if a teacher had paid a little more attention, or cared a little more, maybe this would not have happened. I am in no way taking a position about what this young man’s educational journey was like. But, insinuating that a hug or extra attention and love can help a mentally ill individual is not only absolutely wrong, but goes to the heart of the mental health crisis in our country. You cannot hug away diabetes or cerebral palsy, Why have we made it acceptable to believe you can hug away mental illness? When we put this idea in the world, we make the mental health patient feel like a failure when hugs don’t work, and we make the people surrounding that individual feel at fault because they didn’t love them enough. We need to recognize mental health as a health issue. It is not a teacher’s fault or responsibility to cure mental illness. We do need more training to recognize issues, and we need to know how to seek help. But again, this is complex and requires not just time and effort but resources.
The second thing I have seen is the comparison of school shooting with drunk driving. Please stop. A school shooter has purchased a weapon (intended to harm) and executed this plan. Drunk drivers did not purchase a car to kill people. They are not intending to harm when they get behind the wheel, and they are vastly impaired-true by choice-but they are not actively deciding to kill another person. And, we have made laws, based on loss of life and political activism, that has made drunk driving a top of mind issue. We have marketing campaigns and do lots culturally to discourage this behavior. When a school shooting happens we offer thoughts and prayers, and then we forget.
Finally, stop insinuating that this is not a political issue. Political, by definition, means relating to the public affairs of a country. There is not a more beloved public institution than the American public school. It is our duty, as citizens, to care and to work to ensure that we are creating an environment that is safe and will allow the greatest possible good. Teaching is, by definition, an act of social justice if we believe that education is a pathway to more enfranchisement, options, and ultimately a better life for all kids, which should lead to a more just society. In essence, engaging in thoughtful discourse and ultimately instituting change in order to provide for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the most precious ideal of our nation, and therefore, the time has come to stop acting like this isn’t political, to admit that it’s complicated, and to enter into the arduous process of putting down the twitter/meme/facebook post, and start engaging.
On the way home, I turned on NPR (because I’m an English teacher and I don’t want to disappoint your stereotypical view of me--I also wear funky patterned dresses, carry a huge bag, wear my hair in a bun occasionally, and love office supplies). “17 dead, 14 hospitalized after a student entered a Florida school and engaged in mass murder.” My breath caught in my throat. Not again! As the days passed, I avoided some social media and tried my best to insulate myself from all the politics. But I can’t any longer. If you want to read on, KNOW THAT I’M GOING TO GET POLITICAL. People need to understand why politics matter now, and they also need to understand why, unintentionally (I am choosing to believe) some of the kindest hearted, most thoughtful people are posting incredibly offensive and insensitive things and it needs to stop.
First, when I teach my students, I explain to them that educated people see through over simplification. If you are posting something that oversimplifies and proposes a simplistic solution please stop. This is a complex, heartbreaking issue that will not be solved by a meme or a tweet. Educated, thoughtful people don’t do this. A tweet or meme or facebook post is not a solution and will simply create more polarization. Engaging in discussion about the really challenging, nuanced issues and working to a better solution will require an acknowledgement of all sides and solutions—and money and time to implement things. It is time we invest our time, our intellect, and our dollars to improving the safety of schools.
The first incredibly insulting thing I have seen is a picture of the school shooter with a post about his problems with the insinuation that perhaps if a teacher had paid a little more attention, or cared a little more, maybe this would not have happened. I am in no way taking a position about what this young man’s educational journey was like. But, insinuating that a hug or extra attention and love can help a mentally ill individual is not only absolutely wrong, but goes to the heart of the mental health crisis in our country. You cannot hug away diabetes or cerebral palsy, Why have we made it acceptable to believe you can hug away mental illness? When we put this idea in the world, we make the mental health patient feel like a failure when hugs don’t work, and we make the people surrounding that individual feel at fault because they didn’t love them enough. We need to recognize mental health as a health issue. It is not a teacher’s fault or responsibility to cure mental illness. We do need more training to recognize issues, and we need to know how to seek help. But again, this is complex and requires not just time and effort but resources.
The second thing I have seen is the comparison of school shooting with drunk driving. Please stop. A school shooter has purchased a weapon (intended to harm) and executed this plan. Drunk drivers did not purchase a car to kill people. They are not intending to harm when they get behind the wheel, and they are vastly impaired-true by choice-but they are not actively deciding to kill another person. And, we have made laws, based on loss of life and political activism, that has made drunk driving a top of mind issue. We have marketing campaigns and do lots culturally to discourage this behavior. When a school shooting happens we offer thoughts and prayers, and then we forget.
Finally, stop insinuating that this is not a political issue. Political, by definition, means relating to the public affairs of a country. There is not a more beloved public institution than the American public school. It is our duty, as citizens, to care and to work to ensure that we are creating an environment that is safe and will allow the greatest possible good. Teaching is, by definition, an act of social justice if we believe that education is a pathway to more enfranchisement, options, and ultimately a better life for all kids, which should lead to a more just society. In essence, engaging in thoughtful discourse and ultimately instituting change in order to provide for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the most precious ideal of our nation, and therefore, the time has come to stop acting like this isn’t political, to admit that it’s complicated, and to enter into the arduous process of putting down the twitter/meme/facebook post, and start engaging.
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