Teachers Carrying
I walked into a classroom some time ago for an observation. The teacher had 20+ student workbooks in her arms and was walking up and down the rows, handing them out. At one point she stopped, and looked at me quizzically. "What was I doing?" she asked me.
"Uh, handing out workbooks?" I asked back, not certain if that was what she was talking about.
"Oh, right!" she said, and continued the distribution of the workbooks.
On a very rainy day, a teacher at my wife's school came in soaking wet. She had just recently begun driving, having cabbed it to work previously (there were no Ubers then). When asked about her drenched appearance, it became clear that she did not know about windshield wipers, and she drove with her head out the window.
I do not think teachers should have guns.
The principal at my wife's school received a bomb threat on the telephone just as the student lunch period began. He evacuated the building after lunch, citing the poor student management skills of the lunch staff and his belief that they would create chaos.
I personally knew of three principals who at least once a week went out to lunch together, and drank. Alcohol.
I can go on, but believe me, administrators should not be armed either.
I know many teachers and principals who could carry responsibly, but that begs the question of whether they should.
There are so many other issues involved here... take securing the weapon, for example. The arming advocates point to fingerprint-locked boxes as a solution. To me, that makes the location of the weapon known to the students. I had a local police officer ask me if I'd seen the safe broken open on the road, which had previously housed the prescription meds of the parents. This was as I was picking up my son from a rowdy party. The parents, who owned the house, were on a cruise.
When there is a will, there is a way. I would like to write that more eloquently, but I don't need to.
I have spoken to several teachers who have carry permits. They are adamant about never carrying in a school. One, who works at a high school, has intervened in many fights between students, and she's pretty sure it would be likely that she could be disarmed by a student. Plus, all of them said, they could not live with themselves if their gun injured any of their students, especially if they fired to "take out" an active shooter.
I am heartened to see so many stand up to this dangerous idea. I'm aghast that state legislatures are seriously considering these proposals. I am adding my voice to the con chorus.
Update: Florida passed a law but did not allow teachers, themselves, to carry. Instead, districts can opt in to have up to ten employees carry, those with non-instructional jobs. So, in schools, those are often $9/hr. aides. Horrifying.
"Uh, handing out workbooks?" I asked back, not certain if that was what she was talking about.
"Oh, right!" she said, and continued the distribution of the workbooks.
On a very rainy day, a teacher at my wife's school came in soaking wet. She had just recently begun driving, having cabbed it to work previously (there were no Ubers then). When asked about her drenched appearance, it became clear that she did not know about windshield wipers, and she drove with her head out the window.
I do not think teachers should have guns.
The principal at my wife's school received a bomb threat on the telephone just as the student lunch period began. He evacuated the building after lunch, citing the poor student management skills of the lunch staff and his belief that they would create chaos.
I personally knew of three principals who at least once a week went out to lunch together, and drank. Alcohol.
I can go on, but believe me, administrators should not be armed either.
I know many teachers and principals who could carry responsibly, but that begs the question of whether they should.
There are so many other issues involved here... take securing the weapon, for example. The arming advocates point to fingerprint-locked boxes as a solution. To me, that makes the location of the weapon known to the students. I had a local police officer ask me if I'd seen the safe broken open on the road, which had previously housed the prescription meds of the parents. This was as I was picking up my son from a rowdy party. The parents, who owned the house, were on a cruise.
When there is a will, there is a way. I would like to write that more eloquently, but I don't need to.
I have spoken to several teachers who have carry permits. They are adamant about never carrying in a school. One, who works at a high school, has intervened in many fights between students, and she's pretty sure it would be likely that she could be disarmed by a student. Plus, all of them said, they could not live with themselves if their gun injured any of their students, especially if they fired to "take out" an active shooter.
I am heartened to see so many stand up to this dangerous idea. I'm aghast that state legislatures are seriously considering these proposals. I am adding my voice to the con chorus.
Update: Florida passed a law but did not allow teachers, themselves, to carry. Instead, districts can opt in to have up to ten employees carry, those with non-instructional jobs. So, in schools, those are often $9/hr. aides. Horrifying.
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