I am in shock. Just heard the news of a mass murder of elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut.
CNN says “close to 20″ were killed.
News reports on AOL says it is 27, including at least 18 children and the principal.
They say the killer wore a bullet-proof vest and brought guns to the school.
His mother was a teacher at the school. She is dead.
I keep thinking that we have huge problems in this society, and our policymakers only want to talk about test scores.
It may be time to think about other things that matter more.
So heartbroken for the parents and the children of Newtown.
Let us pray for them all.
This event is a tragedy of the worst kind. In times such as this, we often ask ourselves “Where was God in this mess?” Well, He was there http://alivewithchrist.com/connecticutschoolshooting/
In light of the horrendous tragedy in Sandy Hook, CT, I was very disturbed to learn tonight that my daughter, who teaches on the shoreline in CT, does not even have a key to her own classroom!!!!! During lock down drills, she has been advised to pretend to lock her door!! Is an armed intruder going to pretend to shoot? The outside door is also not locked. I wonder if this is typical or somewhat unique? In this day and age, it’s highly disturbing and potentially deadly. I taught in a quiet, small, rural community in NE CT and we had a very sophisticated security system. The doors were always locked and all teachers had a key. It’s like leaving your keys in your car and having it stolen. The difference is cars can be easily replaced, precious, innocent children cannot. Are there any CT teachers here who can address this issue regarding security in their schools?
I teach in Connecticut, in another small rural district. We used to have doors that only locked on the outside, so during intruder drills we actually had to open our doors, go out in the hallway, and then lock them. Not a very effective way of protecting students. Eventually the locks were replaced so that we never had to open the door to lock it. My school was built in the 50s during saner times. No one anticipated that schools would have to become fortresses. I am surprised that the front door to her school is not locked. After Columbine I thought that was standard procedure. My pet peeve is the teachers who wedge open side doors so they don’t have to keep taking out their keys when going in and out of the building. I would hire a locksmith for your daughter as a holiday gift. School maintenance takes forever: 2 years to fix a leaky faucet in my classroom.
The world is second to violence as it is first in mental illness. We are desensitized to violence and in denial about our state of mind–a toxic pair that have deadly consequences.
While these tragedies may be shocking, it is not a surprise that they will continue to happen. We say the shooter left many unanswered questions as to what happened by killing himself. Believing that this statement is true, only makes these situation more acceptable, if you will. For instance, why are more people committing suicide let alone mass-murder suicide and are we willing to find answers and resolution? Do we really know who lives next door? Is it true to say that we were closer to our neighbors a generation ago and family was more stable?
We need to make the world a safer place by not putting more locks and security inplace, but by teaching our children (people in general) how to cope with anxiety and depression. There is plenty of blame to go around on this one. Unless we are willing to change our beliefs and values, we will continue to live in fear and if we don’t then we are in denial.
As a tie to education, we seem to care more about testing than the mental health of our children. I’m sure educators see what I see everyday that our children are falling apart and many need more than academics regardless of their SES.