Education Week reports that the headmaster of Barron Trump’s private school issued a statement opposing the arming of teachers.
“The head of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School—where President Donald Trump’s son Barron attends—joined dozens of other Maryland private schools in urging the president, Congress, and state policymakers to improve background checks, especially for automatic weapons and strengthen mental health measures.
“And they don’t want to see the schools arm teachers with guns. The heads of school called that move—which has been embraced by Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos—”antithetical to our profession as educators,” wrote St. Andrew’s head, Robert Kosasky and more than 100 other heads of school in an open letter published as an advertisement in the Baltimore Sun this week. The letter is also slated to be published in the Washington Post this weekend.”
It is welcome to see people stepping up to state their support for not having guns in schools. Most teachers intuitively understand that having guns in proximity to young ones runs contrary to what we wish to do with their young minds. Most parents would prefer not to mix guns with the development of the new intellect.
There will be time for them to make their choices about guns, or sex, or money, but the basic building blocks of the intellect need to be in place before they make such decisions.
This is not surprising. Despite its stodgy and somewhat bloody British history, the Anglican church, especially in urban areas, tends to serve open minded, educated people. I attended some Episcopalian churches in Philadelphia that had a large number of gay congregants and even female priests. Does #45 understand he is sending his offspring into “free thinker” land?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)
Does this mean Trump will fire that school and hire another school to teach Barron Trump?
And why did Trump name his son with his 3rd wife who was one of his many mistresses when he was married #2, Barron?
I think Trump misspelled Barron and it should have been Baron.
One definition for BARON when it is spelled correctly: a man who possesses great power or influence in some field of activity … a cattle baron
But “Barron,” spelled that way, must be a reference to Barron’s Magazine–the Dow Jones publication. How appropriate. We know what the Trumps value.
No reasonable person can support arming teachers. All of the arguments in favour value guns above the lives of children. They’re designed to protect guns at the cost of children’s lives.
Americans expect freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear. More guns invariably—i.e., without exception—result in more gun violence, death and injury from shootings. This is undeniable, established fact. Those who argue against protecting children from gun violence, death and injury favour denying children freedom from fear. They say we should make schools less safe for children.
Isn’t it better to make schools safe for children? Isn’t it better to listen to the voices of students who not only know the statistics, but know the fear of being in a school under attack?
Make it harder for people to get their hands on guns and you will also make it harder for people to take guns to school. Students aren’t the problem. It’s the guns.
Something I have been wondering recently is whether or not teachers would be held liable for acting in emergency situations. Would they be protected underneath the school, district, or state? What training would they undergo? If they are opposed to the idea, would they have the right to decline? Is it the responsibility of teachers to teach and protect children from harm? Does protecting students from physical threats that require weapons truly sound like the responsibility of an educator?
As a future teacher, I know that the prospect of having to use a firearm makes me utterly uncomfortable. It’s not because I don’t care enough about safety in schools. It is because I care more about what we teach, both in the classroom and through the policies that shape our educational systems. A safer future is going to be a biproduct of the actions that we take today. In no way does integrating guns into schools send the message across that I want future students to hear.
Good questions. What if a teacher decides against engaging a shooter for some reason? What will happen then?
Lloyd L above nailed it. The headmaster should be preparing his resume and preparing to get attacked on twitter.
If he’s still working there – the irony would be amplified if he joined MRS.Trump’s campaign against online bullying.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/13/melania-trump-will-meet-with-tech-giants-including-facebook-and-google-to-talk-cyberbullying/?utm_term=.386180e1a2a8
Why are we giving into the president’s media tactics. He lied (or changed his mind – it doesn’t matter any more) about supporting gun violence prevention vs. NRA and now supports them – – so he diverts the issue to teachers and guns.
Did the same thing with National Anthem and marked the dissenters as anti-soldier and anti-patriotic.
If the media – liberal or otherwise – really want to help: stop covering these diversions.
That Twitter putdown is a Trump trade-mark response to any critic.
A little off topic but VERY funny: