Yesterday, yet another school shooting was in the news. As I overheard a number of people talking about it I kept hearing the word “unbelievable”. Sadly, school shootings have become anything but unbelievable.
According to EveryTown.com, since 2013, there have been over 200 school shootings in America — an average of nearly ONE SCHOOL SHOOTING EVERY WEEK.
School shootings do not happen in just one part of the country. School shootings have happened in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, community colleges, technical colleges and universities. They happen in inner cities, rural areas and in affluent and less affluent suburbs. Sometimes, there are clear warning signs, but sometimes there are not.
There is no simple answer to this uncivil society our students live in. After every school shooting there are calls for gun control AND calls for teachers to carry guns in school. With the ineffective, reactionary and polarizing partisanship of politicians, let’s not wait for their response.
School shootings are HUGE news, but everyday all across the USA students come to school and deal with bullying and harassment. We must teach our students to deal with their stress appropriately and be proactive and offer support for students who are harassed and bullied. We must teach empathy for all students.
It’s not going to be easy, but WE MUST DO BETTER for OUR STUDENTS.