A longtime teacher who went through a shooter lock down in 2013. When the intercom said, “shooter, not a drill” I had the classroom door locked, lights out, students under their desks in less than a minute. After about 15 minutes, I crawled to the back window and saw 4 Tucson police with guns drawn across the street. Finally, after 45 mi…
A longtime teacher who went through a shooter lock down in 2013. When the intercom said, “shooter, not a drill” I had the classroom door locked, lights out, students under their desks in less than a minute. After about 15 minutes, I crawled to the back window and saw 4 Tucson police with guns drawn across the street. Finally, after 45 minutes the all clear was sounded! There have been 416 school shootings since Columbine HS and the REPUBLICON BULLSHIT OF DOING NOTHING ABOUT GUNS AND “THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS” IS NOT WORKING! FUTURE PRESIDENT HARRIS HAD IT RIGBT YESTERDAY, WE DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THIS CRAP ANYMORE!!!
Thanks Vickie! It turned out the Tucson police were chasing an armed suspect and the Tucson School District has a policy if the armed suspect gets within one mile of a school, they lock down the school. It was a terrifying 45 minutes and halfway through a kid went nuts and I cradled him in my arms to keep him quiet! It took months for me to psychologically get over this incident. In my last teaching job, both myself and another teacher kept pistols in our cars in the parking lot because the closest police station was about 7 minutes away. Too long a time (7 minutes) for help to arrive!!
This insanity needs to stop. The US is the only industrial country with this kind of problem. In 2021 - the last date I could find data for, over 48,000 people died as a consequence of a gunshot. Now, some of them were suicides, but that is still the population of a small city getting killed every year. The modern rethuglican party is delusional and irrational. They are more concerned with making sure people can own weapons of war than they are with protecting the lives of the populace. We need to overwhelm the rethugs at the ballot box and then fix this. By the way, for the constitutional originalists out there, I have no problem with you owning as many muskets as you want to.
Unfortunately, as you saw firsthand, when this type of situation occurs, there is much confusion. Who is the shooter? How many are there? Where are they? To expect teachers to respond with weapons is ridiculous. As is the assertion that more guns in society makes it safer. We are living in the Republicans' Bizarro World.
Mark it is traumatic for students and teachers. We had shooter drills regularly toward the end of my teaching career. The children were jumpy and anxious the remainder of the day after each drill. I was the school counselor and stayed very busy. During Columbine I was a high school counselor in IA and the teens were beside themselves. We called school off early and our offices stayed open for everyone who needed to talk. Just this past year I met a woman who was a science teacher at Columbine HS during the massacre. She and fifty percent of those teachers left education within two years. These killings can be stopped. Republican leadership has neither the will nor the courage to face the truth.
My daughter stayed home on her last day of high school because she was terrified. There had been rumors of a particular student planning a shooting. This was 18 years ago. There was a shooting at a different school. Republicans and some Democrats who voted with for more gun rights will never be able to wash the blood of their hands.
So...more opportunities to traumatize kids? 45 minutes of unnecessary terror should be prosecutable. "IT TURNED OUT"?? That should have been conveyed to teachers up front. Unconscionable.
If the teachers were reporting being horribly traumatized and then experiencing PTSD, what about the children? Do they ever, to quote the King of Disgusting, just “get over it”?
My experience from the 45-minute lockdown is that the students were jittery about it for about a week. I did have a parent conference for the student who panicked halfway through the lockdown so that he could get professional help. After about two weeks, I do not remember the students mentioning the incident the rest of the academic year!
I have to ask -- are you sure that it's a good idea to keep a loaded weapon in your car, from which it can be stolen? Especially knowing that a pistol will almost certainly do nothing against a shooter with assault weapons?
I know that you've experienced something I haven't and that you (not me) are the authority on your needs. But I'm concerned that your trauma from that event has prompted you to do something that is maybe more harmful than helpful. If I've offended you, I apologize profusely -- that's not my intention. I wish you well, and I hope you and everyone you care about stays safe.
My last teaching position was at a rural middle school and next to the school was desert. I told all of my classes that if there was a shooter that I would use chairs to break out the windows and they were to run south into the open desert covered with small mesquite trees. I would then head to my car and get my pistol. I could look out my classroom window and my car was parked about 50 yards away. I had two 15 round clips for my Glock and was not going to let a shooter slaughter kids without a fight. The school district had an off-duty police officer on duty only three days a week because of budget issues. I spent at least $300-$400 dollars per school year on school supplies. My car had an alarm and I was always one of the first teachers to school so I always parked my car in front of my classroom. I was not worried about my pistol being stolen from my car. That is the situation I am sure that many teachers face every day in this crazy gun society we live in now!
Props to you, Mark, for being a teacher and for your concern for your students. That anyone has to endure this type of trauma is insane. Only in 'Murica
Just making this up, but I predict that the wing nuts will claim this school shooting was organized by the Democratic Party to help Kamala Harris win the state of Georgia.
A longtime teacher who went through a shooter lock down in 2013. When the intercom said, “shooter, not a drill” I had the classroom door locked, lights out, students under their desks in less than a minute. After about 15 minutes, I crawled to the back window and saw 4 Tucson police with guns drawn across the street. Finally, after 45 minutes the all clear was sounded! There have been 416 school shootings since Columbine HS and the REPUBLICON BULLSHIT OF DOING NOTHING ABOUT GUNS AND “THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS” IS NOT WORKING! FUTURE PRESIDENT HARRIS HAD IT RIGBT YESTERDAY, WE DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THIS CRAP ANYMORE!!!
Thank you for being a brave teacher and keeping your students safe on that horrific day.
Thanks Vickie! It turned out the Tucson police were chasing an armed suspect and the Tucson School District has a policy if the armed suspect gets within one mile of a school, they lock down the school. It was a terrifying 45 minutes and halfway through a kid went nuts and I cradled him in my arms to keep him quiet! It took months for me to psychologically get over this incident. In my last teaching job, both myself and another teacher kept pistols in our cars in the parking lot because the closest police station was about 7 minutes away. Too long a time (7 minutes) for help to arrive!!
This insanity needs to stop. The US is the only industrial country with this kind of problem. In 2021 - the last date I could find data for, over 48,000 people died as a consequence of a gunshot. Now, some of them were suicides, but that is still the population of a small city getting killed every year. The modern rethuglican party is delusional and irrational. They are more concerned with making sure people can own weapons of war than they are with protecting the lives of the populace. We need to overwhelm the rethugs at the ballot box and then fix this. By the way, for the constitutional originalists out there, I have no problem with you owning as many muskets as you want to.
Unfortunately, as you saw firsthand, when this type of situation occurs, there is much confusion. Who is the shooter? How many are there? Where are they? To expect teachers to respond with weapons is ridiculous. As is the assertion that more guns in society makes it safer. We are living in the Republicans' Bizarro World.
Mark it is traumatic for students and teachers. We had shooter drills regularly toward the end of my teaching career. The children were jumpy and anxious the remainder of the day after each drill. I was the school counselor and stayed very busy. During Columbine I was a high school counselor in IA and the teens were beside themselves. We called school off early and our offices stayed open for everyone who needed to talk. Just this past year I met a woman who was a science teacher at Columbine HS during the massacre. She and fifty percent of those teachers left education within two years. These killings can be stopped. Republican leadership has neither the will nor the courage to face the truth.
My daughter stayed home on her last day of high school because she was terrified. There had been rumors of a particular student planning a shooting. This was 18 years ago. There was a shooting at a different school. Republicans and some Democrats who voted with for more gun rights will never be able to wash the blood of their hands.
A second thank you is due for your empathy. I’m glad you were there for them. I have deep respect for all teachers. Thank you.
My NIL is a teacher in OK, they all hate Ryan Walters & she has anxiety every time a school shooting occurs.
She, like most all teachers do love & care about their students. She hates the idea of armed teachers.
So...more opportunities to traumatize kids? 45 minutes of unnecessary terror should be prosecutable. "IT TURNED OUT"?? That should have been conveyed to teachers up front. Unconscionable.
So much gratitude to teachers for continuing to teach. Thank you, Mark.
You and so many others suffer from PTSD after experiencing such events. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be an educator these days.
If the teachers were reporting being horribly traumatized and then experiencing PTSD, what about the children? Do they ever, to quote the King of Disgusting, just “get over it”?
My experience from the 45-minute lockdown is that the students were jittery about it for about a week. I did have a parent conference for the student who panicked halfway through the lockdown so that he could get professional help. After about two weeks, I do not remember the students mentioning the incident the rest of the academic year!
I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been. So glad you were there to help the students. No one should have to go through that. No one.
I have to ask -- are you sure that it's a good idea to keep a loaded weapon in your car, from which it can be stolen? Especially knowing that a pistol will almost certainly do nothing against a shooter with assault weapons?
I know that you've experienced something I haven't and that you (not me) are the authority on your needs. But I'm concerned that your trauma from that event has prompted you to do something that is maybe more harmful than helpful. If I've offended you, I apologize profusely -- that's not my intention. I wish you well, and I hope you and everyone you care about stays safe.
My last teaching position was at a rural middle school and next to the school was desert. I told all of my classes that if there was a shooter that I would use chairs to break out the windows and they were to run south into the open desert covered with small mesquite trees. I would then head to my car and get my pistol. I could look out my classroom window and my car was parked about 50 yards away. I had two 15 round clips for my Glock and was not going to let a shooter slaughter kids without a fight. The school district had an off-duty police officer on duty only three days a week because of budget issues. I spent at least $300-$400 dollars per school year on school supplies. My car had an alarm and I was always one of the first teachers to school so I always parked my car in front of my classroom. I was not worried about my pistol being stolen from my car. That is the situation I am sure that many teachers face every day in this crazy gun society we live in now!
Welcome to Texas. Same bullshit as Georgia.
Props to you, Mark, for being a teacher and for your concern for your students. That anyone has to endure this type of trauma is insane. Only in 'Murica
Thanks!
Just making this up, but I predict that the wing nuts will claim this school shooting was organized by the Democratic Party to help Kamala Harris win the state of Georgia.
You are probably right, I think that was the point of the "Looney" Loomer person.
Thank you for your bravery and compassion.