February 22, 2018

I’m angry.  I say that as a word of caution because my intention from the start with this blog was to not have a shouting match or become overly wrought, pontificate or be judgmental, and I especially didn’t want to upset my mother.  She loves me and is very proud of me and she often suggests to her friends at church that they read her “brilliant son’s blog.”  Her words not mine.  But I’m angry.  And when I’m angry I swear.  (Mama calls it “strong language”).  Proceed with caution because I write like I talk and when I’m angry I swear.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

In class last Wednesday, several of my students wanted to debate the 2nd Amendment and gun control.  We were studying the Constitution and the Framers’ intentions with the Bill of rights, so this wasn’t too far outside of the scope of an AP Government class but I told them that we needed to put it off until we were further along in our studies.  The following day, after being barraged with images of lines of students snaking out of school with their hands on their heads and cell phone video of classrooms in chaos in Parkland, Florida they practically burst through the door.  “Can we debate the 2nd Amendment nowwwww?,” one of them asked.  “Not while you’re emotional,” I returned, trying not to sound condescending, “but if you want to talk about what happened yesterday we can certainly do that.  We can debate the issue after we’ve all calmed down a bit.”

I love children and teaching them has been one of the most rewarding and joyful experiences of my entire life.  I try not to define others by what they do for a living but I openly encourage you to judge me by my job title.  I am an educator.  I have joked that I would do it for free or that I teach for free and I get paid to go to meetings and grade papers and honestly that isn’t far from the truth.  Outside of my family and my church, this is my life and these children in my classroom mean more to me than I could ever express.

That being said you must be out of your mind if you think that I will ever carry a gun into a school building to protect them or my fellow teachers.  When I hear about those brave heroes that shielded other people’s biological children with their very bodies from a hail of bullets it absolutely shatters me and I pray to God that if I were ever called upon I would do the same.  I tell my students their life is more important than mine the first day of class when we discuss these very types of safety issues and that a crazy person will have to come through me to get to them and I mean it.  I can say that with the confidence of someone who knows there are brave men and women who will do the same thing for my own daughters.  

But carry a gun?!  I can’t even work the damn Scantron machine at my school so I grade papers by hand.  Don’t tell administration but I’ve been known to kick the copy machine when I’m frustrated with it and people are suggesting that teachers be armed.  If you know me personally you know that I’m one of those few chosen people who are just idiotic and arrogant enough to think that they can do just about anything but I won’t do that.  I don’t always have the faith in my fellow teachers that I should but I’m saying I don’t trust myself.  The day that teachers in public schools are armed will be the day that I look for another job.  And I will burn in Hell before I send my own children to a school with armed teachers.

I find it ironic that some of the same legislators that don’t think I’m trustworthy enough to be left alone with my own class during testing are suggesting that maybe teachers should be armed.  These same lawmakers won’t give me a raise for getting a Master’s degree but they might pay me for being half-assed trained to respond to an active shooter on campus.  Nope.  My girls will stay at the house and be home schooled by my wife while I shovel shit before that happens.

The Pandora’s box of problems with arming teachers is so extensive that I can’t even begin to address them.  Suffice it to say that before we changed the WiFi access in my county every single kid in school could log on because some adult didn’t protect the password.  And you want us to carry guns?  I’m no Alec Baldwin and I’m not moving to Canada but I will eat ice cube and dirt sandwiches before I carry a gun to school.  If you think that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun then ask your government representatives to come up with some money for an increased police presence.  They are professionally trained to serve and protect.  I’m just a teacher.