A Teacher's Most Important Responsibility

In a tale that has become all too common, yet another individual with gun went on a shooting spree yesterday. This one occurred in a rural part of California in the small town of Rancho Tehama, just north of Sacramento.

When it was all over, the man with the gun killed four innocent people and injured ten - two children among them. It's miraculous that only two children were injured. After the man killed his neighbors, he drove a stolen truck around the community shooting randomly. He then crashed through the gates of the local school, and tried unsuccessfully to enter the building. After firing shots at the windows he got back into the truck and drove away.

The reason he was unable to enter the school was because upon hearing the truck crash through the gate, the school staff immediately put the building into full lockdown. Thankfully, the faculty had remembered exactly what to do, and how to do it - and did not panic, but followed procedure. They undoubtedly saved dozens of lives.

When I read the story of the teachers and staff at the school, I was relieved - but also upset. As an educator, I have sat through many school lockdown training sessions. There was one in particular that was presented by a former FBI Agent that was not only highly informative, but also knee jerkingly frightening. These have (sadly) become a standard piece of teacher training.

In the ongoing discourse regarding public education, I am amazed how often I hear the job of teachers being spoken of in negative tones. I have been in discussions where the collective mindset is that teacher's jobs are "easy", and/or "teachers have it made". When I hear this, it makes me upset because most people don't realize the ever broadening scope that has become a teacher's responsibility.

Teachers do not just go to school and teach. We are now expected (key word) to buy school supplies - and these are not exclusive to pencils and paper, but also include paper towels, soap, and even toilet paper. When I worked in an inner-city school, I was one of many who bought poorer students clothes. Many of us also brought student's lunch. I worked in an alternative high school for at-risk inner-city students, and would give one student $20 every Friday. I did this because I knew if I didn't, he would't eat until he came back to school on Monday.

Our responsibilities also include listening for conversations and words amongst students that may be hinting at acts of violence. We're expected to monitor social media and make sure there's no bullying. If a child comes to school upset, we have to guide them through their crisis or convince them to go to the school counselor. I've had high school students talk to me about being pregnant. I've also had students come out to me - and they did this before telling their parent or parents. Oh yeah, we're also responsible for teaching our subject. This all pales in comparison to what is now our biggest responsibility: Be on alert in case a live shooter enters the building. We are now (literally) responsible for our student's lives.

I know from experience that when the school year begins, and staff development sessions start, one of the topics discussed, and reviewed in heavy detail is live shooter protocol. Teachers are expected to know the difference between "lockdown" and "shelter in place". We need to know where exactly to hide our students so if (when) a shooter looks into the room, they will see an empty space (One great tip I picked up from the former FBI agent was putting a piece of tape on the floor so I knew the exact spot my students needed to be behind to remain out of sight). We have to remember to turn the lights out, make sure the door is locked, and keep students quiet.

Mind you, we are expected to do all of this within an environment of pure panic and chaos. Herding a group of children under desks or into closets; turning the lights out; and making sure the door is locked is a difficult task. I have worked in schools with typically developing students, and this is a very hard thing to do. I have also worked in self contained schools for special needs students and that's even more difficult to do. When performing these drills, teachers know remaining calm is key, but we also know time is severely limited. To put this in perspective for you: The horrific Sandy Hook shooting started and ended in just over five minutes. In that short period of time, twenty children and six adult staff members were killed.

I was teaching one day when a lockdown drill was announced. At that moment, I had a roomful of energetic, rambunctious kindergarten children in my music room, and it was loud. When the announcement was made, I didn't hear that it was only a drill. I thought we were live, and immediately began putting children under desks and moving them out of sight. I checked the doors, and before going under the desks myself took two head-counts to make sure every child was there. Then I dove under the desks and held a child who was afraid of the dark and was now crying. Lying under desks clutching a crying child and silently hoping and wishing was terrifying. When it ended, I was shaking.

We take for granted that when our children go to school they'll be safe. Our minds are, generally speaking, at ease. This is because we know the teachers and staff go through these procedures and drills on a fairly regular basis. We now assume the teachers will go into action if - god forbid - something happens. We now assume the administration has their protocol in place. We now also assume that - in addition to teaching - our teachers will protect our children.

I grew up in a very rural part of New Jersey and went to school with kids whose parents worked functioning horse, cow, and turkey farms. Many of my friends were avid hunters, and fishermen. In my middle school, every Friday each period was shortened by five minutes so, by the end of the day, a full period was available for school clubs to meet. In addition to chess, AV, music, and sports, the most popular club was hunting and fishing. Each Friday the students in hunting and fishing either brought their fishing rods or - you guessed it - hunting rifles to school. I have told this story to multiple friends and family members to looks of utter horror. The thing is, we never once imagined (back in 1977) that a student would walk down the halls and do something like we constantly hear about today. I often find myself asking what has changed since then? Is it kids...parents...the world around us...or all of the above? All I know is that in our public schools right now, teaching is no longer a teacher's most important responsibility.

I think maybe it's time we all started thinking about that.