Heart4kidsadvocacyforum's Blog

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Wyoming

32 states that have sanctioned teachers bringing guns to school.

It just amazes me to be in this place at this time in my life where now as a professor that has taught “teachers” to be “teachers”, that our country is allowing teachers to bring guns in the classroom.  What is their thinking?  32 states out of our 50 states have children in a classroom where teachers have the responsibility of safeguarding a lethal weapon on top of the responsibility to safeguard the lives of our children.  I can’t imagine taking my child to school and leaving her in the care of a civilian who has a gun.  I might add to my concern that teachers are not law enforcement officers and have not had the training to discern what is an appropriate response in a volatile situation.

As it is, our local police officers need a longer more expansive time and firsthand experiences in their training.  Another thing that concerns me is that teachers-most teachers- get their bachelor’s degree and then do 1 additional year to acquire their teaching credential.  The criteria for becoming a teacher are exams and practice teaching experience.  There is a background check to see if the potential teacher has a criminal record, but there are no psychological test and evaluation that establishes the mental and emotional health of prospective teachers.  This to me this should be a serious consideration before putting a gun in someone’s hands. I can tell you from first-hand experience that there were times I had to gently encourage some students to consider another profession.  

Even with teachers coming into the field that seem to have a sound emotional and mental healthy persona, life happens, circumstances of traumatic events happen, and people have break downs. 

I have witnessed these kinds of events where teachers lose control and have emotional breakdowns in the classroom.  Our teachers in our public schools are under extreme stress just trying to deal with the everyday things they have to overcome and solve to maintain a functioning classroom environment where children can learn. 

We need for our classrooms to be safe, and we are intelligent enough to know how to secure the schools.  Yes, 30 years ago, my brother-in-law, as a principal of a high school, requested that their school board consider installing metal detectors and to check backpacks as a daily procedure.  He made suggestions on procedures and protocols for securing our school facilities. He has even written a book that should be taken seriously if we want to secure our schools.  The whole American cultural is being driven by violence and weapons.  Some are physical weapons and now there are virtual internet communicational weapons as well.  We have to do better!  We have to get a handle on “Gun Control”!  We have to take the safety of our children seriously and demand that our government be called into action against gun lobbyist and gun manufactures.  We need to make sure that guns cannot be sold or made via the internet. 

Right now, with 32 states doing their own thing and there is no consistent, intelligent, attainable, law in place to protect our children, we have to advocate for them.  We have more power than we use, and we have more power than we can imagine.  Contact your representatives and advocate for your children.  Contact your local city councils and educational district boards and voice your concerns and demands.  This is our “Call to Action”!  We are all our children have!