11/15/2022
We’ve defined an entire generation of students by their relationship to gun violence in school.
While being taught school is one of the safest places you can be, Columbine happened. We lived in Michigan at the time, but had lived in Colorado and knew kids who went there. I was 11. We all thought it was a one-time trauma.
Then what would become known as shelter-in-place drills began in our schools. I was 14 the first time we had to practice a lockdown. They didn’t tell us it was a drill. Nearly 20 years later my niece would have the same experience.
I was 29 when an active harmer brought a machete to our campus. I was a grad student, and a teacher, and now was part of educating students on best practices in active harmer situations.
One day later we sheltered in place again for a reported active shooter. Luckily, no mass shooting occurred, but the fear and trauma of taking my fellow students to the 5 1/2 floor of the library to hide was real. So was the trauma of my own students who hid in walk-in cafeteria refrigerators until the all-clear.
It’s been more than 20 years. Nobody listened to us. Will you listen to this generation?
