|
They know that. Of course, being a rural K-8 school, everybody knows everybody. We have good security measures in place; no adults, including parents, are allowed on campus past the front office without a security clearance. To be honest, I've been a little uncomfortable with that. I prefer a campus open to parents. Still, it means that we don't get kids snatched during custody battles (and there are always at least a dozen going on at any one time, even within our small student body,) and all adults the kids see have a security clearance. The gates and doors around the school perimeter are locked during the school day, leaving the front office as the only entry.
We have no "security" personnel. No guards. We all do hall/field/bus/etc. duty. My school board, and my administrators, will not suggest or sanction putting kids in charge of defending the school. I guarantee it, and I'd be demonstrating at school board meetings if they did. Defending themselves might be different. Still, I don't think I'd like self-defense classes as part of school. To me, that would be teaching fear. It establishes a mindset that sees school as a threat. I'd rather structure our public schools differently.
The closest we've come to any sort of "threat" occurred on a field trip last year. We were at a state park, where we'd been rock climbing. We were on picnic tables set up near the trail down the canyon, and a scruffy, dirty, uncombed man walked by on a path next to the tables several times. The first time, I took a good look at him; he never looked at my 8th grade girls sitting at the table. When he came back the other way, I casually moved between the tables and his path. The next trip by, I was joined by my two teaching partners. We never spoke about it, just made sure that our presence was visible, and that we were between the man and the students. One table of girls said that he looked "creepy." I said that he was probably camping at the campgrounds nearby, and there to rock climb just like we were. "Still," said another girl, "you paid attention and moved in front of us." I nodded. She asked, "Would you die to protect us?" I looked at her and said calmly, "Of course. That's part of my job. When your parents send you to school, they count on me to protect what is most precious to them." She nodded, and they returned to lunch. Conversation over.
If we really want to safeguard our public schools from intruders, I would suggest restructuring the physical and social setting. Small schools, small classes, more adults per student on campus, and giving social skills as much weight as academic skills would be a good start. Most school shooters have been students themselves. If we set up school to be socially safe and healthy for all, I don't think we'll have kids going postal. Of course, that would fly in the face of contemporary American culture, which thrives on bullying. Treating others with civility and respect needs to begin at home, and in neighborhoods, and be supported and continued at school.
Setting up gates, guards, dogs, and teaching kids to operate as if they are in a war zone on campus does not create a safe, healthy social environment, in this teacher's opinion.
|