Replies to '10/12 Homecoming Shooting'

Quote From: msteacherlady

On Monday, October 15th, I was having a discussion with my first block English repeat class about Langston Hughes' "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?" when a student randomly blurted out, "What would happen if I shot a teacher?" I was stunned! I was shocked! I wondered if that student really JUST said that! After about 30 seconds, I replied, "Excuse me!?" THe student immediately put his head down for the rest of the period. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it in front of the whole class, so I finished the activity and waited for class to end. Once class was over, I immediately went to the principal and told him what happened. I spent the entirety of 2nd block in the principals office while he interviewed the student and other students in my class that heard him say what he did. The student who said it admitted it openly,"Yeah, thats what I said." When asked why he said it, he would only shrug and say, "I don't know." The student was expelled that day for the rest of the year. When his mother game to pick him up, she defended her son and said that they didn't own any guns at home and that her son probably just said it to make people laugh. She just didn't seem to get how serious the situation was or the inappropriateness her son's comment. I am still haunted by his words and am scared to think about what could happen and whether or not his expulsion will just give him more opportunity to plan and think about doing something evil. I would feel so much better if teachers, who had their state gun carry permit, could carry their weapons on their person during school. I feel we have the right to protect ourselves and our students and we can't do that empy handed. A lot of what has happened in the past with school shootings could have been minimized if teachers, who were properly trained to carry and handle a gun, were allowed to carry a gun on their person in school. I know I would feel MUCH more comfortable walking into school if I could protect myself, because no matter how many school resource officers there are on campus, they cannot be with every individual person within the school 24/7. After 9/11, pilots were allowed to carry guns in the cockpit; therefore, it only makes sense that after all these high school shootings and frequently occuring threats, that teachers be allowed to carry guns on their person.

Quote From: msteacherlady

On Monday, October 15th, I was having a discussion with my first block English repeat class about Langston Hughes' "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?" when a student randomly blurted out, "What would happen if I shot a teacher?" I was stunned! I was shocked! I wondered if that student really JUST said that! After about 30 seconds, I replied, "Excuse me!?" THe student immediately put his head down for the rest of the period. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it in front of the whole class, so I finished the activity and waited for class to end. Once class was over, I immediately went to the principal and told him what happened. I spent the entirety of 2nd block in the principals office while he interviewed the student and other students in my class that heard him say what he did. The student who said it admitted it openly,"Yeah, thats what I said." When asked why he said it, he would only shrug and say, "I don't know." The student was expelled that day for the rest of the year. When his mother game to pick him up, she defended her son and said that they didn't own any guns at home and that her son probably just said it to make people laugh. She just didn't seem to get how serious the situation was or the inappropriateness her son's comment. I am still haunted by his words and am scared to think about what could happen and whether or not his expulsion will just give him more opportunity to plan and think about doing something evil. I would feel so much better if teachers, who had their state gun carry permit, could carry their weapons on their person during school. I feel we have the right to protect ourselves and our students and we can't do that empy handed. A lot of what has happened in the past with school shootings could have been minimized if teachers, who were properly trained to carry and handle a gun, were allowed to carry a gun on their person in school. I know I would feel MUCH more comfortable walking into school if I could protect myself, because no matter how many school resource officers there are on campus, they cannot be with every individual person within the school 24/7. After 9/11, pilots were allowed to carry guns in the cockpit; therefore, it only makes sense that after all these high school shootings and frequently occuring threats, that teachers be allowed to carry guns on their person.