It has taken my days to be able to even think about posting a blog
about the recent school shooting that took place in Texas.
With that being said, I still don't think my writings will make much sense.
One reason being, the whole thing does not make sense.
I was a school nurse for 12 years. It was some of the best years of my life.
If you know me, you know I love me some children, to the point
that the grandgirls say if I get a van, I will be "way too creepy".
I was in an elementary school starting with 4 year olds.
If you have never watched a 4 year old cry out of fear to go through a metal detector,
Watch their faces when we practice for a lock down, its hard to grasp.
Yet it was necessary when a second grader brought a pocket knife to school and threatened others.
People who work in any public school system probably know
that there have been children that from the early ages, we can spot out
those that are troubled, and some even use the statement,
"That one will grow up to shoot up a school"
In the privacy of a discussion over some children.
I know this won't be accepted as a popular statement to most
but the reason for pointing them out was to start intervention early,
"Let's help this child" but hands are tied by many in the school systems.
Getting them into counseling can only be done if the adult who is in charge
of that child consents. "Nothing wrong with my kid" was also a common phrase.
I have screamed it from long ago, not enough is done for mental health.
What if mental health was the norm, counseling was the norm?
Would it change the family dynamics? Would it stop some of the violence?
We don't know but what can we loose by trying it?
Using the word bully in school by any adult is frowned upon.
Why? you may ask? For many reasons.
One being the amount of paperwork an educator must do to use that word
is out of this world. It would all be worth while if something was done for
the bully and the children who are part of his circle.
Yet rarely does it happen. A teacher, a principle already has so much to do
in a public school system including teaching, that when nothing gets done,
they want to just go home after a long day and enjoy their own children.
I was witness to a fourth grade class that had a new student that had been
removed from another school due to his behavior.
Keep in mind, the average age of a 4th grader is 9.
This child was 13, 13!
He had raging hormones and an even higher raging attitude.
He sexually harassed 9 year olds, overturned desks, threatened the teacher, etc.
All the while 20 something other kids were watching or being victim.
The teacher wrote him up each time, had him removed from her class,
but the next day, there he was sitting in a desk.
You see it is very hard to have a child removed from a school.
His previous school, it took months to get him out of their
and because of "No child left behind" you have to attempt to give him an education.
He got all the attention, negative as it was.
My point here was not about this Bully, although he was a traumatized kid.
My point was the little eyes, 44 in total that watched this.
They saw him getting away with it, they were also bullied by him.
They will grow up and these things will have a cause and effect on them.
Will they be labeled at a young age, and be teased by their peers?
We don't know. We do know that most school shooting perpetrators have been bullied
and/or had a hard life with very little if any counseling.
Many are talking about a solution, yes we all want a solution,
but we live in a World that is so divided on so many levels and to
have a solution be successful, I believe we all need to want and work hard for the solution.
When a school shooting becomes mundane, a daily event there is a lot
wrong in our Country. This school shooting has been tragic and like
most of you, I have cried real salt water tears over it.
Yet on the very long list of school shooting, I can almost bet, you have not heard of some.
I disagree that not being able to buy a gun would solve this problem.
A friend of mind suggested give every teacher a gun and another child in their class
will not die on their watch.
This sounds really good at first, but then you have to take into account,
the fact that grown ups have also been known to go into an employer and kill.
One officer on campus with a gun cannot take care of 1200 children.
By the time he gets where he needs to be, many could be dead.
I am sorry for my morning rant, as I am normally not the negative Nelly
of course this is all my opinions only.
I do know this, 19 children families will never be the same.
Too many funerals in one little town are to be had.
Many other children are affected by what they witnessed in that school.
Some parents and families are at the bedside of one of their own that was shot.
Everyone of the people in that town, "their village" has been affected.
The lasting affect of this tragedy has changed the dynamic of this town.
That keeps me up at night sometimes.
The shooter, yes he has a family too, this boy was also someone's baby at one point.
Compassion may be hard to find for his family in the wake of the tragedy
he caused to so many, but when you put your babies to bed at night,
think about what if it was your child?
and pray..... pray like you never have prayed before.
It is one of the many things we can do.
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