DISQUS

Reader · 2 years ago

It's been a bit of a rough week across the country. In Rapid City, SD, our stresser was Tuesday, and here too our media doesn't seem to understand how they contribute to the problem - the local paper has comment abilities on the stories, and they became a rumor factory even as we and the students were still locked down in the school. Irresponsible journalism.

But we teachers can do it better. My kids have been writing and expressing their experiences in a special "lockdown blog," and to an interested reader, they tell the real story better than the media could ever hope to do.

- Geoff

Langwitches · 2 years ago

Vicki,
My daughter's High School also had an incident this week. A freshman vowed to top the 33 victims and kill at least 100 at the school this Friday. A parent intercepted that e-mail. The student was arrested and two more are in custody. Although the principal of the school as called every parent (via a recording) to let us know that there is no "foreseeable" danger and that additional police would be on campus on Friday, my daughter did not feel safe enough to go to school today. She had not missed any other day from school except this year.

I am wondering if all the attention given to the gunman in the media isn't spurring somehow copycats across the country? I hope that I am wrong.

Vicki A. Davis · 2 years ago

Reader -
I think this is the untold story. Our whole nation is in shock. I'm going to go read your blog. Thank you for sharing!

Langwitches -
It is amazing how so much of what is happening is centering around electronic communications. It shows me that so many students have a cavalier attitude towards electronic communications. They think it is a joke! It is very sad to see that this is happening across the country. It is also sad to see that the media is keeping the spotlight on something that is upsetting to everyone.

Steve Madsen · 2 years ago

North Americans just don't seem to get it. Gun control laws need to become more powerful. I can almost understand a tertiary student going off the rails but I can't comprehend the shootings in high schools.

Are there any other countries in the world where high school students have been killed with guns by other high school students?

It is the lack of gun control laws, stupid (to paraphrase a past President).

Rachel Boyd · 2 years ago

Vicki, I am truly touched by your comments about "holding the door" for your students. I too am proud to be a teacher and I take pride in the fact that I make from 9am - 3pm a safe, happy, fun, enjoyable and rich learning experience for my 6 and 7 year olds. We need more teachers out there like you, because indeed, a good teacher can save lives...

John Martin · 2 years ago

Frustrating times up here in NH as well. We had four separate schools in the Lakes Region close due to unspecified threats to the safety of those in the buildings. They closed the schools yesterday and today and with school vacation next week I think they are hoping that the media attention and copy-cat incidences will subside.

I can only hope.

Kristin Hokanson · 2 years ago

Vicki--
As you read earlier this week, I was personally touched by this incident. Today on the anniversary of Columbine I had the privilege of hosting a group of local superintendents...2 of whom were called with threats...it is frightening how many kids are feeling vicitimized, or bullied and still yet those that are doing the vicitmizing or the bullying.
Today as well...our kids participated in the HS Challenge According to the kids it was a very emotional and powerful experience. I highly recommend ALL HIGH SCHOOLS to visit Oprah's site and consider what is happening in your schools. After viewing the number of videos on You Tube tagged Virginia Tech it is obvious that people have opinions and feelings....

Carolyn Foote · 2 years ago

There have been copycat incidents here in Texas as well. I feel sure this will calm down, but it seems even more than there were after Columbine. And of course some of it is that schools are on their guard and being cautious also.

We've had alarmed parents, tense students and staff, though, to be sure.

And to top it all off, our state standardized test was given this week for about four hours a day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, leaving not much time to process this with our students because the schedule has been completely disrupted.

So it's just really been a difficult and tiring week for everyone.

I'm interested in reading the student blog comments.

Karyn Romeis · 2 years ago

"Children cannot learn unless they FEEL safe."

I have no wish to "glorify Cho". What he did was heinous and inexcusable. But, reading through some of the material he is said to have written, I wonder how safe he felt. What drove him to do something so unimagineably evil? If the writing ascribed to him is truly his, he was one very damaged young man, bullied, ostracised and victimised. What can we do to ensure that we don't see more like him? It seems to me that he needed help a long time ago.

As you may have read on my blog, my own son has been targeted by a group of kids who have been victimising him. When I went to school for support, they were helpless to take any action. I doubt that he will ever do something as extreme as this, but will the day come when he snaps and makes reprisals? And who will be held responsible then? Him? His Dad and me? I wonder if Cho's parents ever went to the school and said, "Please help, our son is being bullied."

I agree that "every child is important". That includes the "weird" ones. The "geeks". The "freaks". I wonder if Cho ever felt that he mattered. I wonder how many other Chos are coming up through the system.

We need more Vickis, more Livius to hold the door. To make sure that EVERY child feels safe, feels nurtured.

Jeff · 2 years ago

The medium is the message

As you put it the "cavalier attitude" targets a problem. Two presumptions need to be addressed with our students. One, that I can hide behide a wall of digital anonymity and two, that I can usurp the tools to proliferate content in the name of noteriety. It is not a joke. Who can now argue against the need for teachers to address the formation of digital skills/literacy in our children.

We were in "lock-down" twice this week.

Vicki A. Davis · 2 years ago

Kristin wanted to finish her comment with -
Although there are very negative things associated with the way media has portrayed this event. The YouTube tributes and number of places in which the victims have been able to be recognized shows that technology can be used for grieving and healing as well.....

feel free to add...or not, I just have been so affected by this tragedy....watching people be able to express themselves and connect with the students and family at Tech...and then watching your students connect globally....really overwhelming.

Vicki A. Davis · 2 years ago

Steve-

I live in a very rural area and guns are everywhere but we have very little problem. People can kill with a fork if they really want to. The problems we are having are as much a matter of hate and misuse of electronic communications -- just found out that the Colquitt county incident was started with a student blogging support of the gunman at VT. And the rumors started going.

I think what we're seeing is a symptom of the fear and stress and mourning that our whole country is in right now. We're all on edge. All it takes is one person who doesn't abide by the law. Such a person as Cho would find a way to do harm no matter the law, I have a feeling.

I am saddened that the law didn't listen to his teacher!

Rachel--
You understand the vital importance of your role. Many teachers do not see themselves as the most noble profession -- the ones who shape the future. I'm glad that you do! Time flies as a teacher and we reap the harvest years after our work is done but oh what a reward it is to make a difference!

John
You are fortunate to have a break next week. Most of us have already had our break and are right in the middle of testing. Unfortunately, this is the time of year for "bomb threats" anyway b/c unfortunately many teachers say that students see it as a way to get time out of school (and they hate the two weeks of testing!)

Kristin-
Thank you for pointing out the resources.

Carolyn -
Your sentiments are echoed everywhere -- of the 6 public school teacher friends I talked to today at the archery meet 5 had incidents this week sparked by blog posts, e-mails, rumors, and fear. I think we all wish we could do something to bring those 32 kids back and prevent it from happening in the future.

Karyn-
I too agree. I am heart broken for he and his parents. Perhaps he had a chemical imbalance but perhaps something or somethings terrible happened to him that left him scarred forever. I saw one of Cho's roommates on the news being interviewed and the whole time he had this silly grin on his face. It bothered me. I know that sometimes kids react with smiles b/c they don't know how to react but I could also picture being pushed over the edge. As you know, I was bullied and if I did not have faith in my God and a personal relationship with my Lord -- where would I be?

Jeff-
At the core of many of these lockdowns are digital communications -- people blogging and e-mailing and "joking" but not realizing that they are not anonymous and that you can't joke like that. That is what happened in colquitt county! You are right on the money!

There is a pattern in these messages from throughout the country and world. Every child matters. Safety matters. Electronic communication matters. Teachers matter.

Society must not view schools as a babysitting service but as a vital, integral, important part of shaping our future. Schools are not something we throw money at but all of us should give our time and energy to volunteer and help with our nation and world's schools.

And, we all continue to mourn. I think what we see is the shock and mourning of a society and it is often most reflected in our schools.

Mechelle · 2 years ago

Thanks Vicki for writing this, "Teachers saw the danger coming at Virginia Tech. Trust the teachers and listen to them for indeed many of them have insight into their students rivaled by only their parents."

It is so true. Teachers especially special education teachers tell administrators when we feel that a student has a serious problem and is violent toward other children and/or the teacher. Yet, school administrators often say it is a part of their disability and that we need to deal with it. Interestingly, many of these administrators are not trained in special education. Therefore, they don't really know the nature of various disabilities and the behaviors that go along with it.

Now with inclusion severely emotionally disturbed children will (and are already) placed in the mainstream classes in regular education. Indeed, Cho was diagnosed with autism at the age of 8. That was coupled with mental illness which teachers/professors/fellow students/suite-mates may not have been aware of. I wonder if he was served in a special education classroom or in a regular education classroom while in high school?

I am a disabilities advocate. However, I do not believe that inclusion is always best for the school community. We need to help keep ALL our kids safe. I hope that more people will listen to teachers when we say there is a serious problem.

Thanks for your voice to get other people to think about these issues.

All my best wishes,
Mechelle

audrey · 2 years ago

I do not fail children, they fail themselves and their parents fail them. As a result, I have a non-negotiable policy regarding grades. I only give the grade the child deserves. Most of the pressure to change grades in my current school comes from parents, but in a previous school I was pressured to change grades. I refused and when I was told that they could do it without my consent, I said, then, that is what you'll have to do. In the end, they didn't.

As for manipulation through extra work or insincere action plans (essentially used to keep kids off of the special ed rolls) I don't care. I'd rather write an action plan then feel compromised. You can be sure any action plan I create under duress will be a boilerplate for future action plans.

WBishop · 2 years ago

This is a powerful and meaningful post. A good teacher can save lives. What you say is true, a good teacher pours out their own life, maybe not in a moment as professor Librescu did but every day. I too am proud to be a teacher and I love all of my students, even if they don't see it right now. I just want the best for them. I wish that they would take the time to reflect on the terrible occurrence at VT. All of those students woke up thinking that life would go on a usual and their lives were cut short by a senseless act of violence. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families. Thanks for the meaningful post Vickie.

profv · 2 years ago

As a professor at the university level, I think it is important to understand the differences between the system in K-12 and the university level. Because most students at college are adults (over 18) there are safeguards to their privacy that younger students do not have. As a result, any student coming into the college with disabilities and/or mental health problems may not be identified. In terms of mental health histories, there is absolute privacy and most mental health patients have the right to deny treatment as long as they don't present a threat to themselves or others. Unlike a school teacher, I have no clear cut guidelines or central administrator to go to if I feel a student is experiencing mental health issues (this usually is apparent just before finals or before graduation). I do have a mechanism if the student has been identified as having learning or any other disabilities (i.e. one student suffered panic attacks, considered a disability. I was able to speak with the specialists in the disability office to work out how I would assess her public speaking skills and the extent to which there needed to be some flexibility-this did not mean I had to waive public speaking requirements, but rather I needed to work with the student differently). I think there should be a central office at all levels of education that work with physical, educational, and mental health/emotional disabilities, manned by specialists that have the right to remove a student that is a threat or prevents learning for themselves and others in the class. There should be alternatives for these students to be educated, but through a formal process, the schools should also be allowed to remove these students, as other students have the right to learn in a safe environment. Finally, this takes money. I would like to see some of the money going to subsidize big business put into educating all of our students rather than trying to mass produce workers.