One Word 2023: "Hope"

      As with my past five words, they have just come to me. When "hope" came to me, I had to wonder, "Why had this never come to me before?" My favorite scripture is this one:

     It's even a song that is sung as the benediction in my hometown church each Sunday. Here is the refrain: And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

     Once the word had come to me, I began to see it everywhere!

     So, "Hope" it is!

• Hope for our world
• Hope for our country(we're a hot mess!)
• Hope for families who are struggling
• Hope for our sweet children, the future of our world!
• Hope for healing
• Hope for love
• Hope for compassion and understanding on so many fronts
• Hope for job security for those who are looking
• Hope for stability
• Hope for calm in the chaos that is life
• Hope for those who are hurting

And the list goes on and on....

Hope is important because:

1. It motivates us.
2. It strengthens or mental and physical health
3. It infuses joy into our lives
4. Hope allows us to have healthy relationships
5. It fosters a sense of humor
6. Hope allows us to learn from and move through past setbacks
7. It opens our eyes to opportunities
8. Hope heals us
9. Hope fights fear
10. Hope helps others

So, here we go,2023!  HOPE

     

And This Is How It Looks

      Today, I had a student lose it.  I mean, lose it!  When I picked my class up from music, the music teacher told me that one of my students had a rough time, not paying attention and kicking chairs. When I looked at the line, I couldn't see him. He was squatting down at the end of the line. I went to the end of the line and asked him to please stand up. He did, with a scowl on his face. Judging from his demeanor, I decided that it would be a good idea to walk backwards to keep an eye on him in the hallway.

     We stopped off, on the way back to our classroom, at the restrooms. This friend went into the restroom, kicked the door open, and then slammed it shut.  I calmly asked him to please stop because I didn't want him to get hurt. He came out of the stall, still scowling and washed his hands, then got into the line with his classmates in the hallway.

     When everyone was done using the restroom, I asked the class to please come off the wall and stand on the purple roadrunners that line our hallways. The young man refused.  I went up to him and said, "I need you to get into the line, please." He refused. I took him by the hand and said, "Let me help you make a good choice." He jerked his hand away from me.  I said, "So. It looks to me like you need some help remembering how to walk in the halls. Let's go to the end of the line and you can watch how your friends do it," and I took him by the hand again. He jerked his hand away and plunked his little body down in the middle of the hallway.

     At this point, I was wondering how I was going to get the other 18 students upstairs for lunch and deal with a sit-down strike.  I was there by myself, as my para was putting out lunch and resting mats.  Another student started to tell me a story at which point my friend who was sitting on the floor launched himself at the storyteller, screaming at him to stop, and put his hands around his neck! I quickly removed his hands and stood between the two boys.

     This was when another staff member happened to see what was going on and asked if I needed her to call the principal.  I told her I needed help getting the class and this dysregulated kiddo upstairs for lunch.  Just then another teacher came around the corner and said he could help.  We got everyone up to the room and served lunch.

     It was time for Rest Time. Same Dysregulated kid.  Lying on his mat. Throwing his blanket up in the air,  I walked over and asked if he'd like me to cover him up. He said he would.  Less than five minutes later, he was throwing his blanket up in the air again. Our para asked him to stop. He threw it in the air again.  She told him is he did it again, she would take his blanket. He smiled at her and did it again. She went over and took his blanket.  

    This is where is got really interesting.  He stood up. Clenched his fist and took a swing at her.  Luckily, she dodged him, but he kept on swinging.  She got ahold of him and took him to a member of the CARE Team.

     This child has been a witness to domestic violence for the better part of his young life.  That doesn't excuse his behavior, but it does help explain it.  My heart goes out to him.  However, I cannot and will not tolerate this behavior in my classroom.

What's This Heart-Thing?

      I needed my prescriptions refilled in August.  Rather than drive back to my doctor of ten years, in Hutchinson, I decided it was time to find a general practice doctor here in Topeka.  I was able to get a new patient appointment a few days before school started.

     When I went in, my new doctor told me my blood pressure was "a little elevated."  No duh!  School was starting in a few days at a new-to-me building and I was meeting a new doctor for the first time.  I tried explaining this to my doctor, but she is very thorough, and didn't buy it.   She put me on blood pressure lowering meds and asked me to track my blood pressure, daily.  My blood pressure continued to climb!  She upped my meds.  It continued to stay high.  She referred me to a cardiologist.

    I went to the cardiologist.  I really liked him.  He didn't use big, long, technical words and I didn't feel rushed.  He ordered a stress test and an ultrasound of my heart.  The stress test was crazy! They increased the incline and the speed every forty-five seconds!  Actually, my calves started burning before I really got winded, but I was able to get my heart rate up into the zone they wanted it to be in. Next was the ultrasound.  It was fascinating!

     A few days later, I got a call that tilted my world!  They wanted to do a heart cath., based on something they saw on the stress test.  Having a husband who is a heart patient and it brought back so many memories of all of the tests and procedures he went through. Visions of allergic reactions to contrast dye and lying flat while the entry points in my groin clotted. 

     Well, medical technology has advanced since that time. Rather than going in through the groin, they now go in through the wrist, cutting down on recovery time! I also read that the patient needs to be awake.  Say what?!?!  No thank you!.  Much like having a colonoscopy, though, they give you meds that help you relax and not remember.  On top of that, they didn't find any abnormalities or blockages. Hallelujah!  

     So now what? What landed me there in the first place? Do I really have high blood pressure? I see the cardiologist again the end of December and I will, hopefully, get some answers then.  To be continued....

     

     

Yes, I Am That Old

      As we approach Parent-Teacher Conferences, I am struck by how much our expectations of our youngest learners has changed since my teaching career began in 1983.

     For starters, Kindergarten used to be a half-day program. At least in our state, that changed in the early 2000s, when Kindergarten became a full-day program for much of the state. Why? To address lower test scores and provide full-day care for working parents.  The word "closing the achievement gap"  then, and now, "learning loss: due to the pandemic.  As the data reveals, “Children who attend full-day kindergarten learn more in reading and math over the kindergarten year than those in half-day programs.”   I was afraid that our state would try to force full-day Kindergarten on us claiming that full-day preschool and Kindergarten programs are necessary and beneficial for all students.  While that could be true. There are also some set backs for our students.  This includes developmentally inappropriate curriculum from "big box" publishers who are far removed from the classroom, if they served in a classroom at all!  Our children are mot assembly line machines! They are each wonderfully and uniquely different, with different learning styles and different needs; academically, socially, and developmentally.  This cannot be a one-size-fits all instructional method. Time with parents and siblings and the ability to play and learn naturally is what very young children need–not full days spent in a classroom.

     Now, there are many school district preschools that are full-day programs.  I teach one of those.  A few years ago, I was at a conference where there was a Q & A session with our amazing Commissioner of Education, Dr. Randy Watson.  This was the year before we were to implement a full-day preschool program.  I had seen, first hand, what full-day Kindergarten had become and I didn't want that for our littlest learners.  So, I asked the question:  "Dr. Watson. I full-day preschool going to become as academic as Kindergarten has become?"  His response was this: "I believe that every child, under the age of eight, should have a play-based education." He received a standing ovation!

     However, this is not what I'm seeing.  I'm seeing more and more structurally-based curriculums and less and less time for play.  I don't see the words of our Commissioner trickling down to what we're expected to do in the classroom.  We have to have "Learning Criteria," "Success Criteria," posted in our classrooms for every subject area. Building and district admin. look for those when they come into our classrooms.  Again, our students are not assembly line machines.  It's all well and good to post the expectations, but the truth of the matter is that not all students are going to achieve them, not matter how hard we try.

     And now for those sweet, precious children.  My "littles" are true Pandemic Babies, with most all of them being born during the global Coronavirus Pandemic.  These children have been way more socially isolated than their pre-pandemic predecessors.  Their social/emotional needs are off the charts!  But we've got curriculum to teach them because Covid lead to "learning loss" and a broadening of the "achievement gap."  What about their social-emotional needs?  In my humble opinion, those need to be addressed first and foremost.  Dr. James Comer says, "No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship" When would you like teachers to do that? Our days are crammed with academic expectations!

     And the standardized testing!  Why are teachers required to differentiate instruction, based on the needs of their students, yet asked to assess with standardized tests?  Does that even make sense?  I understand that by differentiating instructions, students should become better learners. Yet how can we measure what they truly know, if the testing is standardized.  It's like the chicken and the egg. Which came first?

     I am old enough, and have been teaching ling enough, that I remember when teach our youngest children was about exposure.  Exposure to language through read-aloud books and stories. Exposure to rhyming through nursery rhymes and fingerplays. Exposure to nature through nature walks and time spent playing outside. Exposure to their communities though guest speakers telling about their jobs or field trips to the fire station, grocery store, post office. Exposure to math through the manipulation and counting of items natural to the child's environment. Learning colors and shapes through exploration of the world around them.  And guess what? None of it was tested with the use of a standardized tool.

     Now we're seeing more and more children with attention issues.  Why? They're being asked to sit still and learn. This is not developmentally appropriate practice.

    We're seeing more and more children lacking social skills. Why? Family dinners are going by the wayside.  Human connections are, as well.  Families don't sit down and talk with each other. Parents are on their iPhones and their kids are on devices. Kids struggle to have one-on-one conversations with others.  They struggle to problem-solve.  Why? Because it's not being modeled for them. The pandemic has only exacerbated this.

     I don't know what the solution is.  I'm just old enough to remember when the academic pressures we are putting on our kids today was nonexistent. When you're in your fortieth year of teaching, it's hard to not reflect on "the good old days."

A Defining Moment

     Five years ago was a defining moment for me, professionally.  This post showed up in my Facebook memories today.  Five years ago, I had only heard of Jim Sporleder and his work with  students in trauma.  Then he came to our little town of Hutchinson, KS.  He only spoke to the district administration, but the community was invited to hear him speak later that same evening.  This was a chance in a lifetime! And gosh, I'm glad I did!  This man, my edu-hero, gave a name to what I always thought teaching should be! I left that speaking engagement in tears! I was so grateful.

 On this day

5 years ago

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Kristin Jenkins

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I.AM.SO.THERE.

Hutchinson Public Schools

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Jim Sporleder, who worked with a Walla Walla, Wash., high school to change attitudes and responses to student trauma and lives spoke Thursday morning to USD 308 administrators. Those changes led to fewer student behavior issues, higher test scores and higher graduation rates.

And both students and staff felt they were being heard and respected.

Sporleder will speak at a community event at 6:30 this evening at CrossPoint, 1410 E. 30th Ave. The public is invited to attend.

 Not only that, but then I mentioned wanting a copy of his book during a Twitter Chat. He saw the tweet and sent me an autographed copy of his book. Then I was blessed to meet him, in person, at a conference. I consider him a mentor and a friend!  Meeting him was a defining moment for me because he gave a name to how I still believe teaching should be and how I strive to reach my students each day!

September 19, 1968

 

     This is my annual post to honor my father who was killed when his plane went down just three miles short of the runway in Ubon, Thailand. following a mission in an F-16 fighter jet over Vietnam.  I had just turned seven years old, when life, as I knew it, was turned upside down. 

     As I reflect on this day, I firmly believe that this traumatic event has shaped me into who I am today.  You see, in my seven year-old brain, my daddy died while I was at school, so if I went to school, my mommy would die, too.  I can vividly remember hiding under the dining room table, sobbing, and refusing to come out.

     Enter Maxine Moore and Louise Schuman.  Mrs. Moore was my second grade teacher and Mrs. Schuman was the counselor at Hawthorne Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska.  These two women were instrumental in getting me back into the school.  Mrs. Moore would meet me at the door, before school started, and let me come to the classroom before the rest of the class arrived. I would pass out morning work, draw pictures, or sharpen pencils. Oftentimes, Mrs. Schuman would be there, as well.  While I thought they were just hanging out, they were quietly helping me feel comfortable before the other students arrived.

     A year later, my mom remarried and we moved two hours from Lincoln, to the farm.  The farm was, and still is heaven!  My brother and I were also just a mile from our cousins. I had a horse and so many farm cats!!  However, my mom saw the importance in retaining that relationship with those who had helped me through my darkest time, so she kept our dentist in Lincoln.  She'd make our appointments for later in the day and afterwards, we'd always see Mrs. Moore.  

     Mrs. Moore even came to my high school graduation! When it was time for college, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher, like Mrs. Moore.  So, it was back to Lincoln for me, to attend the University of Nebraska.  Mrs. Moore continued to be there for me.  I would go to her home to study or talk about what I was learning and feed off of her experience.  If I didn't go back to the farm on the weekend, there was an open-door policy for Sunday dinner at Mrs. Moore's home.

     It is because of Mrs. Moore's strong influence that I teach the way I do.  I firmly believe in the coined educational phrase, "Maslow before Bloom," meaning that each child's physiological and social emotional needs must be met before any deep learning can happen. Her impact on my life was so great that I dedicated the book I wrote to her.

 

I Cried...

      This past week, I cried at school.  I cried because no child, at the ages of four to five years old, should have experienced the kind of pain that makes them lash out for reasons unknown to me.  What could have possibly happened in their short lives that causes them to destroy everything in their path? To become so upset that they aren't able to be consoled or helped to calm down?

     I cried for the the student who has had unspeakable things done to them by someone who should be keeping them safe, not doing something to them that would make your skin crawl. All I can do for this child is to provide a safe, loving environment. To listen when they feel like talking. To do everything in my power to let them know that nothing can hurt them when they are with me.

     I cried because of what preschool has become.  No longer is preschool about exposure to experiences that they have not been able to experience.  It's now about preparation for kindergarten.  It about arbitrary "learning loss."  If I hear that term again, I'm going to scream!

     What if teaching were about meeting kids where they are and engaging them to go further than ever thought possible.  What if we measured learning gains, instead of holding children accountable for some set of standards that some big curriculum publishing company decided they should know at a given age?  Our children are not machines!  They are special, unique individuals.

     The social-emotional needs of our children are higher than ever.  Last year,  I was incensed by the term "Covid kids."  The children in my classroom now haven't known anything else!  They have only known some form of social isolation. The Corona Virus hit my area of the United States in March of 2020.  The students that are currently in my class were only two years old at that time.  Their social/emotional needs are HUGE! Let's focus on that, shall we?  It's the only way to help our students be successful. e

     Let us be a voice for our children! Let us hear them, protect them, and love them for the unique, individual, truly amazing people that they are.  Each child!

     

Trying to Get My Groove Back

      This is it! The beginning of my fortieth year of teaching, most of which has been in the field of Early Childhood Education.  Yet another new school.  I am cautiously optimistic that this move will be a good one.

•      I am convinced that the train-wreck that was last year is the cause of me recently being diagnosed with high blood pressure.  There were things happening there that I had never experienced in my long career.  
• Cameras in the classroom.
• No custodian on site (we had to clean after meals, messes in the restrooms, vomit, used condoms off the playground...). 
• No meal prep person for a good part of the year, so my paras and I had to serve the meals. 
• Internet issues because our location was not "on the system," meaning that in order to fix anything on our district-issued laptops, IT had to take them to a building that was on the system. 
• Not having access to some of the online tools the school district was requiring me to use.  
• Being asked to do other things that were outside of anything ever written in a teaching contract, only to have  that documentation have no bearing whatsoever, so it was a complete waste of my time and energy. 
• Not having common teaching tools like pencil sharpeners, a cutting board, die cuts-things that would make life easier. 
• A bullet shot through a classroom window, after hours,  with that bullet being found on a child's desk.  No one from the district even came to see how staff members were doing after that incident. 
• And the assessing! I barely had time to teach, I was so busy assessing!  Good Lord!  They're three and four years old! Let them play! Let them be little!  Kids are more than just a data point of one moment in time.  I understand the need for assessing. I do! That being said, I don't think it's fair to assess them on something I haven't had time to teach because I'm so busy assessing.  It's a vicious circle!

     I understand that it sounds like I'm complaining, and maybe I am. However, in all of my years of teaching, I have never experienced anything close to what last school year was.  The saving grace was most definitely the students and their families!  I was told that there was a particular adult family member that I would never get through to.  At our end of the school year home visit, we were hugging a crying.  This goes back to the mountain I choose to die on: Teaching is all about relationships and family engagement!

     This school year already feels like  a breath of fresh air.  I'm in the same district, but now building: Ross Signature Music Elementary School.  Did you hear me say "Music?"  Yay! At our staff development meeting, before school started, there was talk about an all-school musical!  Say what?!? 

     My para basically taught the class last year due to a revolving door of guest teachers, so she has been tremendous help!  The team of preschool teachers and their paras are passionate about little people and love to have fun!  What?!?  Fun while teaching?!?!  The building is HUGE!  There are 500+ students, grades PreK-5th. The thought process about this large school is two schools within a school.  That means an assistant principal and support staff for grades Prek-2nd and the same for 3rd through 5th grade.  It's genius!

     I no longer have a class of three and four year-olds, only four year-olds. The students are all developmentally in the same ballpark. Many of them have had previous preschool experience. They know how to sit and listen to a story.  I know it's only been two days, but I am hopeful.  We had an amazing turnout at Back-to-School Night. I think that our principal was impressed!  The home visits, before school started, helped to begin fostering positive family relationships. It is my prayer that I am able to get my groove back and have an amazing year!

Love Hard

      When you truly have a near-death experience it makes you realize how important the people you love are! A week ago, we went to see Jacque, Michale, and Phiona in San Antonio.  It was so great to see them, in person and spend some much-needed quality time with them.  One of the things they wanted to share with us was a float trip down the Guadalupe River, north of San Antonio.  It's one of their favorite things to do, so naturally, we were game!

     The water was not deep at all!  Most of the time it was barely over our hips. Jacque and Michaeel acrually spent much of the time dragging us!  It was a beautiful day!!  In one very small area (two feet wide by five feet long) there was just a bit of white water.  There was a guy standing at the top of this area, holding onto three tubes, like he was waiting for someone to catch up to him.  Anyway, my tube hit one of his and flipped.  I could touch, but couldn't get my footing due to the pressure of the water and the tubes on top of my head.  It was so scary.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I thought I was going to die!  At the last second, I was able to get my head above the water, though under a capsized tube, giving me a pocket of air.

     So other people helped me to the shore, where I was bent over, gasping for air.  I looked upstream, to see where Chuck was and he was sitting on a boulder by the fast water.  I found out later, that he thought he hit his chest where his pacemaker.defibrillator is, however, there was no bruising.  We later figured out that his heart rate went up while he was trying to rescue me and his device shocked him.  Almost a double whammy!

     After we got out of the river, I had him put his Smart Watch on and check is pulse and blood pressure and both were back to normal.  Praise God!

     All this to say that life is precious and you never know when it can be taken from you. So love hard and tell those that you love how important they are to you!

Brave Space

     These images have been sitting on my desktop for awhile now, I have been trying to find the words in the hope that sharing my story will help others.

     Every life has a purpose, a meaning.  Sometimes the things you go through, the things that are meant to break you, only serve to make you stronger.  When this is the case, you should share your story so that it may help others.

     Trauma: Losing my father, shortly after my 7th birthday, when his plane went down during the Vietnam War.  I am grateful to my second grade teacher every single day for helping this very sad and very scared little girl. She is why I became a teacher.  Many of my followers know this story. When I wrote my book about the importance of family engagement in a child's educational process, I dedicated it to her.

     Abuse: A near rape in college. There is no doubt in my mind that it would have been had the police not been on my dorm floor and I threatened to scream.  His football career wold have been over.

     Spousal abuse:  Cheating, cheating, and more cheating. I did leave? Three different times. The first time, he cancelled my credit cards and access to our joint account.  I took my next paycheck and opened my own account.  The next time he punched me so hard that the bruising went from my bicep and into my breast.  The last time, I came home from a trip to see my brother and found sparkling panty hose in the guest bed, that didn't belong to me.    Long story, short: For my I did leave, for good. 

     Medical anxiety: During my baseline colonscopy, the doctor found "encapsulated cancerous cells."  The big "C" word is scary!  Three years of colonoscopies every six months is scary.  I am now on the five-year plan, praise the Lord.

     Borderline diabetic.  Nope. Not having that.  Got rid of it with diet and exercise. Yay, me!

     

     Triggers: ALL.THE.TIME.  Words, phrases, dates in history.  All of these can trigger emotions, either about my father or the ex.  It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing. Triggers can be smells, music, sights, and words. 

     I share this only to say, if you need someone to listen to, if you need help getting out of a toxic place, I am hope that my story can help you.  I am here. I see you. I hear you.

     I have been so many women and I am a survivor!  

 

Thoughts Are My Own

 

     The attached image was sent to me, privately, by a dear friend of mine.  This friend wondered whether or not I felt this was a true statement.  Here are my thoughts. They are based on many years of classroom experience.

     What I said was this, "Not the grooming and sexual chaos part.  We are expected to parent students when all their parents do is hand them a screen.  Parents don't TALK to their kids.  They don't have screen-free dinner times. Kids don't know how to physically play."  Allow me to expand.

     Kids eat three meals a day at school (breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack), to make sure they are getting healthy foods.  This leaves families needing only to provide one meal a day. It used to be that the only meal kids got at school was lunch.

     With more and more focus on the mental health needs of our students, classrooms are also becoming the place where kids learn the correct way to handle their strong emotions.  In my classroom, the motto is: "Never hurt anyone one the inside or the outside."  That's pretty all-encompassing.  My kids are little, so we talk about ways to be hurt that you can't see on the outside, but that hurt you on the inside, like the ever present, "I'm not going to be your friend!" or "You can't play with us." and how that makes us feel.  You can't see it on the outside, but it sure hurt us on the inside. Many children are not taught how to care about others before coming to school.  When talking to one parent about some behavior issues his child had, he said to me, "You should be glad you didn't have me in school. I was way worse."  You're missing the point. We need to work together so that these behavior problems don't continue. 

     We teach children how to self-regulate; what to do if you're mad, sad, glad, or afraid.  If you're mad, you can't slug someone at school.  If you're sad, we help our kids learn to express why they are sad and how we can help them fix that.  Sometimes we can't and our kids just need a hug or someone to listen.  Afraid? Oh, baby! The things these kids are growing up around. It would scare me and I'm an adult!  Kids talking about It and Pennywise. Seriously? Those are R-rated movies for a reason.  Kids don't have the ability, yet, to understand the difference between movies and real life.  The same is true for video games. There are plenty out there that are age-appropriate for kids.  Call of Duty and Grand Theft auto are not two of them.

     Today's students are coming to their classrooms with fewer and fewer social skills.  Lots of this was brought on by the pandemic, sure.  However, there is also a fundamental breakdown in some homes.  In most homes, mine included, there is a crazy addiction to screen time.  I know I've blogged about this before.  Kids get cranky in the grocery store? Hand them a device.  Kids are being loud when you're trying to have an adult conversation? Hand them a screen.  Screen time has become a babysitter for kids.  It has taken the place of face-to-face conversations.  Kids don't know how to have conversations anymore, much less how to disagree appropriately. That training should begin in the home.  In most cases it does.  However, there are many cases where it does not.

     The rise in inattentive behaviors?  Screen time.  Lack of meaningful conversations in the home. Kids want the instant gratification that screen time gives.  When I was assessing kids (which happens to be on a device) kids were clicking all over the place, rather than waiting to hear the instructions.  They want a response and they want it NOW!  Kids don't know how to wait and take turns.

     Home visits?  "Here. Play on my phone while I talk to your teacher." What?  No!  Involve the child in the conversation!  This is a team effort!

     This is in no way meant to be a put-down of families. They are doing everything they can to just keep their heads above water.  I get that,  This is why schools are so important! We are working in tandem with the families to ensure that each child in our classroom is working to his.her full potential.  Ask any of my previous families.  We work together.  Sometimes the conversations we have are not easy for either of us. That being said, if all we want is what's best for kids, then sometimes we need to have those conversations.  Is the role of education changing? Constantly! But to have someone come out and say that schools are failing? I challenge any of you to come and spend a week in my classroom!  Not an hour or a day. You won't get a true feeling for the nature of the classroom. You need a big picture of the daily struggles and triumphs that teachers deal with each and every single day. Don't you dare say we are failing our students! We do the best we know how. And when we learn a better way, we do better.  Why? For the kids.  It's always about the kids.

     

Conflicted

 Thurston High School.

Columbine High School.

Heritage High School.

Deming Middle School.

Fort Gibson Middle School.

Buell Elementary School.

Lake Worth Middle School.

University of Arkansas.

Junipero Serra High School.

Santana High School.

Bishop Neumann High School.

Pacific Lutheran University.

Granite Hills High School.

Lew Wallace High School.

Martin Luther King, Jr. High School.

Appalachian School of Law.

Washington High School.

Conception Abbey.

Benjamin Tasker Middle School.

University of Arizona.

Lincoln High School.

John McDonogh High School.

Red Lion Area Junior High School.

Case Western Reserve University.

Rocori High School.

Ballou High School.

Randallstown High School.

Bowen High School.

Red Lake Senior High School.

Harlan Community Academy High School.

Campbell County High School.

Milwee Middle School.

Roseburg High School.

Pine Middle School.

Essex Elementary School.

Duquesne University.

Platte Canyon High School.

Weston High School.

West Nickel Mines School.

Joplin Memorial Middle School.

Henry Foss High School.

Compton Centennial High School.

Virginia Tech.

Success Tech Academy.

Miami Carol City Senior High School.

Hamilton High School.

Louisiana Technical College.

Mitchell High School.

E.O. Green Junior High School.

Northern Illinois University.

Lakota Middle School.

Knoxville Central High School.

Willoughby South High School.

Henry Ford High School.

University of Central Arkansas.

Dillard High School.

Dunbar High School.

Hampton University.

Harvard College.

Larose-Cut Off Middle School.

International Studies Academy.

Skyline College.

Discovery Middle School.

University of Alabama.

DeKalb School.

Deer Creek Middle School.

Ohio State University.

Mumford High School.

University of Texas.

Kelly Elementary School.

Marinette High School.

Aurora Central High School.

Millard South High School.

Martinsville West Middle School.

Worthing High School.

Millard South High School.

Highlands Intermediate School.

Cape Fear High School.

Chardon High School.

Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

Oikos University.

Hamilton High School.

Perry Hall School.

Normal Community High School.

University of South Alabama.

Banner Academy South.

University of Southern California.

Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Apostolic Revival Center Christian School.

Taft Union High School.

Osborn High School.

Stevens Institute of Business and Arts.

Hazard Community and Technical College.

Chicago State University.

Lone Star College-North.

Cesar Chavez High School.

Price Middle School.

University of Central Florida.

New River Community College.

Grambling State University.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School.

Ronald E. McNair Discovery Academy.

North Panola High School.

Carver High School.

Agape Christian Academy.

Sparks Middle School.

North Carolina A&T State University.

Stephenson High School.

Brashear High School.

West Orange High School.

Arapahoe High School.

Edison High School.

Liberty Technology Magnet High School.

Hillhouse High School.

Berrendo Middle School.

Purdue University.

South Carolina State University.

Los Angeles Valley College.

Charles F. Brush High School.

University of Southern California.

Georgia Regents University.

Academy of Knowledge Preschool.

Benjamin Banneker High School.

D. H. Conley High School.

East English Village Preparatory Academy.

Paine College.

Georgia Gwinnett College.

John F. Kennedy High School.

Seattle Pacific University.

Reynolds High School.

Indiana State University.

Albemarle High School.

Fern Creek Traditional High School.

Langston Hughes High School.

Marysville Pilchuck High School.

Florida State University.

Miami Carol City High School.

Rogers State University.

Rosemary Anderson High School.

Wisconsin Lutheran High School.

Frederick High School.

Tenaya Middle School.

Bethune-Cookman University.

Pershing Elementary School.

Wayne Community College.

J.B. Martin Middle School.

Southwestern Classical Academy.

Savannah State University.

Harrisburg High School.

Umpqua Community College.

Northern Arizona University.

Texas Southern University.

Tennessee State University.

Winston-Salem State University.

Mojave High School.

Lawrence Central High School.

Franklin High School.

Muskegon Heights High School.

Independence High School.

Madison High School.

Antigo High School.

University of California-Los Angeles.

Jeremiah Burke High School.

Alpine High School.

Townville Elementary School.

Vigor High School.

Linden McKinley STEM Academy.

June Jordan High School for Equity.

Union Middle School.

Mueller Park Junior High School.

West Liberty-Salem High School.

University of Washington.

King City High School.

North Park Elementary School.

North Lake College.

Freeman High School.

Mattoon High School.

Rancho Tehama Elementary School.

Aztec High School.

Wake Forest University.

Italy High School.

NET Charter High School.

Marshall County High School.

Sal Castro Middle School.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Great Mills High School.

Central Michigan University.

Huffman High School.

Frederick Douglass High School.

Forest High School.

Highland High School.

Dixon High School.

Santa Fe High School.

Noblesville West Middle School.

University of North Carolina Charlotte.

STEM School Highlands Ranch.

Edgewood High School.

Palm Beach Central High School.

Providence Career & Technical Academy.

Fairley High School (school bus).

Canyon Springs High School.

Dennis Intermediate School.

Florida International University.

Central Elementary School.

Cascade Middle School.

Davidson High School.

Prairie View A & M University.

Altascocita High School.

Central Academy of Excellence.

Cleveland High School.

Robert E. Lee High School.

Cheyenne South High School.

Grambling State University.

Blountsville Elementary School.

Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus).

Prescott High School.

College of the Mainland.

Wynbrooke Elementary School.

UNC Charlotte.

Riverview Florida (school bus).

Second Chance High School.

Carman-Ainsworth High School.

Williwaw Elementary School.

Monroe Clark Middle School.

Central Catholic High School.

Jeanette High School.

Eastern Hills High School.

DeAnza High School.

Ridgway High School.

Reginald F. Lewis High School.

Saugus High School.

Pleasantville High School.

Waukesha South High School.

Oshkosh High School.

Catholic Academy of New Haven.

Bellaire High School.

North Crowley High School.

McAuliffe Elementary School.

South Oak Cliff High School.

Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Sonora High School.

Western Illinois University.

Oxford High School.

Robb Elementary School…

This is a list of 245 school shootings dating back to May of 1998. 245!

This should bother us. It *should* have bothered us twenty-four years ago. Twenty four years. How many young, innocent lives must be lost before a sustainable, permanent change is made to protect our greatest natural resource--our children?

What is the answer? I don't know, but we, as a nation, need to do better. We've needed to do better for a long time! There is technology out there that can detect weaponry on a person entering any facility and alert police before the perpetrator can even step foot into that building. How many schools have those? I bet we'd all be shocked at how few schools have this.

Following the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 (10 years ago), a campaign was started, called "See Something. Say Something." The statistics on this website say that four out of five school shooters told someone of their plans before committing these horrific acts of violence. This is a program available to all schools at no cost..You read that right. NO COST! How many of our schools have this? https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something/ The Department of Homeland Security has a campaign, as well: https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something. Yet hundreds of schools have not taken advantage of any of these precautionary measures in place.

It's time for teachers to take a stand. For the families of our children to take a stand. When you go to the polls to vote in the primary elections later this summer, check to see where your candidates stand on gun control and school safety. Write to your state's representatives. This has got to stop!

This image should make you sick to your stomach!

Should we arm teachers? I have my Conceal and Carry license. Would I carry into my preschool classroom? I'm conflicted. Would I protect my students with all that I have in me? Absolutely! Without question!! My biggest fear, if I were allowed to Conceal and Carry at school, would be that one of my students would somehow get ahold of my gun. That's a whole different conversation, then. One I'm not ready to have. So, for now, we will continue to practice our school intruder drills, with the rest of our location and on our own, as a classroom. My kids will be prepared. My question is, will it be enough? We cannot continue to be numb to this. It needs to stop! It needed to stop a long time ago....