[Critique Group 1] Marcia's March submission Teaching Tolerance 1070 words

[Marcia Wick]

Pasted below and attached.

 

Teaching Tolerance

Marcia J. Wick, the Write Sisters

March 2018

Word Count:  1070

 

 

 

The idea of arming teachers and staff with guns in schools causes me to
break out in a cold sweat. Having worked in public education for 15 years
and being a parent myself, I am compelled to weigh in on the debate. For six
years, I worked at an alternative school for expelled students; for three
years, I wiped runny noses at an elementary school; and for seven years, I
managed the mayhem in the main office of a large urban high school. I worked
with students who had been expelled from the regular public schools for
offenses ranging from marijuana to murder. I de-escalated boys a foot taller
than me with purple hair and rings in their noses. Never once did I feel
threatened by a student, although I had a hiding place picked out if a
threat came into the building from outside.  

 

The pace at a large urban high school is relentless. Office phones begin
ringing at least one hour before the opening bell for students. Throughout
the day, bells continue to clang, marking the beginning and end of each
period; a longer tone warns against tardiness. Teachers usher students along
during passing time, while support personnel try to keep the halls clear and
quiet during class time. However, when you pack 2000 hot-headed teenagers
into one building with 200 adults for eight hours a day, stuff happens.
Medical emergencies, sports injuries, fights, drug and alcohol reactions,
and mental health events are common. Students with epilepsy, diabetes,
learning disabilities, and mood disorders collapse, cry, and scream for
attention. During the course of a typical school day, office personnel make
dozens of radio calls for security, and often dial 911 to summons
ambulances, the fire department, or police in the event of an alarm.   

 

Disturbances also come from outside; our school was often directed to lock
down when there was police activity in the downtown vicinity.  Incident
after incident, morning to afternoon, Monday through Friday, August through
May - most days my job was frenetic. Interruptions were the norm. "It's just
the normal chaos in here," I used to say, quoting a random lyric from a lost
song.  The staff joked amongst ourselves that to utter the word "quiet" only
served to jinx the rare moment. 

 

To help keep control, we had an armed police officer in our building, and
five rather burly and intimidating security guards (teddy bears in disguise)
posted at the entrances, patrolling the halls, and walking the grounds. Each
carried a radio so that in an instant we could summons security or an
administrator to the main office or to wherever they might be required. Each
classroom was equipped with a "panic" button which teachers or students
could press to summons assistance. A call could come into the office
reporting that a child had fainted or that a defiant student needed to be
escorted out of class. Security, support staff, administrators, or police
responded to each and every call so that the teachers could resume the
important job of teaching as soon as the distraction was removed. 

 

The "frequent flyers" in the principal's office struggled with substance
abuse, chronic medical conditions, anger management, or mental health
disorders. 

 

The claim that guns in schools would calm the chaos is ludicrous. Teachers
and staff are trained to model appropriate behavior when students are
escalated. We practiced non-violent Crisis prevention and intervention. We
used calm voices, non-critical language, restorative justice techniques, and
peer coaching to find common ground. We called in social workers,
psychiatrists, and other health care experts to work individually with
students requiring higher levels of support. We did our best to adjust their
attitude, check their temperature, fill their belly, talk them down (or up),
wipe their nose, or call their mom. We were not threatening or judging or
punishing. We provided a haven, allowing them to sit on a bench until they
could regain their composure. When ready, students were sent back to class
to resume the ever-important job of learning. 

 

While about 10 percent of the students were troubled or challenged, that
left 90 percent of the kids firmly seated in class, keeping out of trouble,
earning a bright future. All day every day, teachers, like guardian angels,
open their arms and hearts and wallets to help nurture our children. They
soar above and beyond their traditional teaching duties. They intervene
one-on-one as students struggle with cognitive disabilities, physical
impairments, language barriers, or teenage angst. They counsel children
whose stomachs are empty, whose homes are cold, whose parents are absent,
and whose futures feel dark. Schools offer refuge, and often the only chance
for a child to eat a warm meal. Schools provide a safe zone, a time out from
the danger and neglect that many young people face on the streets - or even
in their own homes. Children seek structure, camaraderie, and a chance to do
it differently than fate prescribed. Young people seek dignity and
acknowledgement, compassion and latitude. Adolescents need a safe place to
flex their muscles and try out their wings. 

 

When you add guns to the educational equation, you welcome the death angel
into the classroom. Guns in schools would only escalate the risk of harm
during explosive situations. Students and staff won't feel safer if teachers
pack heat instead of pencils, or coaches carry handguns instead of stop
watches. Armed staff would appear in an adversarial relationship to the
young people they are there to nurture and protect. In fact, some students
(and parents) could be tempted to bring concealed guns to school themselves
to offset the perceived threat in the building. 

 

Now that I have praised teachers and school staff, I will add a caution.
Even the best of us can become slightly unbalanced ourselves on a bad day.
We all have stressors at home and work. We all cope with financial
pressures, illness, divorce, prejudices, or family conflicts. Under
pressure, any one of us could "go off" at any moment. It could be too easy
for an adult to pull the trigger upon hearing an outburst in class, but
outbursts are common everyday occurrences in schools. What is needed is
clear thinking, measured responses, time for deep breathing and reflection.
Stop the guns at the door. Arm the highly-trained professionals who are
hired, screened, and monitored to police the public. Pay teachers what they
deserve for performing life-saving miracles in our schools every day. 

 

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