Teaching While Afraid

[Dr. Who]

"Educators across the country field incidents of school violence day in and day out. The exact number of school shootings in the U.S. is a point of contention, but since 2014 there have been five school shootings on average per month, as well as countless other incidents of school violence of all sorts. For teachers, school violence imposes tough demands—not only that they may have to put their lives on the line should a shooting happen in their school, but the more quotidian reality of providing emotional support for children who are terrified of the prospect of such a thing occurring.

~ snip

To say the least, it’s not what they thought they were signing up for. “When going through college to become a teacher, even after the Heath High School shooting in Paducah, it never crossed my mind that I would need or ever receive active-shooter training,” said a Kentucky teacher, Staci Clark Hughes. “I never thought I would have to worry about turning a broom handle into a weapon of defense or how to lock my classroom door within seconds. I never thought I would need to know what a discharged weapon sounded like in a school hallway.… We did not go to college for this.”

~ snip

The concerns on teachers’ minds go well beyond the specific physical risk of school shootings. Many teachers are thinking about the need for social and emotional learning and mental-health supports in schools; the need for more kindness, empathy, and dialogue within classrooms and outside them; and how family dynamics affect young people. They’re frustrated with standardized testing and its impact on the time and energy teachers could be putting into addressing these other student needs, and with the lack of training of all kinds—active-shooter training, but also mental-health training—for the country’s teachers. They’re concerned about the lack of time, follow-through, and communication on the part of counselors and other school personnel when violent incidents do occur.

~ snip

Some teachers wondered about their ability to protect students, and—heartbreakingly—some wondered if they have students in their classes from whom they and the rest of their students might have to be protected. Many teachers were skeptical of the idea of arming teachers, the solution that’s most quickly making headlines and even reaching legislative chambers in states such as Maryland and Kentucky. Instead, many conversations amongst teachers on social media focused on what teachers saw as longer-term solutions, such as finding ways to increase mental-health support and for more expansive safety training in schools. Some teachers recommended more metal detectors or trained armed guards, rather than armed teachers. Teachers also seemed concerned about the question of which teachers should be armed and which should not—who would decide? And if teachers are focused on the gun in their room that they might someday have to use, will they lose track of their main purpose—teaching? Many already feel overwhelmed with the emotional burden they are being asked to carry; adding a weapon to this load feels unthinkable to some. But there are those teachers who said they would protect their students no matter what, and some argue that carrying a weapon would enable them to better do this.

The new reality of choosing to become a teacher is that one can die while teaching children. This is not a reality that most teachers think about when they walk into their first classrooms—or their thirtieth"
https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...afraid/553931/

The reality is that teaching in today's schools is a rather different animal than the job envisioned by those who originally made that career choice and what most adults think of when they think of teaching as a profession.

How many more non-teaching burdens should be heaped on teachers and ultimately, knowing what is entailed and the risk factors, how many people will continue to choose teaching as a profession, assuming nothing really changes and these issues are only addressed simplistically with quick fixes that ignore the underlying factors?

[Dr. Who]

@‎IMPress Polly, as our resident teacher, I would love to hear your views on this topic.

[Captdon]

If they can't handle it they should quit. Teachers aren't special. A person who works a job they can't handle is either desperate or stupid.

[Common]

"Educators across the country field incidents of school violence day in and day out. The exact number of school shootings in the U.S. is a point of contention, but since 2014 there have been five school shootings on average per month, as well as countless other incidents of school violence of all sorts. For teachers, school violence imposes tough demands—not only that they may have to put their lives on the line should a shooting happen in their school, but the more quotidian reality of providing emotional support for children who are terrified of the prospect of such a thing occurring.

~ snip

To say the least, it’s not what they thought they were signing up for. “When going through college to become a teacher, even after the Heath High School shooting in Paducah, it never crossed my mind that I would need or ever receive active-shooter training,” said a Kentucky teacher, Staci Clark Hughes. “I never thought I would have to worry about turning a broom handle into a weapon of defense or how to lock my classroom door within seconds. I never thought I would need to know what a discharged weapon sounded like in a school hallway.… We did not go to college for this.”

~ snip

The concerns on teachers’ minds go well beyond the specific physical risk of school shootings. Many teachers are thinking about the need for social and emotional learning and mental-health supports in schools; the need for more kindness, empathy, and dialogue within classrooms and outside them; and how family dynamics affect young people. They’re frustrated with standardized testing and its impact on the time and energy teachers could be putting into addressing these other student needs, and with the lack of training of all kinds—active-shooter training, but also mental-health training—for the country’s teachers. They’re concerned about the lack of time, follow-through, and communication on the part of counselors and other school personnel when violent incidents do occur.

~ snip

Some teachers wondered about their ability to protect students, and—heartbreakingly—some wondered if they have students in their classes from whom they and the rest of their students might have to be protected. Many teachers were skeptical of the idea of arming teachers, the solution that’s most quickly making headlines and even reaching legislative chambers in states such as Maryland and Kentucky. Instead, many conversations amongst teachers on social media focused on what teachers saw as longer-term solutions, such as finding ways to increase mental-health support and for more expansive safety training in schools. Some teachers recommended more metal detectors or trained armed guards, rather than armed teachers. Teachers also seemed concerned about the question of which teachers should be armed and which should not—who would decide? And if teachers are focused on the gun in their room that they might someday have to use, will they lose track of their main purpose—teaching? Many already feel overwhelmed with the emotional burden they are being asked to carry; adding a weapon to this load feels unthinkable to some. But there are those teachers who said they would protect their students no matter what, and some argue that carrying a weapon would enable them to better do this.

The new reality of choosing to become a teacher is that one can die while teaching children. This is not a reality that most teachers think about when they walk into their first classrooms—or their thirtieth"
https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...afraid/553931/

The reality is that teaching in today's schools is a rather different animal than the job envisioned by those who originally made that career choice and what most adults think of when they think of teaching as a profession.

How many more non-teaching burdens should be heaped on teachers and ultimately, knowing what is entailed and the risk factors, how many people will continue to choose teaching as a profession, assuming nothing really changes and these issues are only addressed simplistically with quick fixes that ignore the underlying factors?

Along with those statistics, my daughters hs which has paid security averages 11 violent altercations, PER DAY thats handled by teachers and security. That number is far lower than when there was no security.

Teachers are being assaulted across the country and having to be security guards as well as teachers. There isnt one downside to having paid trained security in schools, except the cost.

[Dr. Who]

Along with those statistics, my daughters hs which has paid security averages 11 violent altercations, PER DAY thats handled by teachers and security. That number is far lower than when there was no security.

Teachers are being assaulted across the country and having to be security guards as well as teachers. There isnt one downside to having paid trained security in schools, except the cost.

The extremists in this debate are as bad as each other. The all or nothing and penny wise, pound foolish approach just turns both kids and teachers into political sacrificial lambs on the altar of partisanship and "constitutionalism".

[Common]

The extremists in this debate are as bad as each other. The all or nothing and penny wise, pound foolish approach just turns both kids and teachers into political sacrificial lambs on the altar of partisanship and "constitutionalism".

The proof of that is the dozens of dead kids since columbine almost 20 yrs ago and still nothing has been done.

This needs to be fixed and gun control will NOT fix it.

[Chris]

"Educators across the country field incidents of school violence day in and day out. The exact number of school shootings in the U.S. is a point of contention, but since 2014 there have been five school shootings on average per month, as well as countless other incidents of school violence of all sorts. For teachers, school violence imposes tough demands—not only that they may have to put their lives on the line should a shooting happen in their school, but the more quotidian reality of providing emotional support for children who are terrified of the prospect of such a thing occurring.

~ snip

To say the least, it’s not what they thought they were signing up for. “When going through college to become a teacher, even after the Heath High School shooting in Paducah, it never crossed my mind that I would need or ever receive active-shooter training,” said a Kentucky teacher, Staci Clark Hughes. “I never thought I would have to worry about turning a broom handle into a weapon of defense or how to lock my classroom door within seconds. I never thought I would need to know what a discharged weapon sounded like in a school hallway.… We did not go to college for this.”

~ snip

The concerns on teachers’ minds go well beyond the specific physical risk of school shootings. Many teachers are thinking about the need for social and emotional learning and mental-health supports in schools; the need for more kindness, empathy, and dialogue within classrooms and outside them; and how family dynamics affect young people. They’re frustrated with standardized testing and its impact on the time and energy teachers could be putting into addressing these other student needs, and with the lack of training of all kinds—active-shooter training, but also mental-health training—for the country’s teachers. They’re concerned about the lack of time, follow-through, and communication on the part of counselors and other school personnel when violent incidents do occur.

~ snip

Some teachers wondered about their ability to protect students, and—heartbreakingly—some wondered if they have students in their classes from whom they and the rest of their students might have to be protected. Many teachers were skeptical of the idea of arming teachers, the solution that’s most quickly making headlines and even reaching legislative chambers in states such as Maryland and Kentucky. Instead, many conversations amongst teachers on social media focused on what teachers saw as longer-term solutions, such as finding ways to increase mental-health support and for more expansive safety training in schools. Some teachers recommended more metal detectors or trained armed guards, rather than armed teachers. Teachers also seemed concerned about the question of which teachers should be armed and which should not—who would decide? And if teachers are focused on the gun in their room that they might someday have to use, will they lose track of their main purpose—teaching? Many already feel overwhelmed with the emotional burden they are being asked to carry; adding a weapon to this load feels unthinkable to some. But there are those teachers who said they would protect their students no matter what, and some argue that carrying a weapon would enable them to better do this.

The new reality of choosing to become a teacher is that one can die while teaching children. This is not a reality that most teachers think about when they walk into their first classrooms—or their thirtieth"
https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...afraid/553931/

The reality is that teaching in today's schools is a rather different animal than the job envisioned by those who originally made that career choice and what most adults think of when they think of teaching as a profession.

How many more non-teaching burdens should be heaped on teachers and ultimately, knowing what is entailed and the risk factors, how many people will continue to choose teaching as a profession, assuming nothing really changes and these issues are only addressed simplistically with quick fixes that ignore the underlying factors?

Those hazards exist already.

Let teachers choose if they want to arm to protect themselves and students.

Yea, I know, choice is a bad thing, it should be decided for you.

[Chris]

The extremists in this debate are as bad as each other. The all or nothing and penny wise, pound foolish approach just turns both kids and teachers into political sacrificial lambs on the altar of partisanship and "constitutionalism".

Nice platitudes. Also nice false dichotomy, pitting your extremism against an imagined one.

[Peter1469]

Schools are safer than they were in the 90s, and school shootings are not more common than they used to be, researchers say

Lots of data at the link.

[Chris]

Schools are safer than they were in the 90s, and school shootings are not more common than they used to be, researchers say

Lots of data at the link.

Read that earlier and indeed things are not getting worse, school shootings are in decline.

Armed school police, teachers, trained students even…