Schools Are Made For Learning And Not For Shootings. What Is Happening In America?
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Growing up, I enjoyed going to school because it was fun, and I saw my friends. Learning new things was the biggest part of my school experience. The environment was set up so that we could be social and get an education as well. I never recall getting up and saying that I did not want to go to school. The children in my Winston-Salem, North Carolina neighborhood had good attitudes about school. We did not balk or complain about it. Staying home from school was never an option except when we were sick. Communities viewed schools in a positive light, and that light was extremely bright. We, as students, wanted to be there, and our teachers wanted to be there, too.
In many respects, this attitude about schools has changed. Schools that have playgrounds now have become shooting grounds. What has happened to our schools where innocent minds go to gain knowledge and become solid citizens?
School shootings have become almost commonplace in the American landscape. Would-be assailants come with assault weapons, ready to do damage to our nation’s youngest citizens, our children. So how did killings and schools end up in the same sentence?
Not in my lifetime did I ever think that school shootings would be a topic of national conversation, yet they are. What is the mindset of someone who decides to go onto school property and take innocent lives? Unfortunately, there are too many answers to that question, all of which are sad and disheartening.
A few weeks ago, a school shooting occurred at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, Missouri. This tragedy claimed the lives of a teacher and a student.
The teacher was Jean Kuczka. Her daughter, Abbey Kuczka, said, “She loved her students. I know her students looked at her like she was their mom.”
According to reports, it took the police four minutes to arrive at the school and eight minutes to find the gunman. The shooter was a graduate of the school, and his name was Orlando Harris. He was 19.
Police Commissioner Michael Sack said, “Authorities are working to try and come up with what might have led him to this. There is suspicion there may be some mental illness that he was experiencing.” He added, “We are working on developing that information right now.”
The records show that Orlando Harris did not have a criminal record. However, he was heavily armed with a long gun and a dozen 30-round ammunition magazines.
Authorities confirmed that seven other teens were hurt during the attack.
David Williams, a math teacher, said, “Gunshots erupted shortly after 9 am central time, and everyone went into drill mode, turning off lights, locking doors, and huddling in corners so they couldn’t be seen.” Then, he added, “There was a bang on the door, and it shook. Someone was trying to open the door.”
Gun shootings on American soil have made us numb because they happen with frequency and without warning. Now, families in St. Louis are shell-shocked, and their grief is beyond our comprehension.
Each shooting in a school makes us more fretful and fearful. Students do not want to go to school because they do not know what will happen to them. Teachers are afraid and cannot teach because of it. They do not know if they will be next. That is a dreadful feeling to have each day.
The teaching profession is on a downward spiral because of these atrocities. As a result, parents are reluctant to send their children to school. (Wouldn’t you be?)
Education Week reports there have been 40 school shootings that have resulted in injuries or death this year. Sadly, they also reported that there have been 132 similar shootings since 2018.
America, this cannot continue to happen as our communities are being broken and battered.
