Now that a few days time have gone by since the Sandy Hook attacks, I have had some time to digest my thoughts and others reactions. As an educator, I am aware that my school could be next. It's a reality of life and we are aware and practice as best as one can for armed intruders.
I'll start with the gun control discussions. In this situation, I'm not sure how the intruder acquired the guns or what the gun laws say in Connecticut. I honestly don't know whether or not lives would have been saved if those within the building were carrying. I have noticed a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking comments which are annoying since I don't think there is any one solution. The other side is stricter regulation of sales and carrying laws. If someone has a documented mental illness, it is not outside of the realm of logic to perhaps take a second look at this particular persons background thus questioning whether or not they are fit to carry. On the other hand, will this truly prevent someone to access? Probably not but I like the documentation part of it.
Morgan Freeman's reaction to the attacks was to ignore the intruder and focus on the victims. I appreciate the truth that intruders are always household names but victims typically are not. I have noticed an effort by those close to the deceased to promote there lives and give us a face and story to a name through facebook and other social media. I'm hoping this will create a new norm.
Another popular blog from a mother of a teenage boy with diagnosed mental illness shared several stories of what she and her family deal with on a daily basis living with a child with mental illness. She mentions threats with knives to her and his siblings and trips to the ER due to suicide threats. In each situation she feels as though she is not supported and there is currently no appropriate protocol or environment suitable for her son. As a mother of a child with a disability, I can empathize with her feeling of helplessness and how a disability of this sort can easily consume a family's resources both financially and monetarily. It sounds as though she is doing the very best she can with the cards that have been dealt and probably lives with constant worry and guilt about the affect her son may have on others and her own family. I agree that mental illness is a topic that needs to addressed in an honest way in this country and protocols and environments should continue to be developed and fine-tuned.
I can only imagine the horror the teachers felt for the their students and themselves. I know that every teacher out there feels a high level of responsibility towards their students and probably wants to protect them at all costs as though they are their own children. To those teachers and staff who survived the attack, I can only wonder what the future holds for them professionally and personally.
Then there are students who survived the attack and witnessed the violence first hand. How will this affect each student and how will the district and community respond?
I'll end this topic by saying I hope that each and every person affected by the attack is able to find peace in their lives.
James and I attended a family graduation party for my cousin who earned an associates degree. Without divulging to much information, he has been near the brink of death and has fought many demons in his soon to be 28 years. I was thrilled to see that his accomplishment was being acknowledged and excited to witness him propose to his girlfriend! The tables have turned for my cousin on his own accord and I couldn't be more proud of who he has become.
Finals week is upon us with which comes many loose ends to tie up before we leave for break. Time to get focused for the week ahead.
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