This post isn’t this week’s usual early week update. I was too busy enjoying President’s Day with my kids to write that. But I saw this, written by an MNPS teacher, and I felt it deserved wider recognition. So I’m sharing to a wider audience. I didn’t ask permission. So I hope they’ll grant forgiveness where I failed to secure permission.
This morning, we listened to a 911 call from a teacher at Columbine. She was terrified. Her students were under the library tables and she could hear the shooter outside the door. The dispatcher asked her to lock the doors, but she was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t bring herself to get that close to the shooter, knowing she had babies of her own at home.
We found out later that 10 of the 12 deaths that day occurred in that library.
Would I be brave enough to face a shooter and lock the door? Could I make the best decision at the drop of a hat for the safety of my students? I’d like to say I would, but who knows.
Society loves to hate teachers. All you have to do is read a few Facebook comments to see it. But in an active shooter situation, teachers are expected to be heroes; to give their lives for their students.
I don’t know what to think. At what point is it too much? Is it the 8,000 hours of overtime for no pay? The daily abuse we receive from people over the phone, email, or car rider line? The expectation to use our bodies to shield students from gunfire?
This job is TOO. MUCH.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a regularly schedule post.
Categories: Uncategorized
Dad Gone Wild 
I am not sure if I can comment on this but I am a Substitute in your schools. A Teacher who came here and not unfamiliar with lock downs, violence in schools, Title IX and other issues that your district is facing. However, I have never been treated with such disrespect, dismissal and irrelevance as I have since entering your schools. And that is by the Adults whom the children model quite well. I have no keys to even use your restrooms let alone secure doors. I have children who will not listen to me or treat me with a modicum of respect and dignity so how I am to get them to comply in an urgent situation is unclear. Then we have a multitude of schools that a mini mall is smaller and each with their own protocol and system. When or how am I to learn what that is? I have never received a response from the head of Substitute services from an email sent over a month ago. So please tell me that for subs who work both for MNPS and the outsourcing agency ESS how we are to be trained? Oh wait that would require them to pay us. Gee over 500 subs are in schools on a given day. Think about their role in securing students safety. Safe seems to be a noun, verb and adjective here and I see Police in every school.
Funny I have barricaded myself in classrooms at lunch as I am afraid or been locked in rooms with students for reasons unclear. I have been in rooms where phones don’t work, have no windows with students who exhibit violent behavior, I was verbally abused and swarmed by a cluster of students as their Teacher ignored me and simply ordered them back to their seats. I have had kids threaten me, watched them throw chairs and assault Teaches in elementary school and been robbed by students when trying to open doors, fix computers or just maintain order.
As I have nowhere to secure my belongings as I am often forced to run down long halls up stairs and across campuses to cover a multitude of classes, all while toting coats and purses. I have been put in rooms and classes that I did not sign up for, not prepared for nor want to do but I have to. I have walked down halls and looked in rooms where chaos ensued in room after room. I was put in a room with cats, I sat and shredded paper after paper into a failing shredder and offered to buy one as the school only had one.. All while the Teacher watched me and her daughter sat there and was told that I was lucky that I had a job they could do so I could get paid.
I have walked up to Secretary’s and said I did not sign up for this and would like to leave only to be reprimanded as if I am ungrateful and have the audacity to want to leave. I have been told by Administrators that I don’t understand the children here all from a school that this year alone has had its share of violence that ending in death. I have seen subs walk out in fear and I remain. And I ask myself why. I was asked recently by someone if I am afraid going into your schools and my response was yes. And I have been through many lockdowns, legit or otherwise and felt obligated to do my job and do the right thing. I don’t think I can here. There has to be reciprocity and I have never had that extended to me here. Yes I am an “outsider” but I come with the best of intentions and yet I am the one you seem to fear. Irony much?