This post isn’t so
much about writing but about the kids we write for.
When I was a middle
grade aged kid, we didn’t have emergency drills for what to do if a dangerous
person was in the school. Even though my middle school was a bit of a rough
place, I didn’t walk around with the awareness that an adult might enter my
school and cause harm.
Presently, as a first-year,
fifth-grade teacher, I practiced our “sit tight” procedures with my class. (The
past 15 years I’ve been mostly teaching in a small alternative high school for
at risk students where we talked about all kinds of issues all the time.)
But man, my fifth
graders had all kinds of questions and “what if” scenarios exploding from their
minds when we did the drill:
“Mr. Greci, what if
someone breaks out the window and comes in?”
“Mr. Greci, what if
someone comes in though the door and we are sitting here? Then, what do we do?”
“Mr. Greci, what if
there is a moose in the hallway and it comes into our classroom?”
I realized what I
already knew: emergency plans are just that, only plans. And when they fail,
then you have to make a decision and act. I tried to communicate to my students
that I would do everything I could to keep them safe and that it would be very
important for them to follow my directions during an emergency even if what I
told them to do was not what we had practiced.
I also realized that
these kids do walk around with the
awareness that someone could enter their school and cause harm. And, given the
incredible variation in both maturity and cognitive development in my students,
I find it challenging to address the whole class when questions come up about
school violence.
I don’t have my own
kids, and I’m curious what parents tell their middle grade aged kids about
safety, and about acts of school violence they are exposed to through the
media. As a teacher, I strive to give an honest answer to all questions that
come up.
What do you say?
Well, I'm a father, but I'm not sure I have an answer to this. My daughters are 17 and 11, and we have certainly discussed the recent tragedy, but we haven't really talked about WHAT TO DO.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why. Probably because I am afraid. Terrified, even. I think I'll talk to them about it now, though. It needs to be done.
Thanks, Matt. I know it's a tough subject to discuss. I'm off to school now.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to you, Paul.
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ReplyDeleteMy kids range in age from 6 to 16, so it's been a struggle. I want to shield the kindergartener from all knowledge of such things, the 4th grader is very worried, and the sophomore lives in his own world of concert-going and Rolling Stone magazine. I think your approach--of telling them you'll do everything in their power to keep them safe, as well as to follow directions--is the correct one. God forbid that any of us ever have to put any of our drills into action.
ReplyDelete(I love that you were asked about a moose. Only in Alaska, eh?)
Thanks, Michael. And yeah, the moose question was very "Alaskan"
DeleteWe just had a lock-down drill today, testing out revised procedures following the Sandy Hook tragedy. We've been doing this for years, but this is the first time my hands shook so badly I could barely lock the door.
ReplyDeleteBecause this time, I knew locking the door would do absolutely no good against an assault rifle.
I expected questions from my students, but there were none. Instead, they giggled and whispered throughout our lockdown time the way they usually do. Instead of shushing them, I let them whisper, as long as it was very quiet. I was kind of happy they weren't as deeply and profoundly affected by December's events as I was.
But if your students are asking questions, this is the advice I've been given: Answer only what they ask directly. Don't elaborate. Keep it simple and matter of fact.
Thanks, Diane.
ReplyDelete