terror in our schools
today was a gorgeous fall day here in colorado. the color of the trees are absolutely breathtaking. it's these kind of days that one wants to be outdoors and enjoy every minute of that time.
i say that because i spent a few hours at clement park at my son's cross country meet. clement park is right next to columbine high school. i'm sure it doesn't matter what part of the country you're from, i'm sure you've heard of columbine. in fact, the meet was the dave sanders invitational. mr. sanders was the teacher that was killed that fateful day. his widow and his grandson, who ran in the race for columbine, were both there.
what else made it special was that platte canyon was also there running. platte canyon is the high school that was in the news this week as a gunman entered the school, took hostages, released some, but killed one of them before he took his own life. these kind of situations - a school under seige - is so hard to watch.
they are by definition, tragic. most viewers would use that word to describe it. but i wonder how many people watch the events play out in a detached way. "tragic, but it's not my kid's school," they may think. and if you live outside colorado, you may be able to dismiss it even more.
i can't dismiss it. i can't detach myself from it. i watch it and read about it, after the fact, and can't help but think about the kids involved. even the kids on the fringe of the situation. what goes on in their mind. i think about what it would be like if i was a kid, at school, and have a gunman (or boys) come into my school. a place where i feel somewhat safe and with an attitude of "it could never happen at my school."
so as i watch the events of last wednesday unfold, i can't help but think about the kids and i can't stop the tears that flow from my eyes. students in that school and then students from other schools now live with a renewed fear of terror in their schools. this fear is a stress that has been added to their lives. lives that are already stressed out enough.
**this has gotten long and i have a little more to say, so i will continue it tomorrow.
i say that because i spent a few hours at clement park at my son's cross country meet. clement park is right next to columbine high school. i'm sure it doesn't matter what part of the country you're from, i'm sure you've heard of columbine. in fact, the meet was the dave sanders invitational. mr. sanders was the teacher that was killed that fateful day. his widow and his grandson, who ran in the race for columbine, were both there.
what else made it special was that platte canyon was also there running. platte canyon is the high school that was in the news this week as a gunman entered the school, took hostages, released some, but killed one of them before he took his own life. these kind of situations - a school under seige - is so hard to watch.
they are by definition, tragic. most viewers would use that word to describe it. but i wonder how many people watch the events play out in a detached way. "tragic, but it's not my kid's school," they may think. and if you live outside colorado, you may be able to dismiss it even more.
i can't dismiss it. i can't detach myself from it. i watch it and read about it, after the fact, and can't help but think about the kids involved. even the kids on the fringe of the situation. what goes on in their mind. i think about what it would be like if i was a kid, at school, and have a gunman (or boys) come into my school. a place where i feel somewhat safe and with an attitude of "it could never happen at my school."
so as i watch the events of last wednesday unfold, i can't help but think about the kids and i can't stop the tears that flow from my eyes. students in that school and then students from other schools now live with a renewed fear of terror in their schools. this fear is a stress that has been added to their lives. lives that are already stressed out enough.
**this has gotten long and i have a little more to say, so i will continue it tomorrow.
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