I was the band director at Lehi High School when the
Columbine shooting occurred. I was
horrified by the violence that seemed so senseless. At that time I assessed the safety of my
classroom and the hall way situation. I
was absolutely sure that if there was a shooting at our school, it would happen
in my area because it was close to the commons/cafeteria and the door was
relatively unused. I began locking my
door during class and patrolling the hall during breaks. I even went and took a class about how to
handle a firearm for a concealed carry license, but I never bothered to
actually get the license. As the years
went by there were a few other school shootings, but LHS was spared.
A few years ago I had a second run as the band director at
LHS. Same classroom but I had an
additional percussion room that added some safety, in my mind. Hallway was a little longer since a drama classroom
had been added and quite a bit busier because there were lots more kids in the
school. I often locked the door- but not
always. I still watched the halls- but
not every period. Life was busier and I was a little more used to violence. I did spend more time with those students who
seemed like they were “outsiders” to make sure that they felt connected to the
school and that their needs were being met.
This behavior paid off.
In March of 2010 there was a bomb scare. Turns out that it was called in by a couple
of school skippers who called from Lehi
City’s Legacy Center. They were caught
pretty quickly, but not before the school spent several hours on lock
down. In my very large classroom with
lots of equipment, the students had to get their backpacks and sit on the floor
in the middle of the room. Unfortunately
we had lots of other backpacks (and instrument cases) that were considered “suspicious.” I was told to prepare the students for a bomb
sniffing dog to come into the classroom.
While I was instructing the students, one young man, who was kind of a
rough character, said “Uh, Mama C, we might have a problem.” I immediately took a deep breath and asked
for clarification. The young man
informed me that he was pretty sure that he had firecrackers in his
backpack. Not good. And totally illegal in the state of
Utah. I was really glad that I had built
a relationship with Casey because it ended up helping everyone. I called the office and told them the
situation. His pack was checked. And due to his honesty, he was chastised but not
charged. Phew.
The young men and women who are currently seniors in high
school were probably two or three when the Columbine shooting occurred. They have grown up with parents who worry
about shootings. They practice lock
downs. They have seen other shooting
splashed across the news. My boys are “situationally aware.“ Given the choice they always pick a seat where
they can see the door to a classroom or any other space. They
look around when they are walking and keep their eyes moving. They have taken karate lessons and are
accomplished wrestlers. I have no doubt that if there was a school
shooting at Lehi High School, I would lose Parker because he would do
everything in his power to neutralize a shooter. I’m not sure that Reed has the same
determination.
As I ponder on the school shootings at Sandy Hook- a year
ago tomorrow- and the shooting at Arapahoe HS today, I am sad and angry
- Sad that there are people who are hurting so much that they are past reason and are willing to lash out at anyone.
- Angry that people do not take care of their firearms in a responsible manner.
- Sad that children and teachers attend schools and fear for their lives.
- Angry that guns- and not people- are considered the problem.
- Sad that we have lost so many with so much promise.
- Angry that the "good guys" are usually left helpless and at the mercy of the crazies.
I often wonder what would have happened if the principal at Sandy Hook had had a gun when she confronted the gunman.
I am not currently teaching and to be honest, I’d be nervous
to go back with the turmoil in our world.
Last spring I had a dream that we had an active shooter at a City
Council meeting. In the summer I had an
uncomfortable incident after a City Council meeting that wouldn’t have bothered
me a few years ago, but times have changed.
This fall I took a concealed weapons class. . . again. And this time I finished and sent in my
paperwork. I even did some research
and I bought myself a handgun.
At this time I have never felt the need to conceal my gun
and carry it with me. But I may have
that feeling one of these days. And I
can tell you that if I were in a public area where someone started shooting and
killing innocents, I would not hesitate to put a red dot on that shooter and
pull the trigger. I am a good shot and I
would protect. And I would be happy to
deal with the consequences of that decision if I felt that I had saved even one
innocent life.
Reed is in the 6th Grade at Freedom Elementary. He has Mr. Shumaker- just like Parker did. In fact, Mr. Shumaker keeps calling him "Parker!" He is in the same classroom that both Parker and Colby had 6th grade in which is a little crazy!
Parker is an 8th Grader at Lehi Junior High School. He thinks that 8th grade will be a lot better than 7th. . . but 7th didn't seem that bad for him. Hopefully his favorite teacher will be his PE Teacher- me! I have to homeschool him for that class because it just did not fit into his schedule. We will be counting karate as his activity.