Holding teachers in esteem
Published January 2, 2013
As a general rule, I don’t cry very much. But as I dropped my kids off at school on Monday, Dec. 17, and they shut the car door behind them, business as usual, I immediately burst into unexpected tears. My friends assure me that I am not alone. Dec. 14 changed the lives of parents, not just at Sandy Hook, but everywhere.
As is my routine, I volunteered later that Monday at the school library. While much was the same, much was very different. Teachers carried keys and passes with them everywhere. Police cars were parked outside. The office asked “May I help you?” before buzzing me in.
Things had changed overnight.
The tragedy of Dec. 14 defies logic. When things like this happen, we try to make sense of them, but there’s no making sense of this. Once again, we are confronted with the truth — that in a society that values human life, we can’t protect ourselves against crazy. It is as simple as that.
There’s been a lot of talk about gun control. There’s been a response from the National Rifle Association. I don’t see how we are possibly safer with more guns, particularly around young children. I wonder what message we would be sending our kids by sticking an armed guard in front of an elementary school.
I only hope that I don’t live in a country where I find out the answer to this question. I know it is not what I want for our long term future.
Can we do anything to protect ourselves? I’m not sure. I only know that we, as a country, will be better off if we focus less on names like Adam Lanza and focus more on names like Vicki Soto. We can honor those who perished by respecting educators who live and continue the mission to educate and protect our children.
For the first time in a long time, I am sensing a renewed level of respect for our teachers and school staff. It is my hope for 2013 that we remember how we feel in the aftermath of Sandy Hook and that we continue to hold in the highest esteem those to whom we entrust our children. To me, this is the best way to pay homage to the everyday heroes we saw in Connecticut and to those who are currently in our midst.