First, a little about me. I am a 50 year old mother and grandmother. I graduated from high school in 1977. Our world at that time wasn’t exactly the same as the free love, etc. that we hear about from the 1960′s, but it was close. We had smoking areas at the school where all of us “hoodies” hung out smoking our cigarettes and if you went around the corner of the building, tobacco wasn’t the only thing being smoked on campus.
The point is that our lives weren’t perfect. Drugs and violence were a part of our every day lives, even in the mid-sized midwestern town I grew up in. But, today, I think is much different. I am thankful we live in a very small town in the NW corner of Arkansas. I feel for the parents and grandparents who have to send their children to a public school in the crime filled larger cities in America.
Today, in this small town of less than 5000 people, they locked down all of the schools. Why? A junior high boy bragged to his friend that he had a gun and was going to shoot up the cafeteria at lunch time. On the news it says that the school notified the parents, and they didn’t. They have a program that parents can sign up for that will send you email alerts or a phone call if anything like this happens. My daughter and her husband didn’t get a call, or an email. They heard it on the news and called the school. The school officials told them they had received a threat but it wasn’t serious. Kids with internet access on cell phones are the ones who got the true story out, forcing the officials to tell the truth.
School shootings have been a part of our lives for too long. I don’t have the answer, but I do like the program one of the elementary’s in a town near here is doing. They have a watchdog dad program. Before school, at lunch time, and after school, they have dad’s who volunteer, standing guard. They are an extra set of eyes, and ears to assist the teachers. Sorry ladies, but kids respect the authority of men more than they respect us.
I know that getting involved is the answer. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. But, I also understand that not all of us have the time, legitimately, because of work hours. Transportation can be another issue, as well as health.
I guess the reason I wanted to write this is to let you know that you are not alone. Big city, small town, we are all having problems with violence in the school systems. We have to somehow stand together as parents, grandparents, or friends, and do what we can. Whether it’s volunteering some of our time at the school, or praying daily for our children’s safety. Just do what you can.
