I
turned on the news as soon as I got home.
Less than five minutes later, I was crying. Horrible images flooded my mind: the fear and
confusion of those little ones in their last few minutes, trying to imagine
what was going through the shooters mind as he looked at their terrified bodies. One journalist
had to compose herself before detailing the story of one teacher, who told her
students there was a wild animal loose in the school. As the day concluded, I could read the
emotional exhaustion on each reporter’s face.
--- Since
1982 there have been over 60 mass-killings in the U.S.
--- Worldwide, 15 of the 25 worst mass shootings in
the last 50 years took place in the U.S.
---
Finland took second place in that list; they had two.
Despite
witnessing fifteen years of school shootings, this is the first time I have imagined
my mother, a 5th grade school teacher for over 25 years, using her
body as a shield to protect her students.
Why have I not considered this before? Why is it that since last Friday,
I have not gone one hour without thinking about those innocent babies?
There
is a reason I am just now connecting the dots between these shootings and my
mother. There is a reason this
destruction has gripped the nation by its heart. When we think of violence in America, we
think of dark city streets and gas station robberies. We don’t think of 1st grade
classrooms full of six and seven year olds.
While violence is an everyday part of the world we live in, it is not of
our children’s world. Before last
Friday, each of us kept our children secluded from the tainted, violent world
around them. Today however, many parents
across the country will delicately explain to their young ones “what to do
if...” We used to think of elementary
schools as sheltered and secure. Now we
are forced to visualize classrooms erupting in chaos and terror. We see teachers as sources of creativity,
passion and knowledge. Now we also picture them
struggling to keep intruders from powering through their classroom door.
Many
people have read the chilling article “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother.” It is written by the mother of Michael, a 10
year old boy who is mentally ill. He has
unpredictable violent outbursts, sometimes threatening to kill his mother or
family. Her two younger children know
the drill: when Michael starts screaming, they run to the car and lock the
doors.
After
reading this article, I searched for other stories and blogs of parents raising
children with a history of violence. I
read one particularly disturbing blog about Rachel, a 12 year old girl that has
(what I would describe as) sociopathic tendencies. After Rachel tried to burn down her home with
her mother trapped inside, the family decided they could not feel safe with
Rachel living in their home. She was
sent to a residential home for the mentally ill. Despite efforts from the family, the girl remains
un-evaluated and un-diagnosed. The facility regularly tries to
give Rachel back to her family. They
reason, “She has been great all week!” while the next day, she sexually
assaults two staff members.
It
was a violating and wretched thing that happened last Friday. These are the sad truths we have to live
with. We all mourn for the victims and
their families. But we can’t leave it at
that. We must begin the dialog for better
mental health awareness and support. Poor
understanding and low resources have denied Mental Health the attention it
deserves. If we want to heal from this
tragedy, if we want our children to remain our children, we must take action.
I'd appreciate hearing your comments and thoughts about this issue, and what this tragedy has made you think about.
Lisa Rodgers
Research Analyst
