Trauma
Don't Teach Children to Be Martyrs
Even in preparing for the threat of violence, teachers must act responsibly.
Posted January 27, 2022 Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Key points
- Teachers need guidance and assistance in helping them talk to students about active-shooter drills and school safety.
- Students should never be encouraged to risk becoming martyrs during an active shooter situation.
- The solution to the crisis is not to arm students with hockey pucks, rocks, or bats.
“No!” I scream out loud as I view the latest video on TikTok recording a teacher documenting how she tapes hockey pucks under her student’s desks. Her students are instructed to grab the puck and throw it at a school shooter.
This is terrible guidance. Teachers should not be recruiting or enlisting their students in a “war” against school shootings. Instructing them to defend themselves against a person with a gun is a bad idea. It is disturbing, and most likely traumatic, to kids and staff. Training kids that it is their job to defend themselves and others is telling them that they are not safe—that we, the adults, can’t protect them.
Lena, a seasoned high school teacher whom I interviewed while conducting research for my book, Lockdown: Talking to Your Kids About School Violence, admitted that she keeps a baseball bat next to her classroom door, just in case. I asked, “Just in case?”
She answered, “Yes, just in case a shooter or another dangerous person enters the classroom, I have a bat. I can’t imagine not being able to do something to try to protect my students.”
I asked her if any of the kids have asked why she has a bat by the door. She said that she explained to them why it is there. “I think it makes them feel safer.” Really? I wondered.
Lena continued to tell me that it is a trend in her school now. No one says it directly, but she knows many teachers who keep similar items in the classroom. I have heard of teachers keeping a golf club within reach of their desks. Someone else has children keep bags of rocks in their desks. Another teacher keeps a basket of tennis balls. They all have the same idea: If an intruder entered the class, the students would have things to throw. Hopefully, they would be able to knock the person down, or at least knock the gun out of their hands.
I asked Lena if she became anxious or scared during the drills. She replied, “Well, I am not happy about them. I know what I must do, but I do get scared. It is a big deal if a teacher forgets to lock the classroom door. I worry that I would forget. I worry that I wouldn’t be able to protect my kids. I worry what will happen to my own child if something happens to me.”
Lena shared that she knows teachers who identify the two largest students in each of their classes and pull them aside on the first day of school. The teacher instructs them that if there ever is a situation with a shooter, they should pan on jumping him while the teacher and the students try to hit him with rocks and bats.
It is unfortunate gun violence in schools has continued to increase, but it is still never a good idea to teach children that it is their job to protect themselves. Instead, we need to help them be resilient and become good problem solvers.