The News

I've had a lot of opportunities to speak with the media over the past week. Most interviews have inquired about our school, my past, and my beliefs about education or leadership. Most have done an excellent job in trying to portray the special parts of our school. Even a few of the kids that we struggle with managed to make their way into a local news segment, and it made me chuckle to know that even the difficult ones seem to know what we are striving for if you make them answer the question. The news this week made me swell with pride and several times I found myself going back to see just how many people had viewed the articles or interviews. It's captivating and maybe even a little narcissistic, but I'm not too proud to admit that I started to enjoy the attention. It's great being on the right side of a news story.

Then I heard about the news of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Another school shooting. Children and teachers dead. The news erupted with the story and the all-too-typical debates over gun laws, mental health, and school security measures. After reading the events of that afternoon, my instinct was to turn off the news. I didn't want to hear it anymore. I'm sick of it. The same news that I had loved hours before, was now giving me the horrific details of yet another tragic incident. 

I'm not writing this to debate politics or gun laws. I'm not telling anyone that I know the answer. But I can tell you that my children, your children, and all children deserve to go to schools like the ones that were in the news earlier this week. They deserve to feel safe and protected without feeling like they are in a prison. They deserve to thrive, and when given the option between this week's news stories, there isn't anything I wouldn't give to provide them all with the happier of the two. 

Our jobs as educators have changed a lot over the past few years. Not just due to COVID and learning loss, but, also as a response to a changing society. Like so many times before, the role has been given to educators to keep children safe. But there is something that we can all do every day in preparation and prevention of the events like the one at Robb Elementary School. It is written all over our school. 

Choose Love

Choose Hope

Choose Joy

Choose Peace

And while it could be debated that teaching these ideals cannot stop a madman from choosing to target students, I believe that these values are contagious. They grow in a community and they begin to change the hearts and minds. So in a week full of news, some great and some awful, thank you for continuing to teach love, hope, joy, and peace to students. Thank you for caring for them. Thank you for giving your time, your food, and your money to them. Thank you for loving them in what has been a very tough year to be an educator. I promise you are winning and if you keep it up, there will be more good news to come.