A moving object will only change its speed or direction if acted on by an external force. That might be the only thing I remember from high school physics, and quite frankly, I haven't given physics much thought since I muddled through that class over twenty years ago. Yet, I've been thinking about Newton's laws of physics a lot lately and how the direction of life often is changed by the external forces that surround it.
I long to give my children the kind of childhood I had--carefree, one of long hours of playing outside, a not-coming-home-til-dinner kind of childhood. Yet, I think those days are long gone. Times have changed due to life's forces. There's far more stress, greed, competition, and violence in our world today. We are manipulated by such forces that change our speed and direction.
I started teaching before school shootings existed on a regular basis. The only drill we had was a fire drill. I remember how Columbine changed everything--the external force that altered our direction. Long before the instantaneous news on social media and the internet, I came down to track practice that afternoon, knowing nothing about Columbine's tragedy. I stood in shock among my athletes as they told me about what they saw on the news. That day changed school being a safe place for me. Now we suddenly had intruder drills. To this day, every time we have one, I think about the days I was a teacher without them. What if this was real? Would I remain a calming presence for my students? I spent yesterday reading about the victims in the latest school shooting in Florida. A teacher shot because he was reaching to get students into his classroom to avoid the shooter. A football coach killed because he was protecting students. An athletic director who died a hero in the senseless act of violence. My heart breaks for all of the victims and their families and friends. And now all I can think about is the direction our schools are headed because of the external forces that have set it into motion.
Since Wednesday's shooting, I've been reading a lot about gun control and mental illness. It's all over my Twitter and Facebook feeds; it's there every time I am on the internet, hovering over me, soliciting my opinion. Yet, there's something more that we need to consider. We need to change our institution known as school. We need to change the way kids look at learning. And there is one universal constant that we need to be teaching: LOVE. I'm not naive to think that if we start showing love, school shootings will stop, but I do know that we need to change the way we approach our classroom teaching. Students need to know that they matter. And we need to pay attention to every single student. We need to listen to what our students are saying. School is not just about teaching comma rules and laws of physics. We need to teach compassion. We need to make our classrooms the places where students want to be. The environment we are creating in our schools is one that lends itself to the problems our students have.
So, my students, I want you to know that teaching is very different today than the job I signed up for twenty years ago. I never thought I would have to think about being on the front line protecting the people in front of me. I never thought I would have to put on a calm face when you ask me if I would be scared in a school shooting situation. I never thought that I would have to explain to you the value of using a table to barricade my classroom door that opens to the outside as a means to put one more obstacle in the shooter's way. We need to work together as one force to change the direction of our schools. So, what can you do as students? Sit next to the person who is alone at lunch. Talk to the peer in your class you don't typically hang out with outside of school. Choose kindness. Tell your teachers how you feel. You would never believe the number of students who I don't realize are struggling because they put a smile on their face every day. Finally, know I will do everything in my power as your teacher to protect you.
I am a teacher, and I'm proud to be one--whether that title means I teach literary analysis or love...whether that means I come to work thinking about what I would do if I had to risk my life that day. Teaching has become so much harder, and this problem is not really something we can wrap our heads around, but it is something we can wrap our arms around. In many ways, love is the unyielding force to change our speed and direction. I love my students--all 146 of you--and would do anything for you. I will continue to believe in you. I will continue to teach you the curriculum and beyond. I will continue to choose kindness. And I will put Newton's laws of physics into practice in my own way by continuing to be the force of change in the direction of my classroom and our schools. I will be the change I want to see.
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