Schools

12/17/2012

Schools

Do you remember your school years?  For some of us we have to really s-t-r-e-t-c-h our memory banks to go back that far; but, here's one thing I do remember - the schools were open.  People were free to come and go as they pleased.  

Schools were still open when our sons went to school - but that is no longer the case for most, if not all, schools.  How did we move from school days being fun and carefree to metal detectors, security guards, locked buildings during school hours and fingerprinting volunteers?  Schools moved to security measures because of violence, which was never part of my life growing up in the 60's.  Oh there might have been the occasional scuffle between football players but that was the extent of any violence I saw.

I get why schools have to do what they do now to keep students safe.  I think it's sad that we as a nation have come to this point.  Obviously, as we see from Friday's shooting, even a locked down building is not completely safe.  What's next - bars on the windows?  Soon schools will begin to resemble prisons out of necessity.  How sad is that?

I can't imagine the horror that the children and adults faced on Friday in Newtown.   I worry how the little ones will get over that?  How do you explain to a 6 year old what happened?  We have luckily been sparred any pictures in the papers and I hope that continues to be the case as the weekly magazines go to press.  I know that eventually somebody will be tasked with the job of cleaning up the carnage.  I can only imagine how difficult a job that will be.

I no longer have any children in the school system but in just a year Benjamin will be attending kindergarten.  Will his parents and Jeff and I have to worry about his safety day after day?  Worry is stressful and takes it's toll on bodies and minds.  

I wonder why on more than one occasion shooters have singled out schools?  What's their beef with children?  I'm not suggesting that a hospital or office building would be better - but elementary school children - really.  I don't know how we are going to protect the children day after day.  I just know that we must.

P