I write these personal thoughts. Obviously, these
thoughts are impacted by my chosen vocation of professional education.
Thousands of schools across the country had to navigate
the waters of disruption this week. The National School Walkout Sponsored by
the Women’s March was held on March 14th. Some schools embraced it,
some condemned it, others tolerated it. According to https://www.womensmarch.com/enough-faq
, part of the purpose of the event was to “refer to gun violence, we do not
overlook the impact of police brutality and militarized policing, or see police
in schools as a solution. We also recognize the United States has exported gun
violence through imperialist foreign policy to destabilize other nations. We
raise our voices for action against all these forms of gun violence.”
Regardless after 10:17 a.m. on March 14th, what has changed?
The short answer is; NOTHING!
After the protest, the students walked back to class and
resumed life. Something the 17 victims of Parkland cannot do. If we want to
show respect for Parkland, if we want to make a change, we need to unify not
divide. The protest did not embrace, the protest divided. Students were divided
against students. What were the social repercussions of participation? What
were the social repercussions of nonparticipation? School administration was
put into a conundrum. How do they embrace a desire for students to be heard
without disruption of the school day and without engaging in radical political
behavior? The desire to show sympathy for Parkland and the desire for common
sense change was prostituted by a radical political agenda. A 17 minute
remembrance does not constitute a change in behavior. Since 10:17 a.m. on March
14th how many cyberattacks have occurred? How many social media
warriors have taken to their text and post ill against another human being? How
many of the protestors ignored the isolated troubled student sitting by
themselves alone in the corner of the cafeteria? Imagine the despair of being
totally alone amongst a crowd of hundreds.
If we want to stand with Parkland, if we have had enough
perhaps Ryan Petty, the
father of Alaina, one of the students killed in last month's shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has the answer. He has proposed an
alternative to the school walkouts being held around the country. "Instead
of walking out of school in March 14, encourage students to walk up," he
posted on Twitter. "Walk up to the kid who sits alone at lunch and invite
him to sit with your group; walk up to the kid who sits quietly in the corner
of the room and sit next to her. ... Walk up to your teachers and thank them;
walk up to someone who has different views than you and get to know them -- you
may be surprised at how much you have in common."
Retired teacher, David Blair, writes; “Walking out of school is easy compared to
what this letter will challenge you to do.” He adds; “First of all, put down your
stupid phone. Look around you at your classmates. Do you see the kid over in
the corner, alone? He could likely be our next shooter. He needs a friend. He
needs you. Go and talk to him, befriend him. Chances are, he won’t be easy to
like, but it’s mainly because no one has tried to like him. Ask him about him.
Get to know him. He’s just like you in that respect; he wants someone to
recognize him as a fellow human being but few people have ever given him the
chance. You can.” Encouraging engagement over the long-term does more than 17
minutes of division. Blair correctly identifies that the students themselves
are the answer when he writes: “Look past yourself and look past your phone and
look into the eyes of a student who no one else sees. Meet the gaze of a fellow
human being desperate to make contact with anyone, even just one person. You.
If you really feel the need to walk, walk toward that person. Your new
friendship can relieve the heartache of one person and in doing so, possibly
prevent the unjustifiable heartache of hundreds of lives in the future. I know
you. I trust you. You are the answer.”
The unfortunate
reality is that the 17 minutes of division has not solved the problem. It was
not a step in the right direction. It was easy to do a one-time act, stick it
to the authority under the guise of protest, be utilized as a pawn of a radical
political agenda and then return to class to re-establish adolescent
higharchies of popularity and social status.
Another unfortunate
reality is change takes time. Beyond laws, we are looking for societal behavior
to change. We are asking student to engage, not disengage. We are asking
students to engage the lonely and isolated.
I pray for peace. I
pray for understanding. I pray for Parkland and all the victims of gun
violence. I pray for common sense legislation based on compromise. I pray for
the treatment of our mentally ill. I pray that our nation return to prayer to
our Creator and not moments of silence. I pray that we take the time to go
beyond the headlines and use our powers of intellect to analyze these complex
issues that face our society. In conclusion, social media warriors get your
thumbs ready! I am convinced that analysis and reflection will be rejected and
replaced with electronic vitriol. Or maybe I’m wrong and we can think before we
act. As Mahatma Ghandi said; “Be the change we want to see in the world.”
