As I watched the evening news last night they reported on the most recent school shooting, this one in Bend Oregon, and that as of October 15 the 2026 calendar year showed 50 (fifty) yes FIFTY school shootings.  FIFTY! Now let that sink in...

That means that 50 schools have experienced school violence at the hand of a gun wielding human. Not a violent tornado, flood, fire, or any other natural disaster. A human being who thought it a good idea to enter a school with a gun and commence shooting.

The children, teachers, staff, and administration as well as the friends and families of those 50 schools have been traumatized. 

Fifty Communities are forever changed.

In the almost 13 years since I experienced a school shooting I have talked about my experience, created a workshop for educators to help guide them through the thought processes that will happen when you experience a school emergency, offered to present the workshop to districts (who, as it turns out really don't want to hear about "it"), and of course blogged about it. Many schools and districts are sure that "it" will never happen at their school. Well, I have news for you...it can.  The school I worked for was a good school, and administration knew that the kid would eventually "pop off" but the principal at that time said that "it would never happen" at that school. Well, the kid waited until that principal retired to "pop off." The school psychologist had cleared him to return to school just a few weeks before,  he'd been suspended because he had threatened some teachers and been caught looking up weapons on a school computer, claiming it was for a school project (insert eye roll here). 

My thoughts about school shootings are probably only shared by others who work in education... but here goes:

First of all I am not anti-gun but I am anti killing innocent people. Guns are not toys.

Parents, do your job!  You are your children's parent, not their best friend, and they are not your mini-me.  I get it, you want to have a good relationship with your children and being a parent is HARD. Frankly, stop expecting schools to raise your kids for you, their job is to educate, not parent them. It is your job to teach them right from wrong, teach them values and compassion, and if you think that countless hours on their phones, scrolling social media, or playing video games is harmless think again.  Teach your kids to value life, to respect others as well as themselves (which includes personal hygiene, just sayin'). 

It deeply saddens me to see just how far down the rabbit hole our society has fallen.  In the past 13 years one of my children became an educator and now an administrator, and heaven help the child that makes smart-ass jokes about school shootings because my child will not stand for it and I guarantee that the offending student will only make those jokes once.  My other child told me shortly after the shooting I experienced that they did not want to have children of their own.  I was shocked and broken hearted because this child of mine would be an amazing parent so when I asked "why?" their response was, "why would I want to bring children into this F*cked up world?" Hard to argue that point.

So I'll say it again...parents do your job and be a parent and let the educators educate.