Post by JeepGirl on Feb 15, 2018 5:29:47 GMT
I am sure we are all grieving over the horrific shooting in Florida today. I cannot begin to imagine the pain those parents and families and friends are feeling.
I substitute primarily in middle school and high school and, because of that, it really struck home for me. I have participated in many drills, including 'active shooter'. Even as a drill, the 'active shooter' drill is the most frightening. In high school, the students get it and I am sure when this occurred in Florida, most of the students went into drill mode. In fact, I believe they actually had a 'drill' in the morning.
However, I was in an elementary school when the 'active shooter' drill took place and it was totally unnerving. The younger kids were just so scared and really couldn't comprehend why they were sitting on the floor in a corner of the classroom and had to be quiet. One little boy began crying and said he was scared. I told them it wasn't real but they were just teaching us what to do if something bad does happen. Who wants to put these horrible thoughts in the minds of these precious children? Yet, we have a responsibility to keep them safe and teach them how to act in certain instances. Innocence is gone at such young ages and my heart is just breaking.
Lots of speculation about why these things happen and but they seem to have similarities. Usually an angry, outcast student, mental health issues, along with family issues. It is so easy to spot these kids, even as a substitute. You can see they don't fit in, especially during lunch periods. It breaks my heart when I see a student sitting alone in the cafeteria. If I have lunch duty, I always try to make conversation with that student for a few minutes. If I am in elementary school, I usually intervene and make sure every student is sitting at a table with other students.
My es wasn't really popular in school and his anger issues probably started way back then. Even when he started pre-school, he had problems with the other kids and always had behavior issues. I believe my divorce added to his emotional problems and they intensified and resulted in our first estrangement. Today, he is so filled with anger toward me that I honestly believe he could be capable to doing something unthinkable to myself and my husband. When I shared my situation with Dr. Coleman, he recommended I not make any further attempts toward reconciliation and I should stay away from him and his family as he requested. Scary and embarrassing to share but I just felt a need to write about this in light of today's shooting.
Prayers for all those families in Florida and for those of us who have children who may have emotional/behavior disorders. Lord, only you can extend comfort to those families and friends during a time like this. And, Lord, I pray for protection for our adult children and grandchildren and lead them to You and Your Saving Grace and Love.
