guns in schools...
Rough Draft
Guns are dangerous weapons, regardless who is behind it and teachers or any academic authority should never be armed in a school environment, for it causes distraction, easier way for students to access a gun and fear. Should the Government allow teachers to be armed during school hours? Whether students are in high school or elementary, school must be a welcoming environment, not a firearm zone. How will the families of the students feel when they drop their children off at school, knowing that the teachers are loaded with machinery?
If a teacher carries a weapon on them during school hours, it will bring attention and curiosity to the reason why they initially have them. Students have been trained to follow the rules and one including, no weapons on school grounds. Just as students know not to wear certain clothing pieces to school or they will get sent home for not following the rule. The school board indicated rules as simple as "no spaghetti straps allowed", simply because they knew something that small would still be a distraction to peers. Yet, the government and its people are trying to change and mend break the rules. How would guns not be a massive distraction but a tank top on an eight year old can seem as if the world is ending.
The use of weapons on school grounds will become a major academic distraction in school. Students will not be able to learn nor focus because everything they have is going directed towards the teacher's gun. Not only does this affect the student, but as well as the teachers. Teachers will not be able fully focus on learning their prospectus because they have to monitor the gun and who is in the room to make sure everyone is safe. An online article stated, "You are aware of where your firearm is at all times. You are aware of your environment. You are aware of everyone around you." (Grubs) How is it possible for teachers to teach their students a lesson when they are essentially looking for a target? It is unsafe and unruly to have weapons on school grounds.
Although weapons may be concealed, it still is dangerous to be around the youth or anyone who does not know how to properly use a gun. When a teacher is instructing up to thirty students each class, a weapon can become misplaced or stolen. Weapons now, become accessibly easy to students who are trying to get ahold of a gun. Students will have a new mind set, "that if the teachers are allowed to have protection, then why shouldn't we?" The armed teachers are now feeding the habits of why students do school shootings because they have access to a firearm.
Not only are students doing school shootings but teachers will become the main threat to children. A student can be obnoxious and disobedient causing the teacher to become irritated. Well out of anger, the instructor pulls out the weapon and uses it. An online article provided information that President Trump had spoken on his behalf about teachers being armed, he stated, "An attack has lasted, on average, about three minutes. It takes 5 to 8 minutes for responders, for police to come in. If you had a teacher who is adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly." (Ambramson) However, in this situation, the teacher could be the attacker and in no way could he be stopped. This takes note, which the gun should not be in any environment where children are. In another circumstance, students could take the gun from the teacher in disbelief that it is real and play with it, causing fatal consequences. Parents will not be at fault for mass shootings at schools anymore, because it is blatantly displayed as "safe" for educators to be armed.
Another great reason to why teachers shouldn't be armed is because it brings fear to the school. When an individual think of "school", it is known to be a safe place where parents drop their children off freely, a place where they can empower their minds. Yet, how will teachers be able to teach curriculum with fear creeping on their shoulder that any given moment, a life changing incident can occur. How will students be able to focus and intake the great knowledge from teachers, when the entire classroom is filled with terror?
As teachers become armed, students begin to have down faults. Not only does their learning become hindered, but students can become schizophrenic, create a form of "PTSD", and have high levels of anxiety. Fear is not an upright trait to live with because it encumbers student's brain functions, as they are still growing and forming. It can be traumatizing for a child to come to a place where he seeks education but all he gets is a teacher walking around, suspiciously with a gun loaded at their hip. A recent article went into depth of how fear changes learning situations for a child, it specified, "After many years of schooling, however, some develop ongoing or chronic feelings of worry and apprehension, and this constant fear can hinder learners' attempts to understand the information that is required for academic success."(Bledsoe, Baskin) This goes in line with anxiety being filled in our children's hearts and how it affects mentally, morally and emotionally. A child should never be alert and aware of their surroundings at school or with teachers. Still, when an individual sees a gun, their mind immediately draws the picture of chaos because that is all that guns bring forth; destruction.
Overall, Academic instructors should not carry concealed weapons because it is affecting students, parents and those who are against gun control. Not only are parents and students concerned about weapons, but the teachers who must carry them are arguing back to show that they cannot teach in a classroom with firearms. What were to happen if a teacher used the firearm on a false victim, whose fault would it be at? Outsiders and people who hear that guns are being carried by teachers, create a "relaxed" mindset for students to want to bring their own weapons or steal the teachers. When students grow up around and see the guns on a daily basis, they view them as an "okay and harmless" object instead of having soft, childlike hearts. Fear will be the number one emotion running through the next generations mind, as everything they have seen and been through will be traumatizing. Not only does fear tie into mind battling, it changes a child's character and how their outlook on life is. Children will become cold hearted and overthink situations, causing panic. All in all, teachers are great meant to be positive role models and mentors in our children's lives. They shouldn't be allowed to carry weapons because school is meant to be a safe place where parents are happy to drop their children off, without a worry. Although school shootings are high, they can be stopped through the use of weapons; banning them altogether and completely from schools will help stop school shootings.
Works Cited
Abramson, Alana. Teachers Are Overwhelmingly Opposed to Carrying Guns in Schools. Published 16 March 2018. RioSalado Library Database. Accessed 12 April 2018.
Baskin, Janice. Bledsoe, Scott. Strategies for Addressing Student Fear in the Classroom. Published 27 April 2015. College Teaching. Accessed on 13 April 2018.
Grubbs, Joshua. Why I Won't Bring My Gun Into The Classroom. Published on 23 February 2018. City Lab. Accessed on 13 April 2018.