<p>Of course this is really all about expanding gun laws, using teachers and schools as pawns. But since they are pretending that it is really about arming teachers to protect their students, I have questions.</p>
<p>What do we expect these armed teachers to do if a deranged nut starts shooting? Abandon their classroom full of kids for a shoot out? Really? Or would they be expected to hide behind their door and shoot only when shot at?</p>
<p>Frankly, I had more than one teacher who would have scared the heck out of me if they’d been carrying a gun. Be honest - would you want to sit with armed teachers for parent-teacher conferences? And we honestly expect our kids to accept this?</p>
<p>“would you want to sit with armed teachers for parent-teacher conferences?”</p>
<p>No different than sitting with a police officer. OTOH, should our kids be attending a school where we are afraid of having them be taught by some of the teachers? </p>
<p>I am curious - have there been cases of teachers shooting their students? I suspect there are some teachers who have been riled up enough by students. Kids can be cruel.</p>
<p>I guarantee you that any policy that reflects the OP’s reference if enacted that we can look back just a few years and count the amount of innocent people/students that were wounded or killed by the so called “protectors”. The same will be true is we allow routine police presence in our schools, along with the many gross over-reactions, with dubious reasoning and the judicial assumption of no criminal accountability, that defines present day police practices. </p>
<p>Romani - you were not in his class right? If you were, what did you do to him? :D</p>
<p>I took a defensive driving class a long time ago where the instructor was discussing road rage. He said he asked most classes whether they carried a gun and if they ever got mad enough to point it at someone while driving. Several usually mention carrying one but never pointing it at anyone while driving. In one class one person said he used to do that until onetime when the other driver pointed one back. </p>
<p>Lots of people in Texas have guns for self protection. The belief is not knowing who has a gun prevents some of the crime.</p>
<p>“No different than sitting with a police officer”</p>
<p>I am continually amazed at the level of disrespect for highly trained police officers. Or are we suggesting that these armed teacher go through full police training?</p>
<p>It is quite a bit different. If I were to sit down with a police officer on duty, I’d be very aware that he represents the law. It’s not really a level playing field. When I sit down with a teacher, I expect that we are working as a team. One of us being armed just doesn’t seem that conducive to the team spirit I look for in a parent-teacher conference.</p>
<p>I have sat in on parent night presentations with teachers who I certainly wouldn’t want to be armed - that they are in control of my child’s grade is enough to worry about sometimes. Now and then you just get what you get. In fact my D had a math teacher 2 years who as she put it, “. . . isn’t bad at math she’s just a bad person.” She was perfectly competent to teach calc but a little off otherwise.</p>
<p>How do we validate a teacher’s mental health throughout the year? Could they be disqualified from the (armed) classroom if they suffered from a bout of depression, for instance? The fact is, we don’t, we let them teach until their problems become debilitating.</p>
<p>I’d be a lot more worried about a teacher pulling out the gun and committing suicide in front of the class and the attendant trauma than I would be about a mass shooter.</p>
<p>My kids went to an elementary school with an armed police officer (gang activity in the area) and I had no problem with that. He had a nice relationship with the kids. He also had professional training and experience. I can’t imagine kindergarten teachers managing their classrooms and their weapons and ammunition at the same time. I wouldn’t want my kid in that class.</p>
<p>^ I was really happy that one of my kids elementary school entrance was right opposite the police station entrance and they would have at least one cop handing out speeding tickets every day before and after school.</p>
<p>texaspg, would Texans be willing to wait for this proposal to go through until shooting protocols for armed teacher were agreed upon? The police have strict protocols - why would teachers not have them too?</p>
<p>Great posts over the past couple of hours. Seems that the gun fans have left the building.</p>
<p>I honestly cannot believe that anyone would try to add to the burden teachers already face just getting through the day teaching our kids (and night, grading papers and preparing for the next day). I live in one of the states with a “war on teachers” in which they have been called “thugs” and “lazy” and all kind of other insulting things. Some people don’t trust them to have our kids’ best interests at heart NOW–but yet we are willing to arm them to fend off a few crazy people?</p>
<p>"would Texans be willing to wait for this proposal to go through until shooting protocols for armed teacher were agreed upon? "</p>
<p>The article talks about specific training and designation by school districts including an opt out of the plan, i.e., schools can opt out. I would not be surprised if they take a different turn and start adding police to all campuses since we will have lots of returning military men and women.</p>
<p>In the late 60’s, most of the boys in my 6th or 7th grade class took gun safety and left their guns (shotgun/rifle) leaning in the corner of the cloak room until after school. Since the course was taught by a teacher, I assume that he also had a gun at school.</p>
<p>Almost everyone we knew had easy access to a hunting gun & ammo. All we had to do was break the cheap glass in dad or grandpa’s gun cabinet. We wouldn’t even think of doing so. I am not opposed to gun safety being taught at school (to both students and teachers. I’d rather have my kids familiar with handling guns in case of an emergency or if they stumbled upon one at a friends house.</p>
Now and then you just get what you get. In fact my D had a math teacher 2 years who as she put it, “. . . isn’t bad at math she’s just a bad person.” She was perfectly competent to teach calc but a little off otherwise.</p>