And the children shall lead II

   photo courtesy of the South Bend Tribune

Today, as we listened to some of our local children's tales at our local March for our Lives rally, I was struck by how the things today's teens worry about are things we never ever dreamed of when we were their age.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg opened the rally with one of his strongest. most passionate speeches I have heard (from him) to date. He told us he followed, not led, a group of high school students to this rally before turning over the stage to more than a dozen local teens.

One middle school student talked about how their school has had three lockdowns due to shooting threats to their school just this month. One time, the students sat in their classrooms, in the dark, doors locked, sitting beneath their desks for 150 minutes.

A freshman from Washington High School told us about a 17 year old student, her friend, Tysiona Crawford, just 17 years old was killed earlier this year by her ex-boyfriend, and how this student's locker (four down the hallway from hers) was a constant reminder that she is now gone. "How do we process a student being their one day and her desk sitting empty the next?" she asked of us.

Another student told us every day when she goes to school she formulates a plan for the day, "what would I do today if a gunmen came into our school. Where would I hide? Would I hide beneath my desk? Which of my friends would die?"

What is wrong with us that we make it necessary AND possible for our children to feel this way?

Another teen told us of a time when their high school had a lockdown and their substitute teacher did not know how she was to react, but her students did. Is that NOT a sad commentary?

These are but a few of the dozen stories recounted to us by our local children from South Bend and Elkhart. Is this what school is supposed to be about? We expect our school children to learn the 3R's, not the 4Rs (Reading, 'aRithmetic, wRiting, and React to gunmen).

Having been a high school teacher myself, there have been times when I have worried about this country's future based on I saw in our classrooms. I feel more secure after seeing how eloquent and impassioned these young speakers were today.

If we adults cannot, or will not lead on the issue, then we must get out of the way of those who will! I applaud and am gratified by our young people's passion and intelligence. Who knows? Maybe they will ignite the movement where adults have failed?

Oh, and where was Jackie?