Reacting Vs. Responding

It's been one week.

Seven days.

It's amazing how our lives can change in a millisecond.  In this case the firing of a bullet.  The massacre of innocents. 

We all watched the images.  We all saw the names on the screen with their ages.  Tears falling down our faces as we cried for the families and at the same time silently thankful that it isn't our own child. Our child who is safely sleeping in their bed.  Our child who will open their presents next week.  We aren't the ones who will face the unopened package of hot pink cowboy boots.  Yet as our lives have painstakingly gone on so have the blogs, the facebook postings, and the twitter accounts.

For the last few days, I've been pondering the following; we have a choice as a nation.  We can either react to the event or thoughtfully respond.   Some of the reactions I've seen are abolish the second amendment and force teachers to conceal and carry guns on their person in the classroom.  When will our nation learn that at some point we can't operate at the liberal left or the conservative right.  We have to meet the middle.  This is beyond ridiculous. 

I was called a bleeding heart liberal for saying the following, "I do not think the second amendment needs to be abolished.  I do not believe that teachers need to carry guns in the classroom."

If teachers were forced to carry guns...  How will we function with heat holstered on our hip?  My second graders would freak out.  I wouldn't be able to get on the floor or hug my students. What about parents?  How intimidating would it be holding a parent teacher conference when one person has a glock on her? 

As an educator in our safety training they ask us to think and respond to a situation, rather than react.  For example, if the fire alarm is going off you don't automatically exit the building. First, you listen for instructions and go away from the fire.  Right now we are all headed to the fire.  The answer to this is not more guns in schools.  The answer is to think and respond accordingly. 

I encourage you to contact your local congressman and talk to them about responding to this rather then reacting.  It is time to band together as a nation for each other and for the 27 people who died one week ago.