Schools Practice for Active Shooters

With the press of the button, a recorded message announced over the intercom. “This is a lockdown. Immediately, prepare for lockdown. Lockdown in progress.” Everyone sprang into action at the sound of the lockdown signal.

With those few words, our school changed from learning mode to survival. Teachers in one movement ushered students from halls into their rooms, shut, and lock doors. Without second thoughts, they grabbed the weapon they had stored to guard the door. In my classroom, I hid a baseball bat in the coat closet near the door.

Students understood their roles and acted as trained to barricade the entry with desks, and chairs, being sure to block the door’s window so nobody could break it, reach in, and turn the handle. Teens rolled any remaining desks onto their sides, creating a barrier to hide behind in the corner of the room. Hands turned the overhead lights out, darkened computer screens, and silenced phones. The darkness camouflaged the existence of life or at least, we hoped so.

After preparations were completed, 30+ bodies huddled in the corner, silently waiting for whatever might occur. A deadly silence filled the room knowing the consequences of being discovered could be deadly. With the teacher remaining near the door with the weapon, the students consoled each other unsure of what would happen next.

At one point the door handle jiggled and the door hinges shook. As the teacher in the room, I felt like a goldfish in the ocean being hunted by a shark while protecting a school of fish from an unknown threat. At the age of 23 when I began my teaching career, this part of the job description remained undefined. Now, it is a reality.

Everyone remained in this position for 20–30 minutes until an announcement allowed normal breathing and movement.

“This complete today’s drill. You may resume the normal day’s schedule. Thank you for your participation.”

Until that announcement, we weren’t sure if we were practicing a drill or real life. As the desks were righted and replaced to their original position, the lights came on and cell phones emerged to report to parents and friends that an event had occurred. I turned on the computer screen to check the email for a message that would appear to report the results of the drill and reassure teachers that the building was safe.

Everybody needed and deserved a few moments to process the recent event and I recognized learning would be out of the question. With only a few minutes remaining in the class period, we sat and talked. A football player in the front row joked, “Mrs. Mahler, you look pretty mean with that bat in your hand.” Though his comment attempted to make light of the situation, it put a lump in my stomach as I thought about the day I might have to use it.

Authorities prepare staff for an intruder each year. Current events require practice scenarios to be added to the fire drill, and we comply knowing the threat is real. Just last week the news reported another intrusion. Each practice doesn't get easier and with each school mass shooting, it becomes more emotionally - ore difficult.

This week while watching another news report about children killed in their classroom, an image of my children huddled in the corner haunted my memories. With a warning, the teacher might have been able to fend off the gunman and save lives. Without a warning, the humans were trapped.

What would I do in a real situation? Like most teachers, I would place myself in front of the children as a guard. However, one bullet would remove all security.

Videos from a school shooting in Nashville last year, show the shooter walking through an empty building searching for victims. The staff had followed instructions efficiently providing the predator little opportunity to find the prey.

In some past instances events occurred in reverse. The teacher and students never had a chance to create a barrier or fight. The intruder walked and blocked the entrance so nobody could rescue the students. He systematically fired shot after shot taking human lives.

After a few moments in front of the news learning about those events, I turned off the TV because they weren't drills. Reality hits too close to home. Repeatedly another school shooting takes lives and destroys communities. In response, I share my experience and feelings hoping to prompt readers to do something. Take action for the children.

Now, it is time to make a difference.

As a teacher/administrator in public education for 34 years, I have promised myself I will tell the stories of the children.

I strongly believe the problems of our world negatively impact hope for the future. Our youth are losing hope and without hope, we are a lost society.

Youth hear a mantra encouraging them to make a difference, and many seize opportunities to positively impact the world. They inspire and remind me of the power of optimism. Unfortunately, based on 34 years in public education and 60 years of life, I fear many of today’s teens live in apathy, leaving them lethargic and indifferent because they believe the future is spiraling out of control.

The debate over gun control will rage on but until we start to listen to the stories of our youth and confront the issues, the violence will continue. Whether you are for or against gun control, the problems will not be resolved until we focus on the struggles of the children.

Every child has a story to tell.

Listening and responding with compassion is the fist step, and a powerful one, to begin to understand and promote change. Arguments rage about how to protect our children. Gun control? Mental health Interventions?

I don’t know.

What I do believe is that until we begin to try to understand America’s Youth, we will never understand the problem of gun violence.

After 34 years of teaching, I gathered all my writings about students into one book. Like the poem above, each shares an individual’s story through their own words. This is what I think they would want to say if anyone was listening.

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If you wish to read their stories, they are available on Amazon.

Lockers Speak: Voices from America's Youth