If you have a Teacher in your family, please go give that person a hug.
Right now, I am feeling this phenomenal fatigue wash over me.
Probably cause the adrenaline has just now worn off.
During the last period of the day, I stepped out of my classroom and left my student teacher just happily teaching away.
I didn't think twice about.
I had school issues to tend to.
As I was making my way down the hall, I saw an Administrator up ahead walking AWAY from me.
Now that I think about it, he was pretty far ahead of me and was walking like he was on a mission.
And I could see that he was escorting a male student around the corner.
And then I realized that two security guards were walking rapidly TOWARDS me.
I kept walking down the hallway, but was beginning to tune in to my environment a little bit more.
Just before I rounded the corner, I saw the Administrator turn around and start walking back toward me.
Then he suddenly stopped.
He used his Walkie-Talkie as a pointing device and turned in the direction of the corner and said "Get Back."
He was not talking to ME though, so I kept on going a few more steps.
I rounded the corner.
And I saw the kid he had been escorting.
And THEN I saw the look on that kid's face.
He was leaning against a wall like he wanted it to absorb him.
Big Eyes.
I asked him if he was OK and he nodded...but he didn't move from the spot he was in.
He didn't look angry.
He wasn't physically agitated.
He was very still.
Stoic.
And when I asked him what was wrong, he looked me straight in the eye and very clearly said,
"I've Got A Bullet Issue."
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| Photo is Courtesy of Yahoo Images |
He didn't offer any further explanation.
He just gave me a look as if he was assessing my level of Street Smarts.
I nodded.
And said "I see".
And we waited there together in silence.
After about 5 minutes I asked him to tell me the what was going on.
As he told it, while at lunch today, a student who dislikes him & often bullies him threatened to have another student put a bullet in him.
He called both young men by name.
He said that they were down the hall.
And yes, if you are tracking this story correctly...that's the same hallway that I had been casually walking down when I first realized that something unusual was going on.
Reality Slammed Me with the thought that it was possible that some student on MY Hallway might have a gun and might be quite willing to use it today.
I swallowed.
Hard.
I have to hand it to the kid though.
He was articulate.
He was calm.
No Tears.
Just Big Eyes.
I stood there realizing that I had positioned myself with a student who was a Target.
And I stood there thinking that this just might be REAL and not just some adolescent trash-talk... because this was taking a long time.
What was going to happen if someone down the hall indeed DID have a gun?
While we stood there, I was mentally trying to work "What If" options for where we would try to go if we heard heavy footsteps running toward us.
We waited there for about 30 minutes before it was all over.
To the Best of My Knowledge
No Gun Was Found On Our Campus.
The Administrator eventually walked back to where he had stashed the student.
He saw that I had stayed with the kid.
And he thanked me.
The Kid walked away with the Administrator.
I went to the Faculty Restroom and tried to collect myself,
I wasn't shaking, and I wasn't crying.
But I was actively contemplating how fast things can get out of hand in a school.
The General Public has no idea how much Teachers and Administrators deal with.
If this had happened at The Mall, it would have made The Evening News.
But we just take it in stride.
We Investigate, Take the Appropriate Measures, File Reports, Dust Our Hands, Thank God for a Good Outcome, and Go Home At the End of the Day.
People...Today, a Student had A Bullet Issue....which meant that this Teacher had A Bullet Issue too.
So let me just state for the record that I don't LIKE having Bullet Issues. OK? Sheesh!
It's Scary!!!
I remember praying very early this morning for God to keep my school safe today.
It's NOT a Prayer that I Uttered Lightly.
And it's one that I am SO glad that I took the time to pray about.
So Yeah, Figuratively and I guess somewhat Literally too, it looks like We "Dodged The Bullet" Issue Today.
God please keep that young man and all the rest of us safe.
Please Protect Our Schools.
Like I said at the start of this post...If you have a Teacher in your family, please go give that person a hug.
In Him,
Grace
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