Mark Wright’s Blog

Has it really gotten that bad?  A Texas school district has approved a policy which will allow teachers and employees in their district to carry firearms to work.  The Harrold Independent School District approved the policy because they’ve had employees assaulted in the past.  “I think safety is a big concern.  We are seeing a lot of anger in society,” said Superientendent David Thweatt.

The town which is located about 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth is the first school district to enact this policy.  Those who participate in the program will have to go through a battery of training on crisis management and hostile situations, be licensed to carry a concealed weapon, be approved by the school district and must use ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricochets.  Sounds to me like some heavy calibers will be used.

I can’t say that I think this is a good idea but then again I can’t condemn them either.  With the rash of school shootings occurring around the nation, maybe if someone had been armed to combat these lunatics, lives might have been saved.  However, there are times when I think that having others armed will only create more problems. 

When I went to school, I didn’t have to worry about someone bringing a pistol to school.  Occasionally a knife would be confiscated and the person suspended but that was about it.  The teachers and principals were the only ones with weaponry of any kind and that was limited to rulers and paddles.  I used to get swats with a paddle on a regular basis.  One time it was even in front of the entire school. 

I can’t imagine going to a job and having to even think about carrying a handgun.  While the world of website design and search engine optimization is stressful, hopefully nobody has ever gotten shot over it. 

I did have a stint as a substitute teacher at one point.  I had aspirations of being a teacher or professor.  I thought substituting would be a good chance to get my feet wet.  Now granted I know that students will usually try to take advantage of a substitute teacher.  When I was a kid I wrote the book on it.  That being said, I was saddened by how disrespectful a lot of the kids were.  The younger kids seemed to be the most disobedient.  I actually had one directly confront me.  I knew then being a teacher would not be the career path for me. 

I am very grateful that I didn’t have to go to school in that sort of environment.  I’m glad I didn’t have to go to school wondering if I was going to get shot by a teacher or a student.  I guess all I can truly say is Wow!