Walking Out is Better Than Running Out
By Michael Cannata
I was reading a post I came across on Facebook that
caught my attention. Especially since a few of the friends I respect the most
had commented on it.
You can
find it at this link: http://www.ktsa.com/open-letter-teacher-students-walking/
It had
to do with an open letter written by an unidentified teacher. It was addressed
to the students who are planning a school walk out protest. He made a lot of
good points when making suggestions as to just how, instead of holding a
walk-out, which he said is easy, the students can do a lot more to help prevent
other shootings by helping those "loner" students that may be the
next shooter; Those kids that seem to be the ones that we can all easily
identify after they're done shooting.
I felt a
sense of insult for the teens he was addressing. By suggesting at the very
start that he needed to explain that he was writing a LETTER and not a tweet,
as though they didn't know the difference, he started by talking down to them.
While
his suggestion that, by reaching out to those kids that seem to be standing on
the fringe, just waiting for an invitation to become part of the main stream,
may change their life, he over-simplifies the deep troubles and emotional
issues many "loners" have.
Superficial
gestures of inclusion that don't extend beyond the school walls won't help much
and may just reinforce their sense of insecurity. Loners are often pretty good
at picking up on false or forced displays of sincerity. Asking the students to
adopt those "loner" students who have often rejected inclusion for
years before getting to high school is asking too much. They are high school
students, not mental health professionals.
I can
appreciate the author's good intentions in encouraging the students to do more
to reach out and include those kids that seem to lack the social skills they
need to feel surer of themselves. But making friends isn't easy for such kids.
If they are open to such overtures, the kids reaching out had better be
prepared to follow through. BEING a
friend once the introductions are over is even harder. Being a false friend can
do more damage than good.
His
first suggestion, "put down your stupid phone," disregards the one
tool that brings this generation of young people together in a way that has
never been possible. Asking them to put it aside is foolish. It gives them a
power and a voice that can be felt and heard around the world. Where they have
a will to organize, their social technology gives them a way.
For all
his good advice, I found his casual dismissal of the proposed walkout
disappointing. As a 65 year old man who lived through an era where student
protests were common and effective I would welcome seeing that energy in
today's youth.
My generation used protest and civil disobedience to protest
against the Vietnam War, against civil discrimination... we held demonstrations
where students gave their lives for what they believed in and changed the world.
I think that a national student demonstration in the form of a walkout is one
of the most powerful ways for this generation of students, students under fire
and fighting for their lives, will have a major impact on the national
discussions surrounding gun control and school safety.
When the
students walk out, together, across the country, in a mass demonstration, it
will be a show of power and solidarity that we the people, the parents and the
politicians will no longer be able to ignore. They have the opportunity and the
time is ripe. They should use their skills and the technology their
"stupid phones" give them to rally together from distant places and
turn all their voices into one.
They
need to be sure their parents finally hear their children crying for their
help. They need to be sure that the politicians will hear them over the
political prattle that they spout in Washington and make them realize that many
of the millions of HS students protesting this year, will be voting next year.
Their
technology and social applications will give them a voice that will shout out
to the country... indeed, the world... that they are serious and are not just
asking, but demanding that we help them defend themselves.
I am
excited at the prospect of seeing what, until now, has seemed to be an aimless
and impersonal young generation, take one issue personally and take aim at
finding a solution. I would love to hear them stop talking about "Me"
and start taking about "Us."
I would
encourage ALL students everywhere to support their classmates, their friends
and their peers and support the protest. Take action... be part of something
that history will remember and that you as a student, standing shoulder to
shoulder with your fellow students, will never forget.
Walking
out of your school in defense of your life is better than running out of your
school in fear of it.