As many of you know, I have been working in schools for the past five years as a school psychologist. I started out in grades 5-12, then 9-12, and for the past two years have worked part-time in pre-k thru 3. While I never thought I would work with children as I went through my doctoral program (one of my former profs turned work bestie can attest); I don't regret a single day of it. And now I can't imagine NOT working with them, at least in some capacity.
Now, working in a school is not easy--especially in the midst of a global pandemic (with rising cases locally/statewide--hello CDC just said NH is one of the worst per capita), debates over CRT, and school shootings. Gone are the days of playing outside with the neighbors until the streetlights come on, riding bikes unsupervised to the corner store for candy and chips, and even sleepovers for many because the things that defined the childhoods of the previous generations have been shown to be unsafe.
Enter ALICE.
Alert. Lockdown. Inform. Counter. Evacuate.
I have spent the last week listening as my counterparts, first-grade teachers, explain what to do in the event of an intruder and/or school shooting. Their 6-7yo charges look up at them with serious eyes and masks covering the lower parts of their tiny faces. Timely, given that in the midst of these preparations, 4 more lives were lost in a Michigan school. In a school, where one of my best friend's cousin's child attends. The wonderland and innocence of childhood are hanging on by a thread for America's youth.
I remember the first school shooting. Columbine in 1999. I was a sophomore in HS. Since then there have been upwards of 300 school shootings and over 300 deaths. Now, it's easy to say that we need more gun control--and perhaps we do--I have a hard time wrapping my head around why everyday civilians need warlike weaponry, but this is not the problem. This technology, while advancing predates the first instance of school violence. Guns are a symptom of the underlying problem--not THE problem. And I suspect many of you are surprised to hear me say this--given my strongly left-leaning ways. I say this as a Xennial who has come of age during this epidemic and someone who has dedicated their life and career to working in the mental health and education fields.
Now, do I believe we as a society need greater accountability? Yes. Yes, I do. I believe in background checks, appropriate safety precautions (gun locks, safes, perhaps limits on magazine sizes). But we also have to look at the WHY. What is happening in the lives of these children to push them to act in this way? And how do we help them? We can blame social media, certainly. I do believe it is a contributing factor. I was able to leave the bullies at school when I went home for the day--the kids today face the potential for 24/7 subjection to their antagonists and the social pressures of growing up in this digital age. And I can attest that the mental health of our youth IS in a decline. But, the issue is bigger.
Take a look around--we are more polarized than we have been in decades. The civil discourse around differences of opinion is almost taboo. Our mental health care system is at a breaking point with access to services for youth booking out 5-6 months for an initial appointment with a therapist. School Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists are all critical shortage areas and caseloads are only getting larger and more complex. Our society and our youth are hurting. Do you want to reduce the number of school shootings? We need to start there. Funding mental health in schools and within our communities, looking at the influence of social media, technology, and working parents, on the well-being of our kids and ourselves. These things that were meant to bring us closer together, seem to have in effect, pushed us further apart. What conversations are you having with your kids, your friends/family, around diversity, equity, and inclusion? Are you talking about how to celebrate the things that make us unique or are you forging greater divisiveness and hostility?
And with that. Our ALICE drill is about to start.
