Dear LREI Community,
I hope you had a good long weekend. I enjoyed some time with my family and a visit to the High School Applied Sciences Division’s (robotics team) tournament. On Tuesday, I participated in LREI’s enriching professional development day which consisted of two sets of staff led workshops. The morning’s offerings were focused on continuing conversations about a variety of classroom issues (student discourse, homework, service learning, long-term projects, etc.) with the goal that each of us would create a plan to try something new in the coming weeks. The afternoon’s choices were focused on faculty/staff sharing interests and passions. Offerings included Hands-on Making and Coding, Knitting, Podcasting, and African Dance.
My thoughts over the past week haven’t strayed far from the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. Like so many I find myself living in the familiar places of sadness and outrage, and then, all too quickly, moving to powerlessness and inaction. Knowing myself, even though I feel as strongly about the issue of gun violence as I do about any current American concern, I know I will allow last week’s shooting to fade into the background. However, as there have been almost a score of school shootings this calendar year I am unlikely to have long to wait for it to be brought back to the fore.
Thinking back to my note from last week in which I suggested that we rename Election Day “Citizens’ Day,” I feel compelled to find a way to be an involved citizen in the wake of this tragedy. Therefore, the question becomes what is one citizen to do? Inspired by the courageous and undeterred students who have emerged in the past few days as a remarkably strong voice, what follows are my current plans, and I share them not as a model but hoping to nudge at least a few others to make plans of their own:
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At least once each month I am going to contact each of my elected representatives (City, State, National) to express my views on gun control/violence.) More than once per month if possible (though never on LREI’s time).
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As we are not allowed to follow each other on social media, you would not know this, but I am generally a Facebook lurker. No more. I will begin to use my personal social media streams as outlets for my increased activism on this front.
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What little money I give to political campaigns will only go to campaigns that are actively seeking solutions to this particularly American issue. Not to those that say it isn’t the right time for gun control, nor those that lambast one party or the other for inaction, but to those that are taking action. Today.
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I will speak with my friends, family, and neighbors to encourage them to take similar steps. I will do this until they are tired of hearing from me on this topic and then I will keep going.
As Director of LREI:
Since its founding, the school has worn its values and beliefs on its institutional sleeve. We have also tried – and even succeeded at times – in being a place where our definition of a diverse community includes diversity of thought and political belief. This said, while I imagine that even at LREI we have a mix of beliefs on gun control and gun ownership, we can all agree that schools should be safe places and if gun violence is causing this not to be so, then we have to do something about it other than to arm more people. In addition to being shot in schools, if our children can’t travel to school for fear of being injured, or worse, this, too, must change. Same for not being able to be on a playground, run an errand, and on and on.
To that end:
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I will look for ways to have conversations with students, and others, and to provide opportunities for students and adults to come together to discuss citizen involvement and solutions.
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I am hopeful, and confident, that our students will join the growing student movement, and pledge the institution’s support of their efforts.
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There are a number of marches, protests, and walk-outs being planned. I will work with the staff, students, and the Parents Association to clarify our participation and will be in touch with you accordingly.
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Write letters to students in Parkland, Florida (You may need a Twitter account.)
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I have my doubts that even if I follow through and stick with each item above that anything will be accomplished. But I have to do what I can. If each of us, acting individually and in concert, gives voice to our beliefs maybe progress will be made; slowly but surely, change will come. As a dedicated plodder, all I can do is hope and plan and work and repeat.
A final thought. A few years ago I wrote to you that I would no longer send notes home each time there was some terror-related event in the world as we were clearly responding to a subset thereof, namely those occurring in the “West,” or those that injured a large number of people, etc. I feel similarly about school shootings. So hard to know when to write. Close to home? Number effected? Should I have written 18 notes home this year? Maybe. Likely. At this point, I will write when I think it productive and necessary to the effort to create change.
I would love to hear your thoughts. You can reply to this email or post a response on my blog “Phil, your Head.”
Hoping for peace,
