Arm Teachers! A Response to the NRA

I want to arm teachers.

I want to arm them with the realization that schooling is different than education, and that it takes passion and purpose to move from the former to the latter.

I want to arm them with enough knowledge of what they teach, but not so much that they stop learning.

I want to arm them with the reality that assessments can never tell the full story of a child.

I want to arm them with the tools to manage a classroom so it can manage itself.

I want to arm them with the courage to move learning outside of the covers of the textbook and the walls of the classroom.

I want to arm them with the skills to reach out to parents, to welcome them into their classroom, and to be invited into their homes.

I want to arm them with the ability to listen to kids' voices and to develop their own.

I want to arm them with the skills to teach young kids to read and older kids to care.

In the end, arming teachers with guns does nothing but provide false security. Teachers come to school armed every day with the knowledge of their craft, understanding of their kids, and a desire to make a difference. And these, I dare say, are the best weapons against fear and hate.