‘Arm’ teachers with proper support

As a retired teacher I am all for “arming” teachers in the classroom. Arm them with a team of trained specialists to support them when dealing with children exhibiting signs of emotional stress. Arm them with specialeducation experts to identify children with learning differences and help teachers incorporate modifications in the classroom to engage every student and accelerate his academic success.

Arm teachers with ongoing professional development so they can utilize best practices when planning and developing curriculum. Arm them with the resources to make sure their students feel safe and secure emotionally and physically, including starting each day with a full stomach. Arm teachers with reasonable class size, qualified administrators, supportive communities and finally, arm them with preparedness plans so they know how to react and respond in a time of crisis in order to protect the children left in their care.

Arm them with the knowledge that they are in a profession that advocates building relationships with all kids every day so they can receive the education we have promised them.

Eileen Covell Plain City help for that child now. The parents today are too busy with cellphones, television and sports and they overlook the needs of their own children.

The Los Angeles Times article “Security officer may have stopped next school shooting” in Thursday’s Dispatch reported that a 17-year-old student in Los Angeles had two semi-automatic rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity magazines. I don’t know how many rounds of ammo he had. How and where did this teenager get all of this? We know he did not buy it. How did he keep all this in his room or even the house without anyone knowing he had it? Another fault of the parents not paying attention to the child. His parents dropped the ball.

There are no laws that can be made, passed or can be enforced to stop the criminal from having a weapon of any kind. Let’s say that for some reason our government would be able to remove the Second Amendment from the U. S. Constitution and all the guns would be taken from the American people. Does anyone think for one minute that would stop the criminal from having guns? If a person wants to kill, he or she will find a way. Criminals have no laws.

The only people who obey the law are the honest ones. Guns don’t kill, people kill. And it is up to the parents to start teaching children right from wrong when they are born.

Carl Felton Columbus