One thing shooters have in common: They all felt alone

As the TV in my classroom played out Friday’s school shooting in Texas, the seniors at my high school plunged their school shirts into the outdoor fountain and tossed them into the hanging tree branches as part of a long school tradition signaling their right to move on.

An act of innocence outside my classroom, an act of sheer terror on the screen inside.

Being the journalism teacher at Pembroke Pines Charter High School means having the TV news on, which has been a blessing and a curse over the years.

When the shooting happened at nearby Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, I kept the news airing in my classroom. After all, with 22 school shootings already this year, my students are — sadly — used to the carnage. As the students signed yearbooks, a few wrote on their friends’ autograph pages: “Don’t die.”

I live less than 5 miles from Douglas. Friends of mine teach there, and others have children who go there. Since the news broke last Friday, all I could think about is how the kids at Santa Fe will go through the same grieving process as those at Douglas.

The news stations have investigated the possible motives of the shooter, and just like Douglas, each answer brings more questions. But one thing all the shooters have in common — they all felt alone. Shunned, ignored, humiliated, bullied, isolated. Abandoned in some way.

Fingers have pointed at violent video games and movies, mental illness, gangs, terrorism plots, cyberbullying, revenge, sparse gun control and social media gone wrong. To name a few.

What we don’t want to talk about, though, is that one thing that really makes it hard to look in the mirror — that we no longer value children in our society. That we’re so consumed with our own lives and needs — with staring into our phones — that we don’t care enough to help anyone, even a scared, confused child.

But if just one person — any person — could have reached out, maybe things would be different. Maybe.

As a teacher, I have to work two jobs, and I often wonder if I spend enough time with my two children. That I’m there to show them right from wrong, and how to treat people with respect and decency.

Am I doing enough to help my kids? Are you?