I have been thinking about how hard it is to be a teacher. We have several teachers at church, and I have been in conversation with them for years trying to offer concrete support. And lately we have been talking about safety. None of them want to carry guns. Some of them don’t mind if other teachers who are qualified carry guns. Some are worried about the change in atmosphere guns would cause, the impact on learning and the free sharing of ideas.
I have also listened to several radio programs which have presented both the fears of teachers with a plea to do something to keep everyone safe, and the outrage about the possibility of expecting them to be armed. And my heart is broken.
It leads me to think about the Gospel last week. Jesus is telling his disciples how he will have to suffer and die and then rise again. And his disciples do not want to hear that. It is not the way they think about a Messiah, not the way they imagine being free. And Jesus says, you are thinking in the ways of the world, and I am telling you how God thinks about things.
Our solution to the problem of violence is caught in the same dichotomy. As a nation, we are thinking about ways to be powerful, to be in control, to fight guns with guns. What we need is to think about God’s way, which is building relationships, loving irrationally, and erring on the side of compassion and care. And we absolutely should not ask anyone to make a sacrifice we are not willing or able to make ourselves. There is a better way, and that is to make sure everyone has what they need, especially good mental health care, safe homes and adequate education funding for every school.
Hopefully our young people will inspire positive change. But in the meantime, I was directed to a website that helps teachers get what they need for their classroom. Maybe you have seen the Facebook posts about teachers asking to be armed with markers, books, basic supplies. There is a website, Donor’s Choice, where public school teachers and students ask for help with what they need. I recommend we start there. It seems like the least we can do.