#image_title
Just like many people my age, I read the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder book series quite a few times. I watched “Little House on the Prairie” when it was new, later in syndication and now on a streaming service. I read and saw this historical fiction as a guide to life, which sounds so weird now. The chores around the farm and inside the house needed to be done, so they were. Adults served as the example. Children were to be seen, not heard and, above all else: kids would obey. I read different books and saw different shows when I got older. I learned that the pioneering Ingalls family was poor. I saw the guns and how important they were to hunt for food and for safety.
I have watched the shows and read the stories through the eyes of a child and an adult. There is such a difference.
Maybe poor was not quite the right word, but there is no word to describe that hunger that never really went away, the cold that pressed into every part of your body, and lack of resources to change anything. Laura did seamstress work before she was 15 years old to help her family. At 15, Laura earned her teaching certificate and became a schoolteacher in a one-room school not too far from her parents’ home. Although Laura was a schoolteacher for three years, while she and her future husband were courting, she did not graduate from high school or go to college. I can’t imagine a child of 15 standing before a multi-age classroom, commanding a level of respect that may not be possible in today’s schools.
I doubt that the one-room schoolhouse ever had a lockdown drill, a shelter in place warning, a lock-out situation or a child with a gun to carry out a massacre of fellow students. The kids and I do talk about the scarier stuff, and the reality that these are not always drills or be resolved quickly and without injury. There have been a few knife fights at their school, as well as trouble on or near campus. They think it is a matter of “when” not “if” something really bad will happen. How has our country gone from the seeing the terror in Columbine, Colo., to still fighting about gun control? While my 2-year-old son played with his toys and I fed my 10-day old son, I watched as the children exited the building. I heard their names on the news. Twenty-five years later, I wonder if today is the day. Is this the day that is going to turn the high school into a news highlight, at least until the next shooting?
Life and times change. I am 30 years out of high school. I am 18 years out of college. When I go into a store, a mall or a movie theater, I look for hiding places. The level of anxiety has become a permanent part of my psyche. So yes, I tell my kids I love them when they get out of the car and go toward the doors. I do text my kids during class if they reach out to me. I try to believe that our little spot on the map is not going to become known for a school shooting. I have hope, that’s something that does not change.
I have talked to many of my friends about how different school is from when we were sophomores. Here are some of the things we discussed.
Computer access. Each student has a Chromebook to do schoolwork! We used to have to go to the computer lab, hunt and peck at the letters to produce a paragraph on a dot matrix printer. I remember “Open Apple S” and “Open Apple P.” Harlan and I used to laugh about the number of computers in our college computer labs versus what we had at home two years ago.
Phones. Almost every student has a smartphone of some sort. The number of texts flying through the classrooms and hallways is mind-boggling. The ability to be in touch with friends, family and games is instantaneous. Knowing where my children are and that they can reach out and ask for help is what is important. If one of my kids finds themselves or a friend in danger, I want to get that text or call telling me where to pick them up.
Teaching technology. Beyond the Chromebooks and smartphones, the teachers now have a computer that shows up on a screen that all the kids can see. I remember trying to adjust my body to see the green chalkboards without a glare. I remember the overhead projectors that used clear plastic sheets and a dry erase marker. The slide shows now are unbelievable compared to the clicking and a chunk of rotating plastic that seemed to get stuck every few minutes.
Rifle club. At my high school there was a group of students who belonged to a rifle group. These students would bring in their rifles, and no one looked twice. There were pickup trucks with gun racks, and no one thought twice. Now my kids go through metal detectors with their picture IDs to get into the building.
I am hoping that we don’t have to wait another 25 years to see real change in policies in gun control. I do not want another family to bury a child. I am hoping for change. I keep wondering what it will take for the people in power to finally keep our kids safe at school.
Jennifer Steuer is an Albany mom with 16-year-old triplets Olivia, Benjamin and Alex, and their 50-pound lap dog, Barnes. Follow her on Instagram: jennifersteuer.
Spotlight News is a division of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.
© 2023 Community Media Group, LLC – 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949
© 2023 Community Media Group, LLC – 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949