When You’re Shot by a 6-year-old

A Teacher Struggles to Recover from a Near-fatal shooting.

From The Guardian website:

“No fight or warning before six-year-old boy shot teacher, say Virginia police”

“The shooting of a Virginia teacher by a six-year-old boy in her classroom last week happened without warning, and with no fight or physical struggle, authorities have said.

“What we know today is that she was providing instruction. He displayed a firearm, he pointed it and he fired one round,” said the Newport News police chief, Steve Drew.

Drew offered the first detailed description of a shooting that shocked the city and was notable even in a country like the US where incidents of gun violence are common. Drew had previously said the shooting was not accidental and had declined to elaborate.

Drew said he wanted to clarify remarks he made shortly after the incident on Friday, when he said there was an “altercation” before the shooting. He said it was more like an “interaction” between the boy and his first-grade teacher at Richneck elementary school, 25-year-old Abby Zwerner.

Drew reiterated that the shooting was “intentional” and “not accidental”.

Drew also revealed that the 9mm handgun used by the boy was bought legally by his mother and kept in the family’s home. He said the boy brought it to school in his backpack the day of the shooting.

Zwerner put up her hand in a defensive position when the gun fired, and the bullet went through her hand and into her upper chest, Drew said. Although her injuries were initially considered life-threatening, she has improved and is in the hospital in stable condition.

Drew hailed Zwerner as a hero for quickly hustling her students out of the classroom after she was shot. He said surveillance video shows she was the last person to leave her classroom.

“She made a right turn and started down the hallway, and then she stopped … She turned around and make sure every one of those students was safe,” Drew said.

Drew said a school employee rushed into the classroom and physically restrained the boy after hearing the gunshot. He said the boy became “a little combative” and struck the employee. Police officers arrived and escorted him out of the building and into a police car.” (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/10/virginia-shooting-no-fight-or-warning-before-six-year-old-boy-shot-teacher-say-police#:~:text=Virginia-,No%20fight%20or%20warning%20before%20six%2Dyear%2Dold%20boy,shot%20teacher%2C%20say%20Virginia%20police&text=The%20shooting%20of%20a%20Virginia,that%20she%20was%20providing%20instruction.

As an educator, I can’t fathom being shot while teaching my students. But, in 2023, that’s where we are. What would possess a little boy, barely out of his toddler years, to shoot his teacher? It is mindblowing that a child at such a young age would have it in him to do such a thing. But again, here we are.

Teaching is a challenging and rewarding profession. Teachers work with students from diverse backgrounds, helping them with reading, writing, and critical thinking. We can see their growth during a ten-month span. Their skills increase. Their confidence increases. Teachers witness their students grow. It’s a beautiful scene.

The flip side to this beauty is the ugliness teachers deal with on a daily basis. Students who cut class. Students who are constantly talking. Students on their cell phones. Students who don’t complete their class work and homework.

In addition to academic concerns, it’s the behavioral challenges that teachers face on a regular basis. Students cussing out their teachers. Students throwing things at other students and/or the teacher. Students toss chairs in the classroom and/or flip over desks. I have experienced and witnessed classrooms being trashed by students. The disrespect from some students is heartbreaking.

The most concerning is the violence students have committed against teachers. Much of this violence never makes it to the news. People outside of education really don’t know what teachers go through. We are physically assaulted on a regular basis.

I’ve been grabbed by male students. In another incident, a male student rubbed his crotch against mine. I was struck by a plastic bottle (luckily, it was empty). I’ve been plucked on the back of the neck by a student. A student screamed in my left ear so loudly, it left my ear drum ringing.

I’ve seen students attack teachers, beating them like rabid animals. In the age of COVID, I’ve seen students spit on teachers, cough at teachers, and sneeze at teachers. It’s terrible what teachers go through mentally and physically just to teach students.

And people wonder why there’s a teacher shortage. One good thing about the COVID pandemic is the fact that teachers discovered they can do other things besides being abused in the classroom. During the lockdown, people were able to explore other jobs, build their skills, and follow their passions. Teaching was no longer an attractive career and people left the profession.

In addition, those thinking about teaching saw how their friends and family members in the profession were being treated. Administrator with personal vendettas. Rude students. Indifferent parents. It became too much for many teachers. Who wants to enter such a thankless profession?

And now, a teacher is fighting to recover from a gunshot wound. Enough is enough! What will it take for local and state legislators to draft legislation that protects and promotes teacher safety? If a doctor or lawyer was attacked on the job, the response would be immediate. When teachers are assaulted, we’re often blamed and the student coddled.

I suspect the reason the teacher received quick assistance as she was white and the shooter was Black. If the child had attacked her in a less life-threatening way, it would have never made the news. The child would be immediately expelled. Child services would be on the parents’ doorstep.

Most student-teacher assaults are handled differently from district to district and state to state. Often, students of color, are disproportionally penalized in school. Consequences are generally more severe such as suspensions and expulsions. In addition, students of color are more likely to be arrested while at school.

I pray the Virginia teacher makes a full recovery. Whether she decides to return to the classroom is up to her. We, teachers, are a dedicated lot, and those of us who didn’t leave after the lockdown is trying to fill the gaps of those who have left. But it’s getting harder and harder. Teachers' lives seem to be in danger now more than ever.

Teachers deserve protection in their profession. Being verbally and physically abused on a regular basis should not be part of the job. Teachers deserve respect, not abuse. Teachers' lives matter. Something needs to be done. The teacher shortage will get worse if nothing is done.