Spend money on better, more useful, more important things than guns
I haven't had a chance yet to check out the authenticity that this person wrote this open letter; however there is a real person in St. Paul, with this name, who appears to head a teacher's organization with this name. I hope to confirm this week that this is the person who wrote this, given the instances where people's names and organizations appear in heavily forwarded emails or goes viral on facebook. I think this is an excellent letter, and it appears here based on the initial appearance that this is legitimate. More will be posted as it becomes available.
Last week, as reported in the STrib, a father pulled an AK-47 on his daughter for getting 2 B's instead of 2 A's on her report card; he was found to have a collection of assault rifles. He also threatened hi wife with his newest assault rifle over the incident. It is not a stretch to imagine a parent, or even a distraught student, doing the same thing with a gun, over an unsatisfactory grade. It has happened in the past, in Montana, where there was a school shooting over bad grades.
By way of Facebook:
From a teacher in St. Paul, NE.
You want to arm me? Good. Then arm me with a school psychologist at my
school who has time to do more than test and sit in meetings about
testing.
Arm me with enough counselors so we can build skills
to prevent violence, have meaningful discussions with students about
their future and not merely frantically adjust student schedules like a
Jenga game.
Arm me with social workers who can thoughtfully attend to a student's and her family's needs so I. Can. Teach.
Arm me with enough school nurses so that they are accessible to every
child and can work as a team with me rather than operate their offices
as de facto urgent care centers.
Arm me with more days on the calendar for teaching and learning and fewer days for standardized testing.
Arm me with class sizes that allow my colleagues and I to know both our students and their families well.
Arm my colleagues and I with the time it takes to improve together and
the time it takes to give great feedback to students about their work
and progress.
Until you arm me to the hilt with what it will
take to meet the needs of an increasingly vulnerable student population,
I respectfully request you keep your opinions on schools and our safety
to yourself NRA. Knock it off.
-Mary Cathryn Ricker, President of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.
This was shared on my wall today. I thought I would share it with you and I hope you share it with others.
I think I can speak for Mr. Weenie LaPutrid when I say that:
ReplyDelete"The only person who can teach a bad student is a good teacher, a good teacher with a gun!".
You have the same attitude as the guy here in MN who pointed a loaded AK 47 at his 15 year old daughter for getting two B's instead of two A's on her report card, and then pointed it at his wife/girlfriend/the girl's mother when mom objected.
DeleteHe had just bought the AK 47 the day or so before, because you know how ya do, he was worried they'd be harder to get after gun control.
Why the hell are they not hard to get NOW????????? No problem getting ammo or accessories either.
Probably a private sale, no background check. I question his mental health based on both wanting it, and using it for child intimidation.
But hey, I'm sure he NEEDED it for home defense and that he is offended that he now won't be taking it out for walks in public like a family dog, the way the gun nuts do. Because you just gotta know that the guy wants to defend his family from bad guys.
Maybe he will shoot himself someday after looking in the mirror, getting clear for a moment about who is the bad guy - him. Did I mention this was in a heavily residential neighborhood? Because of course you want to live next door to the gun nut with the AK 47 COLLECTION that threatens to fire inside his house without thinking about where the bullets are going to go.
People like this old, white, flabby and crabby asshole should lose their gun rights permanently after this AND be subject to unannounced spot checks for compliance, as part of any sentence he may receive.
From the STrib:
According to the complaint, the argument began when Bartashevitch berated his daughter for not making straight A's at school. The girl swore at her father and stated that she "hated" him. He then pointed his new AK-47 at the girl, the complaint said.
The mother said that when she tried to protect the girl, her husband pushed her to the floor.
Police searched the residence and recovered 9-millimeter ammunition and receipts documenting that Bartashevitch had sold two assault rifles to gun shops on Tuesday. One, which he sold for $150, was an AK-47. The other, sold for $375, was a newer AK-47 clone rifle.
The complaint didn't state whether one of the rifles was involved in the alleged incident.
These are the people from whom WE need protection - the idiots with guns who are gun obsessed.
ICYMI MPR's Tim Post reports that Senator Al Franken visited with Principal Trever Johnson at the Dakota Hills Middle School,
ReplyDeleteDuring their meeting with Franken, Johnson and other school officials said there could be some adjustments to school security, but overall they feel Minnesota schools are already doing a good job.
As an example, they point to the four lockdown drills each school is required to do every year.
They do not agree with the National Rifle Association's push for armed guards in every school. Nor do they favor a proposal from Minnesota Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, to allow teachers to carry weapons.
After the meeting, Franken told reporters evaluating school security is important, but he is more concerned with putting additional mental health workers in schools, which he said could help prevent future school violence.
"One of the things we need to do better is identifying mental health issues earlier in a child's life," Franken said.
Franken serves on the education committee in the U.S. Senate. The Democrat said he will push for federal funding to boost the number of school counselors, social workers and psychologists.
According to the past president of the Minnesota School Counselors Association, Chris Otto, the ratio of counselors to students in Minnesota is one of the worst in the nation. On average there are more than 750 students per counselor.
Thanks to the Republican-controlled House and Chairman John Kline, the education reform bill (No Child Left Behind) failed to take-up the Senate bi-partisan approved bill last term ... so this is a new term ... this will be Tom Harkin's last chance to reform education ... and I hope that Senator Franken makes this a major issue during the 2014 election.