Well, as promised, here are some conclusions I (anne marie) have reached after reading the aforeposted article.
As wild as it may sound, I think that the school administrators may have come up with a good solution. It definitely could contribute to creating an atmosphere where students may be deterred from a particular action because of the uncertainty surrounding which of their teachers may be carrying a concealed weapon. I know that I personally would take that into consideration if I were thinking about doing something where a teacher carrying a gun might interfere with my plans.
I think this plan was well-thought out and planned with all the training and testing required of the teachers interested in carrying a weapon.
I do not, however, think it is a solution for every school or school district. This plan was chosen for this particular school a lot due to its location and distance from the sherriff's department. In my time in schools of varying types and locations, I have found that metal detectors often work very well (though they are not a fail-safe solution) as well as cameras and security guards. Though no school security plan is 100% foolproof, I think this school has chosen the one that works the best for them. And more power to them for doing it. I think more schools and districts should spend as much time trying to find the best solution instead the easiest and cheapest.
And as my good friend Forrest always says, that's all I got to say about that.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I found this article on MSN today and found it interesting.
AUSTIN, Texas - Along with normal first-day jitters and excitement, students in this tiny district started school Monday wondering which teachers might be toting firearms.
"It was kind of awkward knowing that some teachers were carrying guns," said Adam Lira, 17, a senior. "I don't feel like they should be, 'cause we already have locked doors and cameras. But I didn't feel threatened by it."
Several parents said they had no idea that employees of the K-12 school were allowed to carry concealed guns on campus until recent publicity about the school board's policy, approved quietly last fall. They said they were upset that the rural community near the Oklahoma border had not been able to give input.
While some parents said they felt their children were safer, others opposed the plan, which appears to be the first of its kind nationwide. "As far as I'm concerned, teachers were trained to educate my children — not carry a gun. Even police officers need years of training in hostage situations," said Traci McKay, whose three children are among the 110 students in the red-brick Harrold school. "I don't want my child looking over her shoulder wondering who's carrying a gun."
But Harrold Superintendent David Thweatt said the board approved the policy in an October open meeting that had been publicized. He said the decision was made after nearly two years of researching the best school security options at the school, which is just off a busy highway and 30 minutes away from the sheriff's office. "When you outlaw guns in a certain area, the only people who follow that are law-abiding citizens, and everybody else ignores it," Thweatt said.
The superintendent said some of the school's 50 employees are carrying weapons, but he wouldn't say how many. When pressed further, he first said that revealing that number might jeopardize school security. He then added that he considered it to be personnel information and not a matter of public record.
Each employee who wants to carry a weapon first must be approved by the board based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said. In addition to training required for a state concealed weapons license, they also must be trained to handle crisis intervention and hostage situations.
State education officials said they did not know of any other Texas schools allowing teachers to carry guns. National security experts and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said they did not know of other U.S. schools with such a policy.
School districts in some states, including Florida and Arizona, have closed loopholes that allowed guns on K-12 campuses. Utah allows concealed weapons at public universities but not at primary or secondary schools.
Thweatt said the board took extra precautions, such as requiring employees to use bullets that will minimize the risk of ricochet, similar to those used by air marshals on planes.
"I can lead them from a fire, tornado and toxic spill; we have plans in place for that. I cannot lead them from an active shooter," Thweatt said. "There are people who are going to think this is extreme, but it's easy to defend."
Judy Priz, who has a third-grade daughter, said that "everyone I've talked to thinks it's great." She said she trusts the teachers with her child's life.
"Look how long it takes the police or anybody else to get here," she told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for a story in its Monday online edition. "If someone wants to come here and harm someone, at least we would have sort of defense."
Gov. Rick Perry has said he supports the policy because "there's a lot of incidents where that would have saved a number of lives."
The Brady Center has spoken out against the plan, saying it may not comply with Texas law, which bans firearms at schools unless carriers have given written permission. If the school board authorizes an employee to carry a gun, then that person must be a peace officer, according to the center.
"It's unfair of us to ask teachers to take on the additional job of being police officers," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign.
Cheryl Mehl, an attorney for the Harrold school district, said the statute the Brady Center cites applies only to security guards, not teachers and other employees. The district has no security guards.
I'm not sure as of right now where I stand in terms of agreeing or disagreeing with the plan put in place by this school but I will try to weigh in once I have pondered more. Your thoughts?
AUSTIN, Texas - Along with normal first-day jitters and excitement, students in this tiny district started school Monday wondering which teachers might be toting firearms.
"It was kind of awkward knowing that some teachers were carrying guns," said Adam Lira, 17, a senior. "I don't feel like they should be, 'cause we already have locked doors and cameras. But I didn't feel threatened by it."
Several parents said they had no idea that employees of the K-12 school were allowed to carry concealed guns on campus until recent publicity about the school board's policy, approved quietly last fall. They said they were upset that the rural community near the Oklahoma border had not been able to give input.
While some parents said they felt their children were safer, others opposed the plan, which appears to be the first of its kind nationwide. "As far as I'm concerned, teachers were trained to educate my children — not carry a gun. Even police officers need years of training in hostage situations," said Traci McKay, whose three children are among the 110 students in the red-brick Harrold school. "I don't want my child looking over her shoulder wondering who's carrying a gun."
But Harrold Superintendent David Thweatt said the board approved the policy in an October open meeting that had been publicized. He said the decision was made after nearly two years of researching the best school security options at the school, which is just off a busy highway and 30 minutes away from the sheriff's office. "When you outlaw guns in a certain area, the only people who follow that are law-abiding citizens, and everybody else ignores it," Thweatt said.
The superintendent said some of the school's 50 employees are carrying weapons, but he wouldn't say how many. When pressed further, he first said that revealing that number might jeopardize school security. He then added that he considered it to be personnel information and not a matter of public record.
Each employee who wants to carry a weapon first must be approved by the board based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said. In addition to training required for a state concealed weapons license, they also must be trained to handle crisis intervention and hostage situations.
State education officials said they did not know of any other Texas schools allowing teachers to carry guns. National security experts and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said they did not know of other U.S. schools with such a policy.
School districts in some states, including Florida and Arizona, have closed loopholes that allowed guns on K-12 campuses. Utah allows concealed weapons at public universities but not at primary or secondary schools.
Thweatt said the board took extra precautions, such as requiring employees to use bullets that will minimize the risk of ricochet, similar to those used by air marshals on planes.
"I can lead them from a fire, tornado and toxic spill; we have plans in place for that. I cannot lead them from an active shooter," Thweatt said. "There are people who are going to think this is extreme, but it's easy to defend."
Judy Priz, who has a third-grade daughter, said that "everyone I've talked to thinks it's great." She said she trusts the teachers with her child's life.
"Look how long it takes the police or anybody else to get here," she told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for a story in its Monday online edition. "If someone wants to come here and harm someone, at least we would have sort of defense."
Gov. Rick Perry has said he supports the policy because "there's a lot of incidents where that would have saved a number of lives."
The Brady Center has spoken out against the plan, saying it may not comply with Texas law, which bans firearms at schools unless carriers have given written permission. If the school board authorizes an employee to carry a gun, then that person must be a peace officer, according to the center.
"It's unfair of us to ask teachers to take on the additional job of being police officers," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign.
Cheryl Mehl, an attorney for the Harrold school district, said the statute the Brady Center cites applies only to security guards, not teachers and other employees. The district has no security guards.
I'm not sure as of right now where I stand in terms of agreeing or disagreeing with the plan put in place by this school but I will try to weigh in once I have pondered more. Your thoughts?
Monday, August 11, 2008
pennies, high school musical, and the right stuff
so it seems like i'm never quite in the right place at the right time. the other day, my sister and I were at the Mall of America, doing some wedding shoe shopping (no, not for me...in case you were unaware, that's already been taken care of. They were shoes for her.) and we happened upon a large crowd of screaming young teens, surrounding what appeared to be a giant yellow box. This caught our interest so we stopped to see what the fuss was all about. It turns out that Office Depot was doing some sort of promotion/event that had to do with two million pennies (apparently contained in the giant yellow box). This didn't seem all that exciting so we weren't sure what everyone was so jazzed about. As it happens, they weren't excited about pennies, they were excited about Vanessa Hudgens who was there to unveil the box and then sign autographs. That we saw.
What we (I) didn't see was a New Kids on the Block performance. I finished work at 4 and on my way out, saw a stage and what appeared to be all the trappings of a performance soon to be happening. So I waited for awhile, thinking it would be cool if it happened around 4:30 or so (the crowds seemed to indicate that it would be sooner, rather than later). However, I soon found out that they weren't going to appear until 5:30 and decided that I just couldn't wait that long. So I went home.
I guess it could be argued that missing the second happening was my own fault, since I chose to leave but I will say that I would much rather have stumbled upon NKOTB than Vanessa Hudgens (no offense to those of you who are rabid fans...).
However, it was the first time I saw a famous person at the Mall of America so it seems that my working there for the past month or so has become worth it after all.
or something like that...
What we (I) didn't see was a New Kids on the Block performance. I finished work at 4 and on my way out, saw a stage and what appeared to be all the trappings of a performance soon to be happening. So I waited for awhile, thinking it would be cool if it happened around 4:30 or so (the crowds seemed to indicate that it would be sooner, rather than later). However, I soon found out that they weren't going to appear until 5:30 and decided that I just couldn't wait that long. So I went home.
I guess it could be argued that missing the second happening was my own fault, since I chose to leave but I will say that I would much rather have stumbled upon NKOTB than Vanessa Hudgens (no offense to those of you who are rabid fans...).
However, it was the first time I saw a famous person at the Mall of America so it seems that my working there for the past month or so has become worth it after all.
or something like that...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Deer tick? Salt lick? Catholic!
Today was just like any other day as I strolled through the halls of St. Gertrude's Hospital. I was on my way to a patient’s room because she had requested chaplain visits. This is a common activity for me, nothing out of the ordinary yet. As I enter the room and start to speak to the women, all changes. I introduced myself, stating that I am chaplain and that I understood that she has requested visits, which she did. Her first words are, “Are you Catholic?” I respond by stating that I was raised Catholic and that I am a part of the staff here at the hospital that is available for patient needs. She then informs me that she is Catholic, in a tone that ushers forth the following phrase of “and if you ain’t a priest then you ain’t a visitin’ me sonny”. Looking back, I could have actually answered differently.
#1 I was tempted to say that yes I was Catholic. After all, I was raised, baptized, and confirmed in the Catholic faith. I feel that, while there are some areas I don’t fully comply with Catholicism I am far from hostile towards it.
#2 I could have said that I was catholic, meaning in my own understanding that which is universal or ecumenical. But this is not what the women meant by the term and that would have been dishonest and I shied away from that option.
It is fun to note my process in that brief moment. As I was speaking I was wondering if I should just go ahead and say yes to her inquisition. What did it matter if she thought one thing about me? I would be able to speak with her and perhaps even offer counsel. This would run the risk of me being trapped in some sort of theological quandary as I would most likely answer some questions without the foreknowledge of where the Roman Catholic Church stood.
In all I didn’t answer these other ways because I needed to be honest, with her and myself. While I still feel a connection with my Catholic roots, this one set of religious convictions do not fully represent me. I am glad that I was honest, but also hurt that I wasn’t deemed good enough because I wasn’t Catholic. On one level I get it. There is some type of divide between Catholics and Protestants, they are bitter rivals, animosity, blah, blah, blah. I think it can also be seen that I don’t really get it either.
In the end, I did what I could. Well, it is better said that I am happy with what I did. I feel sad that the women felt that I was unfit because I was not Catholic, but what can I do really? I guess if I ain’t a priest then I ain’t a visitin her.
#1 I was tempted to say that yes I was Catholic. After all, I was raised, baptized, and confirmed in the Catholic faith. I feel that, while there are some areas I don’t fully comply with Catholicism I am far from hostile towards it.
#2 I could have said that I was catholic, meaning in my own understanding that which is universal or ecumenical. But this is not what the women meant by the term and that would have been dishonest and I shied away from that option.
It is fun to note my process in that brief moment. As I was speaking I was wondering if I should just go ahead and say yes to her inquisition. What did it matter if she thought one thing about me? I would be able to speak with her and perhaps even offer counsel. This would run the risk of me being trapped in some sort of theological quandary as I would most likely answer some questions without the foreknowledge of where the Roman Catholic Church stood.
In all I didn’t answer these other ways because I needed to be honest, with her and myself. While I still feel a connection with my Catholic roots, this one set of religious convictions do not fully represent me. I am glad that I was honest, but also hurt that I wasn’t deemed good enough because I wasn’t Catholic. On one level I get it. There is some type of divide between Catholics and Protestants, they are bitter rivals, animosity, blah, blah, blah. I think it can also be seen that I don’t really get it either.
In the end, I did what I could. Well, it is better said that I am happy with what I did. I feel sad that the women felt that I was unfit because I was not Catholic, but what can I do really? I guess if I ain’t a priest then I ain’t a visitin her.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Promised pictures.
At long last, success! The stars are aligned and the blogging gods must be on my side. Fabulous! And now, in no particular order, some pictures from our summer so far.
We headed up to Duluth with our friends, Tim and Heidi (and baby Justin) for the 4th of July weekend. It has a lovely boardwalk/path along the shore of Lake Superior so we took a walk. 
And at the Rose Garden, there is nothing like stopping to smell them!
Beautiful flowers, beautiful picture. This is in Duluth as well.
And Gooseberry Falls (farther up along the North Shore). I believe these are the middle falls but I'm not entirely sure.
Here we are, at the upper falls.
My little sister graduated from high school this year and we were able to make it back to Wausau for her party. While there, an unxepected thing happened. We discovered that a Cornish Pixie had made himself at home in her cake...
Minnehaha Falls.
This is Tim and Heidi's baby, Justin. He and I hung out a bit while in Duluth.
Finally, my sister Sharon and my grandma. Aren't they cute?
And that, my friends, is some of what we've been doing. There are more pictures in existance but I am unable to locate the cord I need in order to move them from the camera to the computer so they will have to wait.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
"the time has come," the walrus said...
So after multiple false starts, the time has finally come to post something new. This summer seems like it is going extremely fast (it's already half way through july!) but very slowly at the same time. We are indeed in Minnesota and overall, it has been an interesting experience. I JUST found some kind of steady work after numerous disappointments and learning about myself and how I (anne) tend to sabotage myself sometimes. We're glad this opportunity came up because it allows me to stay here for the rest of the summer. The other thing we had been discussing was sending me back to Chicago to just look for full time work there. Which I still need for the fall so if anyone has any leads on anything, please let me know. Dan has been learning a lot through CPE, which is great. It has been tough with several calls during his "on-call" times, but overall a learning experience. It still leaves much uncertainty about our future but we're really hoping things come together more this coming semester.
Our time here hasn't been all worry and learning though...we have managed to get out and explore a little.
Okay...I'll try pictures again another day. I don't know why it's not working for me but I just can't get any of them to be posted. *sigh* Coming soon...I promise.
Our time here hasn't been all worry and learning though...we have managed to get out and explore a little.
Okay...I'll try pictures again another day. I don't know why it's not working for me but I just can't get any of them to be posted. *sigh* Coming soon...I promise.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
What we've been up to
Well, it has been more than a month since we last posted and many things have happened since then. The seminary school year is finished so Dan finally has time to relax before CPE starts in a week and a half. I only have 3 days left so it's almost time for me to have my own break before summer work starts. The next major thing to do is packing for the summer...yes, that's right, we're packing up and leaving town for the summer. We will be in sunny Minneapolis, MN while does his CPE. We're looking forward to a change of scenery, time with friends, and the chance to see if chaplaincy is right for Dan. Oh, and I'll be working wherever will hire me. I have an interview with Dunwoody College of Technology right after we get to the Cities for a summer camp program...we're really hoping that it works out. The search for employment in the fall for Anne continues...there have been a few steps in the right direction but nothing definite. Otherwise, life has been pretty good. It's nice to finally be in a pace of life that is a little slower than it was all semester. It makes things a little easier and we like it.
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