There is Nowhere to Hide in My Classroom

2/15/2018

by Summer Maher

When I enter my school in the morning, I expect to be annoyed. I expect to be exhausted and pissed off and ready to go home before homeroom even begins.

When I enter my school in the morning, I do not expect to get shot.

A school shooting on Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida marks the eighteenth school shooting in America in 45 days. In 9 of these, high school students were shot and killed.

When I walk into my math class, I don’t expect to see a dead body.

I’ve never paid much attention to the debate about gun laws, at least not until recently. Recently, 17 year olds have been walking into schools with semi-automatic rifles, entering classrooms, and opening fire. Recently, 15 year olds with full knowledge of the school’s layout and lockdown procedures have been strolling into schools with handguns tucked into their waistbands and shooting their fellow 15 year olds while they hide under desks.

There is nowhere to hide in a classroom.

Enough is enough. Every politician in the country tonight will sit on his comfortable couch, grab his phone, and tweet out how surprised and shocked he is. He will send his thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. He will promise that he will work to make sure this never happens again. Then, he will have dinner with his family, with his kids. He will go to bed. And when the time comes to vote for stricter gun laws and protection for the 15 year olds hiding under their desks, he will vote no. Because he feels safer knowing that while a sophomore can become a murderer, and that while the kids under the desks in math class don’t have guns to protect themselves, he does. In case the shooter comes to his house, to his office, to his family. Then he’ll have the gun.

But guess what? So will the sophomore.

You can pray, send your thoughts, and promise all you want, but until I know that there is no chance that my lab partner will be able to get a rifle and shoot me in the head, I really don’t care.

Because I’m fifteen years old, and I don’t want to die.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America are gathering 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Treehouse Cafe, 120 W. Merchant Street in Audubon. Feel free to bring family members, children, and friends.

The time to act is NOW.

You can also visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org to get involved in ending gun violence in schools today.

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Authors

Roberta Reavey
began her teaching career as a high school English teacher in both Massachusetts and New Jersey before becoming a faculty member in the Writing Arts Department of Rowan University. She is also a consultant for the College Board's Advanced Placement English Language Exam and a past president of the New Jersey Writing Alliance, an organization which seeks to bridge the gap between high school and college writing teachers.

Shevone Torres
is a single, disabled, queer mother of 2 children. She is the proud grandmother of a 2 year old. She is also a core member of Black Lives Matter NJ. She grew up in South Jersey in a single parent home, with a sister and brother. She has been fighting towards liberation for some years. Recently, she took up writing as an outlet for herself to help deal with the daily struggles she comes across and only recently decided to share her stories with everyone else.

Casey Olesko
serves as the Communications Director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization that advocates for access to essential health care through education, activism, voter engagement, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. For more information, visit www.ppactionnj.org.

Emily Devenney
Emily is an activist from Hainesport interested in education, housing, and socioeconomic justice. She has been active with South Jersey Women for Progressive Change since the fall, particularly with the Racial Justice Study Group.

Amy Durr
is a lifelong resident of New Jersey who currently lives in Medford Lakes. She is most passionate about racial justice and advocating for people who have special needs.

Karly Grossman
is an activist and attorney who brings an intersectional approach to her advocacy for the rights of frequently marginalized and mistreated communities. Her areas of interest include healthcare, harm reduction, disability rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice and criminal justice reform. She is a resident of Maple Shade, NJ.

Summer Maher
is a sophomore at Moorestown High School. She is part of the student council, Model UN, and Urban Challenge Club. Summer enjoys writing, reading, playing tennis, teaching ESL and at her Sunday school and doing community service. She hopes her writing makes people act in favor of a safer, more inclusive America!

Jennifer North
is an activist, writer and nonprofit consultant. She co-leads SJWPC’s Racial Justice Action Group and lives in Merchantville, NJ.

Kathleen Strykowsky
is semi-retired and works as a nanny. She is the founder and President of the Mt Laurel Women's Club, a Democratic Committee Person, and involved in several progressive groups. She is a married mother of 2 daughters who are both nurses and in grad school to be nurse practitioner

Melissa Tomlinson
is a public school teacher who became interested in politics after a confrontation with Chris Christie in 2013. When Melissa asked why the governor called the state's schools "failure factories," Christie shouted at her, "Just do your job!" Since then, she has run for Atlantic County Freeholder-at-Large (2017). Melissa currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director of the Badass Teachers Association and she is the current Acting Chair of the Elections Committee of the Green Party of New Jersey.

Alissa Wolf
is an award-winning journalist who covered the entertainment industry, general features and politics for a variety of publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newark Star-Ledger, Asbury Park Press the Robb Report, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia City Paper, Hit Parader, Word Up!, Revolution Metal and many others. She is the author of the memoirs "Punk Rock Princess" from Bear Manor Media. A resident of Maple Shade, NJ, She currently serves on the SJWPC Communications Committee.

There is Nowhere to Hide in My Classroom

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