Last Wednesday I spent a lot of time in the car and listened to a variety of talk radio stations to help keep me awake.  I left our house before 6 AM and logged about 7-1/2 hours of driving that day, so I really needed the distraction to keep me going.  After several hours of listening to the developing saga of a football player who intentionally overdosed/had an allergic reaction to supplements (depending on the time of day you heard the news), an awful story began to be reported out of Colorado.  I was saddened to hear the story of the students in Colorado.  First reporters speculating on whether students were responsible, then trying to determine who was held hostage, all the time trying to figure out what was happening.

On Friday the bad news from schools continued as I heard the report out of Wisconsin about the boy who brought a gun into his school and shot his Principal.  Today, more sad news out of Pennsylvania.  And this newsbox graphic from msn.com:

All of this news makes me so sad.  All of it in one week.  Students and families all over mourning their losses, praying for healing, hoping for a return to some kind of normalcy.  How can families and schools that go through these awful tragedies figure out a way to go forward?  They are forced to deal with things that children shouldn't have to face.  They should be able to enjoy their childhood, go to school and be safe, have fun, celebrate success, feel good about applying to colleges, go to prom.  Stuff that kids do.  Not go to funerals for their classmates, go to therapy, talk to the media, see themselves over and over again on the TV as they cry, feel guilt about enjoying the milestones of their childhood.

It was just over three years ago that there was a shooting at my old high school where two students died.  I could vividly picture all of the events of that day as I spent 7-12th grades in that building.  The teacher who stopped the shooter was one of my former teachers.  My parents know the families of the children who died.  My hometown was on the news every day and from the aerial shots of the school I could see the house I grew up in. 

I realize that there is no simple answer to stopping violence in schools (see the note above in the msn.com graphic, even the experts don't know).  I recognize that there is violence every day that people have to face, and not just in schools.  I also see that my viewpoint of how a child's school experience should be isn't a reality for some people.  And, I don't know how schools can figure out a way to identify every person who decides to bring violence into schools.  Just based on recent news, it could be a child who takes action because they felt isolated or teased, strangers passing through the area, someone who delivers the milk.  It's certainly not just happening in areas where violent crimes are more prevalent, sadly illustrated by today's violence in an Amish one-room schoolhouse.

I just want kids to be able to be kids.  To go to school and be safe.