Teaching During Columbine - A teacher remembers

Seventy Thoughts on Turning Seventy

Teaching school would never the same.

I was teaching at Masterman High School in Philadelphia on April 20, 1999 when the news of the tragic and horrific shooting at Columbine High School reached us. Little did we know, that we were all entering a new, dark and murderous chapter in American history.

In the days that followed, my 9th graders and I embarked on an inquiry project that we hoped would help us understand not only what had happened in Colorado but how different people in our community were responding to the horror.

Using the theatrical approach that Anna DeVeare Smith had developed to bring diverse voices and perspectives to communities which had experienced racial and ethnic violence, ( Fires in the Mirror, Twilight Los Angeles), my students fanned out across the city and interviewed various people of all ages and backgrounds about their thoughts and feelings about the horrific school shooting. The students then created and delivered monologues based on those interviews as a dramatic performance.

This approach allowed us to look at and discuss issues which we would not have had access to in a traditional class discussion. In addition, because the students weren't speaking their own words, they were able to bring in perspectives to the floor without fear of being criticized or silenced.

The final piece revealed so many schisms in out country at the time -- class differences, racial animus, gun laws and adolescent psychology.

Little did we know that we had entered a new era in American life where our children and teachers would never again be safe at schools.

My students named the interview-based theater piece about Columbine, "Any Suggestions?" The title, I believe, was prescient; twenty-six years and hundreds of deaths of children and educators later, some law makers are still insisting that there is no way to control gun violence and that the right to bear arms is more sacred than the right for children to grow up safe and free. If you read their work from 1999, you will see how nothing has really changed, except the continued loss of life and political hand wringing and cowardice.

below - excerpts from Any Suggestions, Masterman School, May 1999

COLE REINHOLD – 14 year old

Yea, there’s violence in the schools, but what can anyone do about it? I mean seriously, the only way to prevent it is to treat students as if they were prisoners. It doesn’t take much for people to start throwing punches, you know. Kids pouncing. Just pouncing on other kids. It’s getting scary. Who or what’s to blame for all of the violence? Music? TV? Video games? I listen to Korn. I watch South Park. And I own Mortal Kombat 3. But you don’t see me going around killing people. I just don’t know what can be done. Do you have any suggestions?

DR. AGNES JACKSON – 54 year old retired school teacher

Look what happened in Littleton. It was horrible. It was monstrous. Even tragic. Who would have thought it could occur in a small, white suburban town. No one. That’s my point. Of course, it’s no surprise when there are shootings and stabbings in our inner cities. They never thought it could happen to them. Then it did. My husband is white. We raised our children to be smart, understanding, careful. Careful of what they do. Careful of what they say. Because no one ever knows what’s going to be in someone else’s head. The mind is a mystery. From what I heard, the parents of the teens responsible for the shootings did not encourage racist behavior.

ANNONYNMOUS – popular school athlete

The school should do more of that “Goth profiling”- then maybe those weird kids would be scared straight and they’d stop trying to be so different and be more like the rest of us for a change. And I only harass those freaks because they deserve to be harassed. I mean, I’m not really trying to hurt them. It’s just a joke.

CHRIS SIMON – 16 year old student who moved here from the Midwest

I have an understanding of what it’s like to be tormented by my peers to the point of isolation. Complete isolation. I moved to Pennsylvania from the Midwest and immediately I was mocked and ridiculed for such small differences! It’s the “playful teasing” that makes anger and tension mount up. You begin to watch violent movies, play violent games, and listen to violent music all as forms of relieving stress. You grow to hate the world and yourself so much that you smuggle a magnum into school and take the lives of those who wronged you, then take your own. And the bullies? They are not the only teasers now. Everyone “normal” mocks those who are the slightest bit different. Their uniqueness is considered a fault. You see? By allowing children to be mocked in school we are spawning future killers and rapists.

CATHY DUGGIN – sophomore, East Catholic High School

If you’re talking about the Colorado incident, I think these kids were being taken advantage of and people missed a lot of the warning signs. But they still went to ridiculous extremes: making bombs and turning to Nazism. It’s the glorification of revenge being blown way out of proportion. Focus on the fact that all of these people, including the two gunmen are gone. That this is it. They won’t wake up tomorrow.

JACK MULLEN – gun shop owner

I may the owner of a gun shop, but I would never sell a gun to a kid. Not only is it illegal, but it’s just plain stupid. Kids aren’t mature enough to have a gun. Heck, I don’t think half the people I sell guns to are mature enough to have them. But it’s my job. It’s what I do. About Columbine. I’m sick of people saying it’s the NRA’s fault. Some people want to go as far as banning guns. Remember, guns don’t kill people; people kill people. Doesn’t anyone understand that owning a gun is in our Constitution? It’s as much a right as freedom of speech. Just remember that.

JUAN GONZALEZ – businessman

The second amendment was made in the time of militias and it was created to protect the individual from the government, so carrying a stupid weapon would not matter against tanks, satellites and the much more advanced weaponry the government has. I think the second amendment was created to strike some balance between the government and the people but I think that balance has been lost for a long time. Well, actually, I’ve wanted to say something. I wasn’t born here and I think I don’t really understand Americans. I might not understand the whole discussion about guns – that carrying guns has something to do with freedom.

STEVEN CHAPMAN– retired Army lieutenant and former professor of psychology

I mean,… you would think that now after the tragedy at Columbine, people will begin to realize what effect these violent games have on minors. A violent game such as Doom helps break down the natural inhibitions we have against killing.. thus the action of killing is nullified by repeatedly experiencing the animated situation. I mean for God’s sake! Even the military has begun using games like Doom to improve the fire rates of soldiers. They’re supposed to make the shooting at humans seem more….”normal.” What a sick twisted idea of fun! I’ll tell you something. Doomed. that’s what this country is.

SERENITY- teenage high school student

Yeah, I heard about the shooting in Colorado. Well, from what I heard, Littleton was this picture of a small, typical American town and these two guys just shattered that image. Since then, the whole country has been trying to piece together the shards and figure out what happened. Unfortunately, there’s still some jagged edges, you know. So from what I heard, the kids did it because they were just sick and tired of being outcasts. The kids teased and taunted them. If those other kids did tease them they should’ve had the common sense to know they wouldn’t take it forever. I mean you do reap what you sow. Now wait a minute. Don’t get me wrong. Don’t think I’m condoning what they did, because I’m not. I mean it’s only human to react, but it was inhumane to react in that way, you know.