I am 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, and I am terrified to go to school.
I’ve been sitting here, erasing sentences over and over again, trying to find a way to start this. I want to make a post regarding the shooting in Florida, but I am at a loss for words.
How do I start writing about something as terrible as this? How am I, an anxious teenager, going to make a difference?
I keep asking myself that, after rewriting this so many times. I figure, I can only hope that I can make a difference.
What happened was a tragedy. It was devastating. It was terrifying. It still is. I walked into school this morning scared out of my mind.
I was hoping that a teacher would maybe discuss it in class, maybe someone would teach us what to do in this situation. That didn’t happen.
Sure, we have lockdown drills every now and then. Rarely. I don’t think that a lockdown drill is going to teach us much about how to react in this kind of situation though, if it were to occur.
We hide under a desk, lock the doors. That’s what I learned.
To me, that is not enough. As a person with anxiety, similar to many of my peers, I would want to learn coping mechanisms. Breathing exercises. Ways to stay calm.
I can assure you, many students are not going to remain calm under a real lockdown. We should know what to do before a lockdown. We should know what to do before we have to be quiet and not ask any questions.
Teach us. Teach us what else to do besides hiding.
We should not have to walk into school, scared for our lives.
What signs should we look for in others? How do we know if a post on social media is legitimate? Schools, teach your student body that reporting something that looks or sounds suspicious is not being a snitch. It is being smart.
I know that I am not just speaking for myself. I am speaking for so many others. I am speaking for my friends. I am speaking for my parents. I am speaking for all the students and adults out there who are scared.
I want to be informed, I want to know what to do. Teach us.
I am praying for the people affected by this shooting in Florida. My heart is with you. Stay strong.
Maggie Allred
Mansfield, Ohio
