Long After the Sound of Gun Fire Is Silenced

Abstract

Teachers enter the helping profession to mold the lives of children and young adults, not to arm themselves against intruders or their students. Furthermore, teachers and administrators do not knowingly enter into their professions with the mindset that they will one day look into the eyes of their students as they lay before them shot, dying, or picking up the pieces from a traumatic event. In this chapter, the author will highlight data from interviews with three teachers who have vast levels of experience teaching and exposure to trauma. This author will use a narrative perspective in conducting these interviews to truly understand their experience, calling, and need for change. These interviews will highlight teachers who taught when active shooters were a foreign term and teachers who have taught throughout the longevity of their careers in a world where active shooting training and preparedness were a part of their required yearly training. The stark contrast between these participants' interviews will give insight into the vast difference in teaching in today's classroom.