Back to School Public Service Announcement
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8
My heart collapsed. Yet instinctively I held it together. Being a school counselor, we tend to do so in times of crisis. Taylor needed me. Her voice still cracking from blurting out news that neither of us could fully comprehend: Carl is dead. Her high school classmate and my former student, an eight year veteran with the fire department, was killed during an alleged domestic dispute at the age of 30.
Tragically, Carl’s death is not an isolated event.
As local media report the latest tragedy, I wait with bated breath for the victim’s name. Lord, please don’t let it be another one of my babies. My hushed prayer releases automatically while peering at the television. I don’t want it to be anyone’s baby. Sadly, this one is mine too. Kevin, 33. Gunned down in the street.
This scenario replays itself almost daily. A surge in crime among the youth has resulted in more lives succumbing to gun violence. Everyone wants answers. Pleas muffled by sobs while unrestrained anger lashes out in desperation: The schools need to do more! The Mayor needs to fix these streets! The cops ain’t doing nothing! It’s social media! It’s the parents! The convenience of a scapegoat lessens the blow of responsibility. Finger pointing serves only to abdicate accountability. While we are playing the blame game, tragedy continues to strike, and more lives are lost.
I’ve lost count of my students who have been murdered. But their faces and vibrancy remain etched in my memory. I did not imagine it would be like this when I entered the field of education twenty-nine years ago. And for a while, it wasn’t. But this is my reality now. And one far too common for many educators, particularly in urban settings.
I am sick of it. And this is precisely why I am still in the game, fighting alongside my colleagues every day. Devoted tirelessly to young people, educating and nurturing budding minds and hearts. The work is hard. Taxing and exhausting. Our sacrifices are unquantifiable. We give. Pouring from every fiber within us. Our students matter and the work we do is paramount. But the responsibility of our children belongs to all of us.
Each of us shares the charge of caring for one another. Whether one works directly with children or not, everybody can make a difference in the life of a young person. We can start by getting back to basics, by engaging in positive conversation. Speak with children, not at them. Ask about their day and listen without distraction and interruption. Children are impressionable and attuned to everything. The language and behavior they hear and see is often replicated at school. We should always be mindful of our language and actions, knowing that one day we will have to give an account for every word and deed (Matthew 12:36). So why not make it count for good?
As followers of Jesus Christ, we understand tragedies and calamities are inevitable. That in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). Yet Jesus never intended for His followers to be useless. We know we live in a fallen world and eagerly await our Savior’s return. But in the meantime there is work to do. We are called to stand firm and not be shaken, to always keep busy working for the Lord, knowing that everything we do for him is worthwhile (1 Corinthians 15:58). So as children and educators embark upon a new school year, do something. Thoughts are appreciated. Prayers are wanted. Action is needed.
