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Homage to Lawrence King. Teach Tolerance To Adults and Children

Love Not Hate

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

“The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness; it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy; it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death; it's indifference.” ~ Elie Wiesel

It was February 14, 2008, Valentine's Day. Love was in the air. However, the expressions of appreciation offered were mournful. Doctors informed the family and his friends, Lawrence King, 15, was removed from life support. Two days earlier, young Larry was in the computer lab at E. O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California. He sat with 24 other students when Brandon McInerney walked into the room with a gun. The armed classmate, fourteen-years of age, approached Lawrence with intent. Brandon aimed his weapon, pulled the trigger, and shot Lawrence in the head. Without hesitation, the shooter ran from the building. Circumstances led observers and police officers to conclude the act was intentional, calculated, and a conscious choice. Brandon committed what is commonly defined as a "hate crime."

School Shootings; Standards Kill Students and Society

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). The Whole Child

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Each moment we live never was before and will never be again. And yet what we teach children in school is 2 + 2 = 4 and Paris is the capital of France. What we should be teaching them is what they are. We should be saying: “Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the world, there is no other child exactly like you. In the millions of years that have passed, there has never been another child exactly like you. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.” ~ Pablo Casals [Cello player, Conductor 1876 - 1973]

School shootings are in the news. Throughout America, adults express concern. Are the children safe when in a classroom. Repeated rounds of ammunition affirm, they are not. Some say times have changed. There seems to be a consensus,; we must secure our campuses, Solutions are standard. Society must protect the young. Few think it possible to prevent another occurrence or attack. Let us examine the whole situation, the whole of our children. Perchance, the problem is not as it appears.

Historic Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation In City And Suburbs

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

The mantra may be "teach tolerance." Yet, we teach our children intolerance. In America, we see Historic Reversals, [and] Accelerating Resegregation, so says a report released in August 2007. This study, conducted by Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee, of the Civil Rights Project, University of California, Los Angeles documents what is evident throughout the country; racism is alive and well in America. Indeed, racial discrimination grows stronger each and every day. The most recent Supreme Court decision, handed down in June 2007, endorsed further racial divides. Parents Involved in Community Schools versus Seattle School District Number 1 et al, sanctions school segregation. For the most part, parents and the population at-large embrace this ruling.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute. "We will prevail."

Virginia Tech Convocation, Professor Nikki Giovanni. YouTube.com

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert
Today, the thirty-three fatalities are memorialized. It will not be the first time we honor the passing of these glorious souls; nor will it be the last. The entire world mourns with the Hokies, their families, friends, and all those touched by the loss of lives. Cyberspace communities have come together. Dedicated boards are offered so that each of us might write a word of remembrance.

I present an opportunity to connect with those that we love, who sacrificed their human souls so that we might live and learn.

In their honor. Massacre at Virginia Tech. Cable News Network.

Remembering the victims. Roanoke Times.

Seung-Hui Cho. I Mourn Your Life and Loss

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

My heart aches. Of course I mourn the passing of the thirty-two Virginia Polytechnic University students, as do we all throughout the globe. Nevertheless, I cannot forget how my heart hurts for the thirty-third victim, the one the media never seems to count among those killed, Seung-Hui Cho. On April 16, 2007 thirty-three lovable and fragile individuals passed.

Virginia Tech School Shooting. Once Again, Why?

Footage of the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16th, 2007

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

It happened again. This time it was bigger and bolder than all the times in the past. At present, this was the worst massive gun massacre on a campus, in a community, since the inception of this country, unless you consider the numerous deaths that occur during war. In combat, a single shooter or a pair of gun totters can destroy many lives. Few are any the wiser. American soil has seen many a battle throughout its short history. Nevertheless, in recent times violent clashes, in quiet neighborhood are more abundant. Today's carnage is the most recent example.

At least 33 people were killed today on the campus of Virginia Tech in what appears to be the deadliest shooting rampage in American history, according to federal law-enforcement officials. Many of the victims were students shot in a dorm and a classroom building.

The investigation continues. For now, details are scant. The shooter or gunman is deceased, assuming there was only one. The armed man took his own life. He was not carrying any identification. Until families of the deceased are notified, names will not be released. The circumstances were horrific.

School Shooting Safeguards. Arm Educators? ©

In the last few weeks, school shootings have dominated the news. The frequency of these seems to be increasing. People throughout the nation are panicking; what are we to do? President Bush spoke of this situation in his Saturday, October 7, 2006, radio address. He proclaimed, “We will bring together teachers, parents, students, administrators, law enforcement officials, and other experts to discuss the best ways to keep violence out of our schools.” Conferences have been called. The problem has been discussed for years.

President Clinton convened such a forum in 1999. Educators, policy-makers, law enforcement officials, and adolescent-development specialists came to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study on May 21, 2002. Each group was equally intent on investigating the causes and effects of Lethal School Violence. In the symposiums, experts sought solutions. Everyone wanted [and wants] to protect our progeny.