As the students from Florida are so eager to organize in the movement they are calling #NeverAgain, I, as a former teacher, would make some suggestions as to what I would do.
First, I would guide them. They want change. They want to be heard. How can we make that happen? I would develop a curriculum suited to helping them through this time.
First, I would take them as a large group and we would view the 2015 Frontline Documentary “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA.” Why? Because it lays out the difficulty of changing gun laws even in the wake of previous horrible mass shootings and even with President Obama in power.
Second, we would go to the website Sandyhookpromise.com. Why? Because we do not need to reinvent the wheel—some of the work is done for us.
Third, we would jointly write a mission statement. What can we all agree on that we want to see happen? This would be subject to revision.
Fourth, we would divide into small study groups each tasked with a different issue to report back to the larger group. Study groups might include:
History/timeline of school/mass shootings. Any similarities? Is it escalating?
Scientific studies about school/mass shootings. What do we know statistically? What does the science say about causes and influencers? Make sure our resources are valid and unbiased.
What about the people who say it’s not the gun, it’s the person behind the gun? Is that a valid argument? How do we answer that with science and statistics?
How are gun laws made? Are there both federal laws and state laws that we have to address? If yes, we may need two groups—one that reports back on what the federal gun laws are and one that reports back on state-specific gun laws.
What pending legislation is there right now? How can we help support it if it aligns with our goals?
What are the guns we are concerned about? Assault rifles only? Automatic vs. semi-automatic? What are we specifically asking for?
What is the FBI profile of the school shooter? Make contact with local FBI office for a face-to-face meeting and any available documents to read and report back on.
Mental health laws—what are they and are they being properly enforced? Are we at risk of a copycat?
Are we being kind to our fellow students? Is bullying playing a role? Can we improve? How do we reach out to the loner?
How do we best influence our lawmakers? Letter writing campaigns? Personal meetings? Hosting them at our school? Who are the decision makers we need to target?
What financial resources do we have and how can we best use them? Is pouring money into a March the best way to use our funds? Or should we use it for filmmaking, public service announcements, social media campaigns, travel to meet our legislators? Do a cost benefit analysis.
What are other countries doing about gun laws and gun violence? See comparative studies. If guns are removed, does another kind of violence take its place?
Do we need designated spokespeople? Some students will be more comfortable and prepared in front of a group—some will be more comfortable and prepared in a debate. Find our strengths for public relations.
Be diplomatic. Avoid hostility on social media. Constructively critique each other. For example, saying things like “I think the NRA likes these mass shootings,” or “if you don’t agree with me, then you want to murder kids”—that only alienates your audience. Don’t yell at others. Be civil and earn respect.
Prepare group reports and report back to the large group. Revise mission statement. Move ahead with a solid and workable plan and go for it.
That’s just a rough sketch–but these “kids” do need support and guidance. I hope they receive it while they have the momentum.
And also… before any of this, they need any and all available counseling and emotional support. Most of us will never see the devastation these children saw.
