On the soul-crushing idea of arming America's classroom teachers

Last Thursday evening, I could not sleep. President Trump had introduced the idea of arming America's classroom teachers, and to my horror, the idea seemed to be getting some traction in the public discourse.

I could not stop thinking about why this is a bad idea. There are too many reasons even to count. So instead of sleeping, I wrote. Angrily. Passionately.

And then some incredible colleagues helped me see that it had national relevance and that we might try to get it published somewhere. My imposter syndrome, the one that reminds me that I grew up a poor Alabama kid in mediocre schools, flared up. But I pushed it down and followed their lead (and their edits).

And today it was published in a national publication. I hope it adds another voice to the thousands out there speaking out on why arming our teachers is exactly the wrong approach for keeping our students safe.

Here's to common sense gun reform, to being comfortable with stretching ourselves, and to being unafraid of the coming pushback.

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