Parkland Speaks

Parkland Speaks

YA nonfiction
"Watching my students find their voices after tried to silence them
was impressive.
Perhaps that's an understatement.
It was awe-inspiring. It was brave. It was courageous."
Sarah Lerner teaches English and journalism and advises yearbook
at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Valentines Day 2018 she and
her students and colleagues endured a major tragedy. A gunman took
the lives of seventeen students and teachers and injured many more.
Parkland Speaks: Survivors From Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share
Their Stories, which Lerner contributed to and edited, is something
beautiful that emerged from unspeakable tragedy. Members of the
community share experiences candidly and generous through a wide range
of modalities. There are poems, speeches, accounts, and letters.
Some that really shook me are printed on lined paper in the script of
kids in their early teens who never should have had to experience what
they did. There are also pictures.
The survivors express feelings of loss and grief. There's also
a lot of anger. Why hadn't those in power taken adequate steps to
prevent school shooter incidents? Why are they so reluctant to take
these steps that might prevent others from experiencing similar
tragedies? Why are legislators more intent on courting NRA support
than on saving lives?
These are questions that all of us who are adults should be
asking loud and clear. We can't abandon our kids to save themselves.
Parkland Speaks should be all the motivation we need.
On a purrrsonal note, I've seen school shootings from three
perspectives. Sometimes sending my children to school I've felt my
heart clutch with fear of losing them. As a school committee member
I've participated in creating practices and policies to protect
students from active shooters without paralyzing them with fear. And
as a student myself I look for ways to hide or escape in places I work
or attend class. About the only benefit I can see to online classes
is the relative safety from this lethal threat. (Jules).
And they say humans are the superior species? Um really? (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all who fight against monied
interests to make schools the safe places students, faculty, and staff
deserve to be in.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


Sent from my iPod