This time, I felt a glimmer of hope that our nation might finally pause to truly hear one another. I believed we would listen to the victims and their families, to law enforcement, and to educators who know that we lack adequate resources to support our students. I thought our politicians would rise to the occasion and enact laws that genuinely serve the public good.
However, I underestimated the depth of our society’s entanglement with gun culture. The prevailing response from some, including our Secretary of Education, Michael Thompson, has been to arm teachers. Just this week, Kentucky proposed Senate Bill 103, allowing public and private school staff to serve as “school marshals,” effectively permitting them to carry firearms on campus. Instead of reforming gun laws, more states are considering similar measures, with Alabama, Colorado, Florida, and others following suit, as noted in a recent NPR article.
The proposed solution from many politicians seems to be more firearms in schools to address the very issue of gun violence in schools. These same lawmakers often use educators as mere talking points and children as opportunities for photo ops, all while ignoring the dire straits of our underfunded educational institutions. Now, they have the audacity to suggest that I, as an educator, might need to carry a concealed weapon as part of my job?
Let me clarify what my role truly entails. As a speech-language pathologist, my responsibilities include teaching essential social skills—like empathy, self-awareness, and kindness—to students with disabilities, some of whom face mental health challenges. Unfortunately, this critical work is grossly under-resourced.
This isn’t an isolated incident; countless service providers (school psychologists, nurses, therapists, etc.) have similar stories throughout their careers. When I started my new position working with teens who face communication and behavioral challenges, I was greeted by an office covered in dust and clutter, with outdated equipment and no air conditioning. After spending a whole day cleaning, I found a drawer filled with materials from decades past, all while the school touted itself as modern and innovative.
Once I tackled the mess, I searched for therapeutic resources and found none—absolutely nothing to assist my students. I turned to my supervisor, who informed me that other therapists often bring their own supplies. To make matters worse, I have a budget of just $100 for the entire year for essential materials.
Having been a speech-language pathologist for over a decade, I’ve previously purchased my own resources. However, as I now work with an older demographic, my past materials are no longer suitable. While I’m willing to create new resources, that requires time—time that is simply not available.
Like many educators, I’ve spent my own money on materials, but I am tired of being expected to do so. This expectation sends a clear message: “You are undervalued, education is undervalued, and students are undervalued.”
As I sat down to draft an introductory letter to parents (after all, these students have gone without services for over six months), my printer ran out of ink. I scoured for a pen to sign my letter, only to discover I had none. Frustrated, I emailed three administrators and eventually secured a meeting to voice my concerns. Yet again, I was met with the same old excuse—no funding. They even handed me a basic blue pen as consolation.
I have a caseload of 60 students with significant disabilities, and I’m expected to provide meaningful therapy, assist parents, attend meetings, write reports, and navigate billing systems, all while being given little-to-no resources. Now, I’m being asked to arm myself? To purchase a firearm? To undergo training to shoot a gun under duress? To trust that my colleagues are mentally sound enough to safely handle their weapons?
How can I be expected to carry a gun when you can’t even provide me with a pen?
Sincerely,
A deeply concerned speech-language pathologist, dedicated to the students you have overlooked.
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Summary: Lawmakers are pushing for more guns in schools as a solution to gun violence, while educators like speech-language pathologists struggle with inadequate resources. The article highlights the disconnect between political solutions and the realities faced by educators, emphasizing the need for support and understanding in schools.
Keyphrase: Educators need resources, not firearms
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