Do Over

Each day in Trump’s America is another head-shaking moment of “Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” So now the latest core curriculum for emerging teachers:

• Passing on the lore of great civilizations.

• Developing kindness and compassion in our children.

• Cultivating their tender souls.

• Learning how to shoot to kill with state-of the-art assault weapons.

So that’s all you got, Mr. Trump and the NRA-funded politicians? Arm teachers and give them bonus pay according to marksmanship skills? Great idea! Hey, let’s arm the kids too and devote P.E. classes to target practice! And the custodians and the school crossing guards—“Hey, you! If you jaywalk, I may just have to take you out!” Let’s recruit needed teachers from retired military. Let’s use school budgets for new weapons—come on, who needs books, art material and musical instruments?!

Going on a field trip? Kids, don’t forget your weapons! We’re going to visit the State legislature today. Black kids, sorry, we ran out of money, so you only get to use butter knives from the kitchen. Sorry about that. Oh, by the way, we’re cancelling all school plays, but we’ll still use the drama teacher to role-play lockdown. Who wants to be the shooter today? Who wants to be the hero taking him out? And music teacher, we could use a few kids in the marching band for the military parade and we’ll need some funeral dirges.

People, people. Remember as a kid when you messed up so badly everyone decided on a “do over?” America, no one dreamed even ten years ago we could fall so low. Either we withdraw our membership from the league of civilized nations or decide it’s time for a do over. Go back to the time when the NRA didn’t exist and the country had some sense of common sense and a moral compass. Well, from Native American, African, Latino’s, women’s point of view, there never was such a time. But still, in my lifetime, tardiness and gum chewing were near the top of the list of school issues. Let’s at least get back to that.

And you don’t have to agree with me, but remember, as a teacher, I’ll be armed.