The world has been watching the USA’s reactions since the tragic Florida shooting in sheer bewilderment, thankfully one American teacher’s moving story is restoring our faith in humanity.
Have you ever read something so beautiful it got caught in your throat and caused you to sob uncontrollably? Over the weekend we read something so heartwarming we ‘Kim Kardashian’ ugly cried! An American teacher in a wheelchair shared an emotionally moving story about a discussion she had with her class after the tragic Florida shooting.
The Florida shooting has rocked the USA to its core but has also created a bit of a battle between pro-gun and anti-gun citizens. We cannot imagine how that is affecting all the people who were hurt or lost family during the shooting. It is all incredibly sad.
People have been very outspoken about the shooting and many posts have circulated the internet since then. Marissa Schimmoeller shared a very frank conversation she had with her students, the convo took place a day after the shooting. After reading her post, we sobbed!
Marissa is in a wheelchair, a fact that shouldn’t earn her any discrimination but could potentially render her unable to protect her students should she ever face the same situation as the Florida Shooting. This is a fact that she herself has thought about and decided to discuss with her class.
Get your tissues ready now! Below is the post that Marissa shared after the shooting. The response of her class really got us square in the heart! They have truly restored our faith in humanity.
Today was really hard for me. Today was the first time I had to teach the day after a mass school shooting. I dreaded facing my students this morning, and as the first students walked in, I began to feel the anxiety pooling in my stomach. I was dreading one, specific question. Soon after class began, a freshman asked me the question I had been dreading since I had heard about the tragedy in Florida.
“Mrs Schimmoeller,” she asked. “What will we do if a shooter comes in your room?”
My stomach sank. I launched into my pre-planned speech about our plan of action. Then, I knew I had to say the harder part: “I want you to know that I care deeply about each and every one of you and that I will do everything I can to protect you. But – being in a wheelchair, I will not be able to protect you the way an able-bodied teacher will. And if there is a chance for you to escape, I want you to go. Do not worry about me. Your safety is my number one priority.”
Slowly, quietly, as the words I had said sunk in, another student raised their hand. She said, “Mrs Schimmoeller, we already talked about it. If anything happens, we are going to carry you.”
I lost it. With tears in my eyes as I type this, I want my friends and family to know that I understand that it is hard to find the good in the world, especially after a tragedy like the one that we have watched unfold, but there is good. True goodness. It was found in the hearts of my students today.
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