From the Heart
My mind is still trying to process the events that took place Friday, in my town, where I have lived all of my life. Our community was shaken.
My heart is hurting. My emotions run from sadness to anger. Things like this don’t happen here … but it did.
I wish I had the answers to these senseless shootings. I don’t get what goes through the mind of a middle school student that would make him bring a loaded gun into a classroom and shoot people.
Like I said, I wish I had answers. I only know that we, as a community, came together on Friday and we saw so much good.
Jason Seaman, the science teacher and football coach is a hero. He taught the biggest lesson of his life Friday morning. He also made the biggest tackle of his career. He saved lives. He is a Hero.
Our first responders showed up and remained calm as they handled the situation, as well as the scared students and panicked parents (and grandparents).
The Noblesville Police Department quickly held a news conference to reassure the community that the situation was under control. I’ve never seen so many police cars and heard so many sirens. Kudos to Bruce Barnes of the Noblesville Police Department who had a voice that calmed a lot of fears.
Beth Niedermeyer, Superintendent of Noblesville Schools, and her administration came together and set up counseling for the teachers as well as the students. You can never fully plan for something like what happened on Friday but the plan they had, well, it came together in the midst of the chaos.
Teachers moved quickly to get their students to a safe place and comforted them even when they also needed comforting. The community brought water and food to the high school. Parents hugged not only their kids but other kids.
We are Noblesville Strong.
So where do we go from here?
We have to listen to our kids. We need to hear what is not only in their heads but in their hearts.
We need to ask them questions. How did they feel when all of the chaos was happening? What are their friends saying? What would they do in various situations?
Reassure them that their thoughts and feelings are acceptable. Reassure them that they are not alone in their feelings.
Let them know that if they hear any rumors about acts of possible violence that they need to tell someone. It could save a life or lives.
Make sure they go to the counseling sessions that the school is offering.
Invite their friends and the parents of those friends over for dinner to help process what happened.
Seek more help for them, if needed.
Thank a teacher when you see them out and about. Thank a first responder as well.
Kids today live in a very different world than the one I grew up in. I hurt for them. Safe places are no longer safe.
There are lessons to be learned from what happened on Friday. It’s not about politics or rights or our freedom. It’s about OUR KIDS!
Hug your kids a little tighter. Pray for their safety. Help them see the good and the positive. Listen to them.
As Mr. Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” On Friday, we saw a lot of them.