A Parkland teacher's homework for us all | Diane Wolk-Rogers

I teach history

at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

On February 14, 2018,

my school experienced one of the worst mass school shootings in American history.

People want to know what we saw,

what I felt.

I don't remember everything,

but I do remember I went into crisis mode,

mother mode.

There was no emotion.

I lined up the kids,

I held up a sign so they could follow me through the hall,

just like a fire drill.

I heard shots from one direction.

Luckily, we were already moving in the opposite direction.

We made it outside.

We made it to safety.

I called my mother.

"I'm OK."

I called my husband.

"I'm OK."

Then my daughter called, my voice cracked, and I knew I had to pull myself together.

I sat alone in my thoughts,

worried about my colleagues and students.

We sat there, only understanding that somehow, Valentine's Day --

We sat there, only understanding that somehow, Valentine's Day

had ended up with our babies dead,

and we didn't know what to do next.

It's been two months,

and every day I still hear the echoes of the "pop, pop" sound of the gunfire.

I remember the fearful faces of my students

when we knew it wasn't a drill.

Still, there's no constant emotion,

except for flashes of pain, grief and anger

triggered by the news,

or an insensitive comment,

or just silence.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School lost 17 precious lives

on that horrible day.

After, students asked us, the adults

the hardest question:

How can we stop the senseless violence?

This was the most difficult question I've been asked.

But it was not the first time I've been humbled by a student's question.

I've been teaching in the public schools for 33 years,

so I know you have to admit what you don't know

before you can share what you do know.

In fact, there's a method to being an engaged student,

teacher, citizen.

First, listen closely to the person asking you a question.

Second, admit your vulnerability. Admit what you don't know.

Third, do your homework.

Fourth, humbly share your knowledge.

I know all about this process.

My students ask really thoughtful questions all the time.

They're eager to learn,

and sometimes they're eager to prove their smarts.

And believe me, they know when I have no idea of the answer,

so in those instances, I say to them,

"That's a great question. Let me research that and get back to you."

So when my students asked,

"How do we stop this senseless violence?"

I listened,

and then I admitted,

"I don't know."

And like I always do when I don't know the answer to one of my questions,

I began doing my homework.

And as a history teacher,

I knew I needed to start with the Second Amendment and the NRA.

In case it's been a while since you've been sitting in a history class,

here is what the Second Amendment

actually says:

"A well regulated Militia,

being necessary to the security of a free State,

the right of the people to keep and bear arms,

shall not be infringed."

Meaning, the federal government could not infringe on the rights of citizens

to participate in well-regulated militias.

The Second Amendment was ratified 226 years ago.

It was written in a time before the federal government's armed forces

were among the most powerful in the world

and when state militias were viewed as necessary to protect the states.

Fast-forward 80 years, to 1871.

The American Civil War had ended a few years prior,

but a couple of Union officers

had witnessed some pretty shoddy marksmanship on the battlefield.

So in an attempt to prepare their men for any future conflicts,

they founded the National Rifle Association

to promote rifle practice.

In short, the Second Amendment was written to ensure

that our newly formed and fragile country

had access to organized state militias.

And the NRA's original mission was to ensure future soldiers had good aim.

Someone could teach an entire course

on how the next 150 years influenced the gun regulation conversations

we're having in the United States

and our interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Almost every pivotal moment in our nation's history

in one way or another

influenced how we as a people

manufacture, debate, regulate and feel about guns.

A lot of change has occurred.

As a matter of fact, it wasn't until 2008

that the Supreme Court ruled for the first time

the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm

unconnected with service in a militia

and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes,

such as self-defense within the home.

Within the home.

This change over time is striking to me,

because it reminds us

that the interpretation of the Second Amendment

and cultural attitudes about guns

have changed over time.

Which gives me hope they could change again.

(Applause)

It's an incredibly complex and dynamic history lesson,

but it's not the lesson I'm here to teach today,

because we don't have time.

I'm not talking about time,

the time that I have here to stand and speak.

I'm talking about the fact we don't have time to lose.

According to the CDC,

over the last five years,

on average, each day 96 people are killed by guns in the United States,

and if we don't figure out how to answer my students' question soon,

one of us could be next.

So, if the question is, how do we stop this senseless violence,

the best way I can think to answer

is to look at multiple choice.

You remember multiple-choice questions in high school, don't you?

Let's start.

Choice A: this will end when we hold gun manufacturers responsible

for the deadliness of their products.

It might surprise you to learn that we've actually thought about this before.

Between 1998 and 2000,

30 counties and cities sued gun manufacturers,

saying they should make their products safer

and do a better job of tracking where their products are sold.

In response, manufacturers argued

that they had no direct liability for how their products were used.

They said the stores who sold the guns and the owners who bought them

were responsible should anything bad happen.

In response to this and many other lawsuits,

the NRA lobbied for the passage of the PLCAA,

the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

The PLCAA passed with bipartisan support in 2005

and entrusts gun manufacturers

to design guns safely,

stores to sell those guns responsibly

and someone to own and use the gun responsibly.

And so when 17 students and faculty die at my school,

no one in this chain will assume responsibility.

Let's take a look at another option,

Choice B:

this will end when we hold ourselves accountable

and regulate the estimated 300 million guns available in America.

Yes, voting is one of the best ways

to take personal responsibility for gun violence.

Making sure that our lawmakers are willing to pass commonsense gun reform

is one of the most effective ways to get those 300 million guns under control.

And also, gun owners can take personal initiative.

If you own a gun,

ask yourself:

Do I have an extra gun I don't need?

Could it fall into the wrong hands?

Have I attended the latest training?

Perhaps as a gun owner,

you should also ask

whether you have been taking care of your mental health?

When it comes to gun violence, the mental health argument falls flat

if we don't acknowledge our own personal vulnerabilities

to mental illness.

One in six Americans will struggle with mental illness.

If we own a gun, we should be rigorously engaged in the upkeep

of our emotional well-being

so we don't pull a trigger

in times of illness.

Otherwise, we should seriously ask ourselves

whether we really have the time and attention to own a gun.

Perhaps for some of us

it's time to lay down our arms.

Then we have Choice C:

this will end when we do a better job of taking care of each other.

Many social issues affect why people buy and use guns.

Sixty-two percent of US gun fatalities

between 2012 and 2016 were suicides,

yet we call people maniacs and psychos, shaming them.

We are creating barriers for people that need help.

Why are we embarrassing each other?

Let's make it easier, not harder,

for people to access better mental health care.

What else? Sexism, racism and poverty affect gun ownership

and gun-related fatalities.

On average, it's estimated that 50 women were fatally shot each month

between 2010 and 2014

due to domestic violence,

and women are still dying in their homes.

Let's empower women

and give our young boys a chance to learn

how to work out their conflicts and emotions with words, not weapons.

And the "Washington Post" reported that last year,

nearly 1,000 people were fatally wounded

by on-duty police officers.

Talk to Black Lives Matter and the police union about that.

We need to tackle this.

(Applause)

At the end of the day,

perhaps people won't feel the need

to buy and use a gun

when they all equally feel safe,

healthy, respected and cared for.

All right, discussion time is over.

It's now time to answer the question.

How do we stop this senseless violence?

Is it Choice A,

Choice B,

Choice C?

Now, I know what you're all thinking.

You remember that multiple-choice questions

almost never end with just three possibilities.

There's always that fourth, Choice D: all of the above.

Maybe that's the answer here.

Or maybe "all of the above" is too easy, and this is not an easy problem.

It requires deep analytical thinking by all of us.

So instead, I'm asking you to do your homework,

write your own Choice D

using supporting detail.

And if you're not sure where to start, look to my students as role models.

They are armed with incredible communication skills

and a sense of citizenship that I find so inspiring.

(Applause)

These are public school kids engaged in the issue of gun regulation,

and their endeavor has moved our hearts.

And they shouldn't have to do this on their own.

They're asking you,

they're asking all of us,

to get involved.

This isn't a spectator sport.

So what's the right answer?

I don't know. Listen, I'm no gun control expert.

I teach the humanities.

To be human is to learn,

and to be part of a civilization is to share your knowledge.

This kind of honest, brave and sincere engagement

is what I ask of my students,

what I expect of myself as a teacher

and what I demand of you now.

Every one of you needs to do your homework.

And then what?

Humbly share your knowledge with each other.

Please teach your family,

teach your community,

your city council, your state legislature.

Teach Congress a lesson.

Thank you.

(Applause)

Thank you. Thank you.

(Applause)