By LINDSAY LANDSBERG
My biggest fear used to be sharks. Just looking at a photograph would make me frightened. I would cower away in fear of the ocean and its monstrous waves. Flying in an airplane wasn’t my favorite thing either. The thought of roller coasters would always make my stomach twist. But none of these fears seem rational anymore. My worst fear is a shooting in my own school. Just by looking at the statistics, it is evident that a shooting can happen anywhere: high schools, universities, middle schools, or elementary schools. Anxiety and worry have filled my head, and the prospect of being put in a serious lockdown situation terrorizes me. What happens if a shooting ever does occur? Do we panic? Do we hide? Do we run? I truly do not know, and I hope I will never need to learn.
Fear can interrupt one’s learning experience. It’s definitely impacted mine. Often during class, all I can think about is where I might hide which keeps me from focusing on the lesson at hand. I scan my classrooms with much more detail than I ever have before in order to find hiding spots. The terror of guns has infected my brain, and it won’t go away. School used to be a positive place of learning. But now it’s taken a dark turn and become a place of terror and fright.
Columbine High School, April 20th, 1999–13 people were killed and over 20 others were wounded. Virginia Tech University, April 16th, 2007–32 students and teachers were massacred, and another 17 were injured. Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14th, 2012–20 students and 6 adults were murdered. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, February 14th, 2018–17 adults’ and students’ lives were taken, and another 14 were wounded. Santa Fe High School, May 18th, 2018–10 students and adults were killed, and another 13 were injured. There have been 22 school shootings this year so far, averaging to approximately 1 per week. As a student, all I can do is sit in class and hope that these horrific tragedies do not repeat themselves.
I used to fret about monsters under my bed ready to kidnap me, and my parents would come to my room and reassure me. Now I fear people with guns in my school, and there’s no reassurance for that.
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