Amish School Shootings
In 1790, three Moser brothers boarded a ship to Philadelphia. Like many German immigrants, they left their home country to find religious freedom and take advantage of the free land in Pennsylvania offered to these adventurous homesteaders.
My ancestors were not considered Amish or Mennonite, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the old photographs. My great-great-great-grandfather, with his full neck beard and black hat would have fit in perfectly in an Amish community.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, we lived side by side with the mysterious Amish and other similar German religious sects. More recently, we lived near an Amish community in mid-Michigan. The Amish kept to themselves. We were the Outsiders. We bought their delicious pies, their beautiful furniture, and quilts. My grandmother and mother were expert quilters as well, but their work was nothing like the unbelievable quilts made by the Amish.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it is heartening to see their characteristic black buggies parked in front of the grocery store. The Amish are quiet, respectful, friendly, and admirable people who strive to live as they did centuries ago.
The very last place that anyone would have expected a violent school shooting would be a one-room Amish schoolhouse. As the news reports poured in over the last few days, I was stunned. Along with Columbine and the more recent Colorado school shootings, this most recent, senseless tragedy struck an especially painful chord. My heart goes out to the families of those innocent children (including the family of the murderer). While the pious Amish can forgive this sick perpetrator for the murders of their children, we non-Amish are not as forgiving.
Crimes involving harm to children seem to be more frequent. No longer can parents trust that their children are safe when they are in school. In my own clinic, I see more and more parents choosing to home-school their children. I am beginning to understand at least one of the reasons: safety.
Growing up in Appalachia, my biggest school-related fear was the teachers. Corporal punishment was permitted, and I must say that I was on the business end of a wooden paddle or razor strap on at least three occasions: Once for skipping school in first grade; once in third grade for walking along the railroad track on my shortcut home; and last in 7th grade for being a smart-aleck.
Of course, we had our walking-to-school and playground bullies, too. I would name them in this Blog, but I still live in fear that they would somehow find me, assuming they are not currently in prison. Basically, we got in more trouble during the idle summer months, than ever in school. In school, we had order and unquestionable obedience. In school, we were safe. There were more guns in our town than cars, but the idea that someone would take children hostage and shoot them execution-style was not even in wild imagination.
Urban schools now have armed security guards and metal detectors. Children are forced to carry their books in heavy backpacks because the lockers are gone – too easy to hide weapons and drugs. Schools are becoming citadels. Crimes even come from inside the school. Teachers are having sex with students (and vice versa).
A recently-hired, ex-con janitor raped and killed a young girl in one of our local high schools where my wife and I provided annual sports physicals. About ten years ago, I took care of a young girl that was pushed out of a moving car and then shot twice in the head by her softball coach when she threatened to reveal their sexual relationship. She miraculously survived, but like the Amish school murderer, the coach conveniently killed himself.
I am rarely short of answers on the WebMD boards or this Blog, but I don't have any answers or solutions for this disturbing trend of school violence. Yes, life is filled with inherent risks. And, yes, life was never intended to be fair. But, where is life's fairness when little Amish girls are killed in the presumed safety of their bucolic classroom?
God help us.
Related Topics: Bullying Increasing: First Boys, Now Girls, How Adults Can Help Stop Bullying
Technorati Tags: school shootings, amish, pennsylvania
My ancestors were not considered Amish or Mennonite, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the old photographs. My great-great-great-grandfather, with his full neck beard and black hat would have fit in perfectly in an Amish community.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, we lived side by side with the mysterious Amish and other similar German religious sects. More recently, we lived near an Amish community in mid-Michigan. The Amish kept to themselves. We were the Outsiders. We bought their delicious pies, their beautiful furniture, and quilts. My grandmother and mother were expert quilters as well, but their work was nothing like the unbelievable quilts made by the Amish.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it is heartening to see their characteristic black buggies parked in front of the grocery store. The Amish are quiet, respectful, friendly, and admirable people who strive to live as they did centuries ago.
The very last place that anyone would have expected a violent school shooting would be a one-room Amish schoolhouse. As the news reports poured in over the last few days, I was stunned. Along with Columbine and the more recent Colorado school shootings, this most recent, senseless tragedy struck an especially painful chord. My heart goes out to the families of those innocent children (including the family of the murderer). While the pious Amish can forgive this sick perpetrator for the murders of their children, we non-Amish are not as forgiving.
Crimes involving harm to children seem to be more frequent. No longer can parents trust that their children are safe when they are in school. In my own clinic, I see more and more parents choosing to home-school their children. I am beginning to understand at least one of the reasons: safety.
Growing up in Appalachia, my biggest school-related fear was the teachers. Corporal punishment was permitted, and I must say that I was on the business end of a wooden paddle or razor strap on at least three occasions: Once for skipping school in first grade; once in third grade for walking along the railroad track on my shortcut home; and last in 7th grade for being a smart-aleck.
Of course, we had our walking-to-school and playground bullies, too. I would name them in this Blog, but I still live in fear that they would somehow find me, assuming they are not currently in prison. Basically, we got in more trouble during the idle summer months, than ever in school. In school, we had order and unquestionable obedience. In school, we were safe. There were more guns in our town than cars, but the idea that someone would take children hostage and shoot them execution-style was not even in wild imagination.
Urban schools now have armed security guards and metal detectors. Children are forced to carry their books in heavy backpacks because the lockers are gone – too easy to hide weapons and drugs. Schools are becoming citadels. Crimes even come from inside the school. Teachers are having sex with students (and vice versa).
A recently-hired, ex-con janitor raped and killed a young girl in one of our local high schools where my wife and I provided annual sports physicals. About ten years ago, I took care of a young girl that was pushed out of a moving car and then shot twice in the head by her softball coach when she threatened to reveal their sexual relationship. She miraculously survived, but like the Amish school murderer, the coach conveniently killed himself.
I am rarely short of answers on the WebMD boards or this Blog, but I don't have any answers or solutions for this disturbing trend of school violence. Yes, life is filled with inherent risks. And, yes, life was never intended to be fair. But, where is life's fairness when little Amish girls are killed in the presumed safety of their bucolic classroom?
God help us.
Related Topics: Bullying Increasing: First Boys, Now Girls, How Adults Can Help Stop Bullying
Technorati Tags: school shootings, amish, pennsylvania
4 Comments:
I think everyone is stunned whenever they hear about the violence in school. I work in a school and it breaks my heart to hear these stories. I thought when children were in school they were safe. I believe though that with the recent school shootings that some of them are copy cats. I don't know if that is true, but if we kept this off the televisions then maybe there would not be as many. I could be living in la la land, but children get ideas from television. My heart goes out to all the families who have lost children due to school violence.
The Amish have the right idea on forgiveness, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." It is easy for them to forgive because that is what we are commanded to do in the Bible so, it is no surprise that they have chosen to forgive the killer and have embraced the family he has left behind. We can all learn a lesson from these selfless people. It is hard to understand but forgiveness produces healing for those who have been offended.
Are our children safe anywhere anymore? I finally found one place...My 12 year old daughter found a blogging site that she loves and it's NOT myspace! It's called call4ally.com and it's SAFE because they hire college girls to read every word before it's posted. So, when our daughters "forget" and include email addresses or anything that can lead a predator to us, Call4Ally.com won't post it. I think this is SO cool and wanted to tell everyone–because I feel like we discovered the holy grail of blogging!!!
Yes indeed, may God help us. Until we as a nation get on our knees and ask God to forgive us of our slide into immorality - including pornography, abortion, rampant violence, greed, self-centeredness - incidents like this will continue to escalate. Our hedge of protection from the Almighty will disappear eventually, then what will we do?
Post a Comment