WASHINGTON – With schools shutting their doors for the approaching summer break, students nationwide expressed their excitement for the upcoming start of summer and a chance to have a break from school shootings.
“Summer’s great! I get to sleep in, there’s no homework, and I’m way less likely to be gunned down by an AR-15,” said Emma Jackson, 12.
And without the worry of upcoming tests, book reports, and losing their friends and classmates to a shooter armed with his parent’s loosely protected guns, many students have some big plans for their summer schedule.
But for students in high school moving on to their next steps, the memories of class, clubs, and active shooter drills seemed more than bittersweet.
“Well, I’m graduating this year, so I’m a little sad. It’ll be a different change for sure to not be around the same people every day in class, and to not have to worry about whether that was the last hug I’d ever give my parents,” remarked senior John Wilson, 18, who plans to join the Marine Corps post-graduation.
And although many teachers don’t get paid throughout the summer and sometimes need to work second jobs to pay their bills, it seems many echo the same excitement as their students for the upcoming break.
“Honestly, it’s tiring bartending and driving for Uber all summer,” said Lauren Jones, a seventh-grade teacher. “But when I think about having to be constantly worried every day that I’ll have to be a human shield for students I love and care about as they get murdered one-by-one in front of my face, it all seems worth it.”
