Today I walked up to the 3rd floor office. It is a huge office with two doors: an entrance door and another door directly across from it that leads to the World Lang. classrooms. I walked through the entrance door, to find the WL door open (which means I can see my classroom door).
I asked my friend what was on my door. What the hell.
My door now has a window about 14 by 22 inches. It is HUGE. Our doors used to be these massive wooden doors. Heavy. No windows. When that door was shut, I felt safe.
The first thing that came to my mind after seeing the window on my door? If there is a shooting, where are my kids going to go?
You can literally see every last corner of my room. With 35 kids piled in each classroom, there is no way I could hide them or protect them. I am now genuinely uncomfortable in a room where, before, I felt safe and in control.
I don't mind the idea of people being able to see us teaching... but I mind the fact that a classroom that made me feel like I could protect my kids has now been violated. And I can assure you those damn windows aren't bulletproof.
I know you're probably thinking that the odds of a shooting are minimal, but after Columbine... no human being who says he/she is a teacher can honestly say that they do not think about the possibility of something bad happening at their workplace. No matter what anyone tells you, teachers always have that thought in the back of their minds. I know I do. I know four other teachers from my department said the exact same thing to me today: what if something happened?
I feel so violated.
I want my G-damn door back.
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