Wow. My heroes.
One of the teachers in our local public school was heard saying *If they’d let teachers carry, there’d be 32 less dead students at VA Tech. Teachers should be able to carry.*
Course, many of the kids get together for hunting before and after school hours during hunting season and *ahem* don’t have time go take their rifles home before school, so they sit in their trunks.
BTW, this is NYS.
The teacher looked at me puzzled and I explained that if these kids didn't shoot the occasional deer, they wouldn't see any meat this winter. I stuck my head back in and said "Okay, no one is in trouble, but how many of you brought a rifle to the bus stop this morning in case you saw a deer?" Out of 10 hands, 8 went up (including the 2 girls). I told the new teacher this is how it is in the country. If they get a deer, they throw it on the farm truck, go back home, dress it, hang it, and school doesn't happen that day. If they don't get anything, they park the farm truck on the side of the road, toss the rifle in it and come to school. That's just how it is.
She never connected well with the kids that year - she said to me they were dirty, smelled funny, and weren't focused on their education. Well yeah, you get dirty when you wake up at 4 to feed the animals, you smell funny when you heat your house with wood, and you aren't focused when you are worried if you are going to be evicted because your dad is the farm's caretaker and he's home drunk...again. She left mid-year and went back to California. Probably best for every one.