Guns and the Teacher Student Dynamic

The teacher-student relationship is one that can take many different forms, from trusted advisor to authoritarian dictator. For those of us who work to build healthy relationships with our students, we understand that it takes time and patience to develop a trusting relationship where students feel safe to talk to you about what is most important in their lives. For some students, the relationships that they have with their teachers are the healthiest ones they will have with an adult. Having adults other than your parents who understands and cares about students is a gift to our society.

When we introduce a gun into the equation of this relationship, we disrupt the feeling of safety that many students have. While the National Rifle Association (NRA) would posit that students feel safer if their teacher has a gun, I would argue otherwise. I want to emphasize the word safe because I am referring to both emotional and physical safety. The power dynamic in this relationship is such that teachers have the ultimate control, no matter how well the student and teacher get along. Building a relationship based in safety and trust is difficult when you know that the powerbroker in the relationship can shoot you. It is impossible to build a trusting relationship in the presence of a gun, even if it is concealed. The knowledge that a deadly weapon is available casts a shadow on any interaction.

Additionally, kids know that sometimes other kids get out of control emotionally. They are smart enough to know that if there is a gun in the…