How Long Before A Teacher Shoots Back?

Abigail “Abby” Zwerner

We’ve already started off the 2023 New Year with a BANG!

That’s right, a BANG!

A BIG BANG!

“Big Bang” as in a school shooting — this time, by a 6-year-old boy in Newport News, VA at Richneck Elementary School who opened fire with a handgun in the classroom upon his 25-year-old first-grade teacher Abigail “Abby” Zwerner, shooting her in the abdomen, after the little bastard got into what was officially described by Newport News Police Chief Steve R. Drew as an “altercation” with her.

In his official press conference, the Chief said in part, that, “The altercation was between a 6 year old, the student who did have the firearm, and then the teacher, and then a round was fired. Like I said, she suffered a gunshot wound and was transferred to the hospital.”

Abby was immediately rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center where her life-threatening injuries were treated, and she is now, expected to recover… exactly to what extent and how much, however, has not been made clear.

School Principal Briana Foster Newton issued a statement Monday, January 9, 2023 which, in part, read: “We were happy to learn today that she is in stable condition and is talking with family and friends.”

In response, the Commonwealth of Virginia has immediately initiated Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) proceedings against the parent(s).

Now, it’s time for conjecture.

So first, let me guess:

The little urchin is (insert_your_choice_of_identifying_features_here).

Whether, or not, the wretched runt is a minority student is NOT the problem, and any who assert otherwise are sorely misguided.

The PROBLEM IS THE FAMILY.

And the problem with the family is NOT the color of their skin, but their apparently, and painfully obvious inability, or failure, to properly parent, to raise up a child in the way he should go. The deterioration of the family in America is a major contributing factor to societal decline in this nation.

In essence, the child is the first victim — the victim of a failed family.

The gunshot-wounded-nearly-killed teacher is the second victim. And it only spreads from there.

“No Man is an island,” wrote English cleric, poet, lover, and former swashbuckler John Donne in 1623. The essence of his statement ought to be obviously crystal clear to even the most casual observer, but… just in the case that it’s not — the essence of his statement is that we are all connected, one to another, that we need each other, that we are better together than we are when isolated or separated.

This is NOT to say that single parents cannot do a good, or even excellent job raising their children, for many do. So, the statement that the deterioration and breakdown of the family is a major cause of societal ills is not a broadly sweeping indictment on single parents, neither is it a wholesale indictment of any people group. It is merely an identification of problems that occur in a relatively small group which in turn, cause greater, widespread societal problems.

The Pareto Principle states, in essence, that a minority portion of any group will always account for the majority of effects. Some call it the 80/20 Rule. In other words, 80% of all consequences come from 20% of the causes. Put another way, 80% of a company’s profit will come from 20% of their products. And yet another way, 80% of the sales of all products will come from 20% of the customers.

The Pareto Principle is not always a “hard and fast,” 100% accurate-all-the-time principle. It is merely an observation that can be observed in numerous instances. Even the Law of Gravity has limitations and exceptions.

The problem of poor and failed parenting is becoming exceedingly costly, and even more costly painful emotionally and psychologically.

An adage attributed to Benjamin Franklin from his 1773 visit to the City of Boston and observation of that city’s fire prevention methods inspired him to write a letter to The Pennsylvania Gazette (which he owned) with advice for the City of Philadelphia, where he resided, which was published February 4, 1733, entitled “Protection of Towns from Fire” and began “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Here’s the point: Our nation’s investment in itself has been found wanting, and having danced for so long, it is long over time to pay the piper, and we are finding the consequences of such failure to be quite unacceptable.

It is NOT too late to start “paying it forward” not for this present generation, but for those who are to come.

And yes, it co$t$ money, but… are we willing to simply throw anyone and everyone in jail or prison for the resultant failures that accompany our lackadaisical ignorance of the most fundamental element of our nation, the very bedrock upon which any society is formed?

It is fundamentally misguided and errant to take punitive measures when preventive, or even corrective measures should have been taken earlier.

Well-adjusted children don’t bring guns to school, get in arguments with their teacher, and then shoot her.

We cannot pretend otherwise, and we cannot continue to neglect the root cause of such problems.