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Naive but not discouraged: Encourage them
Last month, on Feb. 14, 17 people were killed during a school shooting, with 17 others injured in the fray. What is considered the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook was a former student's last straw after his parents died. Families of those who either attended or worked at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. will never be the same.
This month, on March 14, people throughout the nation participated in 17 minutes of silence — one minute for each person who died — many members being students around the same age of those who died, including those who attend Mountain Home High School and Mountain Home Junior High. At the junior high, many students decided to participate in a walk-out during these 17 minutes, making a statement about gun control and school safety.
Some may believe students conducted a walk-out to have an excuse to leave class, but I don't see it this way.
I was a student not too long ago, a dedicated student who did not like to miss a single day of school. Had a massacre such as this occurred while I still attended high school or junior high, I would have been one of the first people choosing to be part of the walk-out.
Being a part of something like this isn't an excuse to get out of class, it's showing support for something bigger than yourself. This support isn't just for the families who lost someone, it's also to bring awareness to school safety and gun control (the latter of which is not supported fully in the state).
Don't label these students as looking for a way to get out of a class, because if you talk to them, I can almost guarantee that isn't the case. Don't forget that we are grooming these students to be adults, to have their own opinions and stand up for them, yet those in a position of authority to these children are undermining their beliefs by refusing to see it as what it is.
Instead of assuming this was an opportunity for kids to get out of class, encourage your children and students to continue standing up for what they believe in. Don't break them down for leaving class, build them up for having an opinion.
Which would you rather have: a child who isn't afraid to express their thoughts, or one who follows the crowd because they don't trust their own views anymore?