Children under 7 really don't have a concept of the finality of death. Trying to teach them without scaring them is a tough task. Some avoid discussions Some administrators decided to avoid classroom discussions of Tuesday's killing. We have to be careful not to be stressing ideas that they're too young to really comprehend. In Springfield, Ore., the school system experienced violence firsthand in 1998 when Kip Kinkel killed two students and wounded 25 at Thurston High School.
Teachers now have guidelines on how to respond.
Some schools go into full assemblies, and it just raises the hype. There certainly is a level of fear that must go through teachers. All of us are considering things that we never thought about before. Glen Bayless, a physical education teacher in Fairfax County, Va., said that in his 22-year career in four elementary schools he'd never seen a student attack another with a dangerous weapon. I can't imagine what's going through the minds of the teachers in Michigan.