This afternoon, at 2:00 p.m., the school had a fire drill. These are mandated at all schools once a month throughout the school year. These drills — along with intruder drills, tornado drills, and other emergency scenarios — are important in order to keep the students aware while, at the same time, taking a little bit of the edge off the emotions should something necessitate a real warning. If the students are used to the different alarm bells and what to do, they will act quickly and we will be able to keep them as safe as possible.
Some argue against such drills. They think they generate fear. I don’t believe that. I think they generate rapid and certain response to different scenarios. Do I wish some of the drills were not necessary? Of course. The sad fact is that our world is such that these are all necessary nowadays.
If only peace reigned in our hearts and in our world.