“Lockdown, lockdown, lock the door
Shut the lights off, say no more
Go behind the desk and hide
Wait until it’s safe inside
Lockdown, lockdown, it’s all done
Now it’s time to have some fun!”
If you’re disturbed reading this new rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” you’re not alone. School shootings are, unfortunately, a real threat to today’s kids – and that’s why one school in Somerville, Massachusetts is teaching its youngest students this “school shooting survival” song.
Mom Georgy Cohen, whose child will start kindergarten at the school this fall, took to social media to share a photo of the nursery rhyme that she saw posted on a chalkboard during a tour.
The sign was right there next to the alphabet, written in bright colors – seeming so inviting until you read the words. Because this is the world we live in. Our kids have to go to school knowing that someone could come in and kill them in minutes.
And they’re learning this younger and younger.
“Cohen said her 5-year-old daughter had been practicing active-shooter drills at her pre-kindergarten program,” Business Insider reports.
Preschool program. She’s practicing active shooter drills during a preschool program. Let that sink in for a minute. Sure, some argue it’s better for kids to understand how lockdowns work and to be educated on school shootings and, ultimately, hopefully, safe in the event of one. But the fact that kids have to understand lockdowns and school shootings is really disheartening.
My heart sank when I first read about this nursery rhyme. I have a 1-year-old son and, while he won’t be in school for a few more years, I’m already worried about his safety when he does walk through the doors of his elementary school.
Because the truth is these school shootings can happen anywhere – and any of our children could be victims of an active shooter.
What do you think of this nursery rhyme? Do you think kids in metro Detroit should learn it too? Tell us in comments.
