Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | SPECIAL: Surviving a School Shooting, From a Teacher's Point of View

Date: September 20, 2018
Host: Dahlia Lithwick | Slate Podcasts
Guests: Heather Martin (Columbine survivor & teacher), Mary Ann Jacob (Sandy Hook library clerk), Ken Yers (Rancho Tehama teacher)

Overview

This special episode of Amicus presents an intimate and harrowing conversation with three educators who survived school shootings: Heather Martin (Columbine), Mary Ann Jacob (Sandy Hook), and Ken Yers (Rancho Tehama). The episode explores their firsthand experiences during the attacks, the lingering trauma, the realities of lockdown drills, and the ongoing national debates about school safety–all from the perspective of those tasked with protecting children when the unthinkable happens.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Accounts of Surviving School Shootings

Heather Martin: Columbine High School, 1999

• Initial chaos and disbelief:
  “A student ran up through the doors and just said, someone has a gun downstairs and they're shooting. We all kind of immediately jumped up, like, probably out of shock… the teacher yelled at us and was like, get down.” (00:36, Heather Martin)
• Barricading and waiting:
  60 students and teachers barricaded themselves in an office for three hours, hearing gunfire and eventually being rescued by SWAT.
• Haunting aftermath:
  “It was eerily quiet. I often just sort of think about the...scene in the movie Titanic with all the bodies… It wasn’t bodies, you know, it was backpacks and things.” (02:29, Heather Martin)
• Enduring trauma:
  Heather now shares her story openly with students, believing in being prepared rather than shocked.
  “I’ve got my plan and I’ve got my backup plan, and I have a backup plan for my backup plan. And part of being a survivor is really going through those what-ifs.” (13:21, Heather Martin)

Mary Ann Jacob: Sandy Hook Elementary, 2012

• Ordinary day shattered:
  Started as a “dance party Friday” morning, before gunfire erupted over the intercom.
• Lockdown procedures:
  Mary Ann and colleagues hustled children into a protected area they had practiced in lockdown drills, later relocating to a closet behind barricaded filing cabinets.
• Police arrive:
  The sudden entrance of police in riot gear was both jarring and a harsh confirmation: “I sort of crumpled at that moment, thinking, oh my God, it’s real. Like, whatever was going on is really bad.” (06:36, Mary Ann Jacob)
• Aftermath and loss:
  “We had 11 children, six-year-olds, who survived in the classrooms where the shooter…ran by him when he was killing their classmates.” (18:32, Mary Ann Jacob)

Ken Yers: Rancho Tehama Elementary, 2017

• Rampage background:
  The shooting began after the gunman murdered his wife the night before; the next morning, gunfire erupted nearby the small community school.
• Immediate response:
  Ken and other staff quickly ushered students inside amid gunfire.
  “I kept standing there at that door, ‘come on, get inside.’ And they did. And ‘get in under your desk.’ They knew what to do.” (08:34, Ken Yers)
• Impact and ‘luck’:
  He notes how crucial quick action was: “We were extremely lucky. God help that community. I mean, five people died. But those shots going off was enough to alert us to get those kids inside.” (10:36, Ken Yers)

2. The Reality and Consequences of Lockdown Drills

• Trauma of drills:
  Mary Ann reflects on how drills today are more explicit and traumatic than before:
  “We would say to the kids, this is in the event that there’s a stray dog or a bear… Today it’s all about an active shooter, and every kid in America knows that.” (11:46, Mary Ann Jacob)
• Student experiences differ:
  Heather’s high schoolers, many of whom live with real-world violence or are refugees, process drills differently:
  “I don’t notice that my kids are that impacted by the drills… even the real lockdowns that we had.” (13:03, Heather Martin)
• Preparedness as coping:
  All three agree on having numerous contingency plans, often going well beyond official protocols.

3. PTSD, Support, and the Aftermath for Teachers and Students

• Educational impact:
  Ken: “It made for a very surreal year… here you are just now focused… on their mental health. That had to come first.” (16:37, Ken Yers)
• Lack of adult support:
  Mary Ann critiques the focus on rapid return to normal for kids, often neglecting traumatized educators:
  “The focus was on getting the kids back into a normal routine… at the expense of the adults in the classroom.” (20:35, Mary Ann Jacob)
• Hero narratives erase trauma:
  “...the minute you start calling teachers heroes, you’re taking away a little bit of the possibility of them being in trauma and grieving themselves, right?” (21:02, Dahlia Lithwick)

4. The Ongoing “What Next?” Debate on School Safety

Arming Teachers

• Resistance and practicalities:
  “The only person having the conversation about arming teachers is the NRA leadership and the president. I think regular people in general think that’s a ridiculous idea… Most schools in this country have about 100 things they can do between nothing and arming teachers…” (23:04, Mary Ann Jacob)
• Rural exception?
  Ken, a former military policeman, considers exceptions in rural areas where emergency response is far away, but emphasizes any armed teachers must be volunteers with intense training:
  “I think at that exact moment, we have a rare exception… But in the meantime, I think it should be something at least considered.” (25:01, Ken Yers)
• Risks for teachers:
  Heather: “My what-if is, what if I accidentally shoot one of my kids? What if the gunman is a student and then I have to shoot one of my kids? What if the police come looking for the gunman and here I am holding a gun?” (26:37, Heather Martin)
• Alternatives:
  Mary Ann suggests police-trained school security officers as practical alternatives.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Inside you just want to scream and use a bunch of bad language, but I have a classroom full of 18 kids, and they're turning to you... It’s a form of therapy.” (19:54, Ken Yers)
• “Teachers need to focus on what they do for a living, which is teach kids.” (29:01, Mary Ann Jacob)
• “I remember even my own physician saying...you need to get help. And I can remember driving away...thinking that was not helpful because people who are most traumatized are least equipped to help themselves.” (22:13, Mary Ann Jacob)

Noteworthy Segment Timestamps

• Heather’s account of Columbine – 00:36-03:01
• Mary Ann’s account of Sandy Hook – 03:35-07:03
• Ken’s account of Rancho Tehama – 07:15-11:03
• Lockdown drill discussion – 11:46-14:29
• Processing and aftermath/PTSD – 16:12-19:22
• Hero narrative critique – 20:35-21:27
• Debate on arming teachers – 23:04-29:01

Conclusion

This episode serves as an unvarnished look at the lived reality for educators caught in the epidemic of school shootings. The guests’ stories underscore the psychological and logistical enormity of what’s asked of teachers and staff when the worst happens. Their perspectives on drills, trauma, support needs, and school safety policy challenge listeners to move beyond hero narratives and simplistic solutions, illuminating the urgent need for robust, humane, and practical support systems for both students and teachers.