'I lied.' A teacher describes protecting her students during Apalachee HS shooting

[sheshe2]

By Emma Bowman
Published September 7, 2024 at 2:17 PM EDT

In a gut-wrenching account shared widely on social media, Jennifer Carter, who for more than 20 years has taught Spanish at the school in Winder, Ga., described her horrific experience of putting into motion her preparation for a moment she hoped would never come.

“It was the worst 20 minutes of my career,” she wrote in a post on Facebook late Wednesday night, hours after the attack.

The violent attack left two students and two teachers dead and nine others injured. When the attack began, Carter said she initially told the students it was just a drill in order to keep students calm.

“I lied,” she began the post. “I told them to get behind my couches (thank GOD I ditched desks and have bulky furniture!) and be quiet - the more quiet we are the faster the drill will end. I knew it was a lie. I knew this was what I always plan my furniture arrangement for every year. My kids were able to just hide and not panic for over 10 minutes.”

Read more https://www.wvtf.org/2024-09-07/i-lied-a-teacher-describes-protecting-her-students-during-apalachee-hs-shooting

She, in my opinion, was a hero.

[ananda]

1. Wow, now that's thinking ahead.

Well done, though such a shame it had to be done.

[sheshe2]

17. Last year she was awarded teacher of the year.

I can understand why.

[tanyev]

2. "this was what I always plan my furniture arrangement for every year"

[wordstroken]

3. Yes, Jennifer Carter definitely is a hero. What would we do without our teachers?

But we have to do better. We have to make our kids feel safe — and truly BE safe — no matter where they are.

Praying that Harris and Walz are overwhelmingly elected and can turn things around to make that happen.

Thank you so much for posting, sheshe2.

[sheshe2]

18. Thanks, wordstroken, I am hoping for the same.

We are going to need our Senate and Congress as well in order to make these things happen.

[wordstroken]

19. Yes, all the way down ticket!

👍👍👍👍🤞🤞🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏🙏

[Lonestarblue]

4. I want an America where kids, from 6 year-year-olds to teenagers, do not have to go through active shooter drills.

I want an America where people can go to the grocery or the mall or to a concert and not worry about being shot.

I want an America where people love their born children more than specks of embryos and do not buy them assault weapons for Christmas.

I want an America where we stop seeing skin color only and treat all people with respect.

I want an America without Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, and most of the Republican Party!

[birdographer]

5. Agree 100%

Particularly that last sentence.

Whenever my spouse goes out to run errands, I always say ""Don't get shot." What a ridiculous thing to say...and how apropos these days.

When I am in any large store, I always note where back doors are in relation to where I am. I want to be able to get out or at least out of sight. These days situational awareness is very important.

[ShazzieB]

12. I'll drink to all of this!

[Magoo48]

6. The image in my mind of what this brave teacher did is inspiring.

This juxtaposed to the image of her blazing away with some wholly inadequate, mandatory classroom weapon, in a firefight with the shooter, with the kids leaping for cover.

[Joinfortmill]

7. An amazing person.

[Evolve Dammit]

8. Thank you Ms. Carter

[Wiz Imp]

9. Wow!!

A true hero.

[notroot]

10. Makes me wanna cry. She is a HERO!

And so are those children.

Children shouldn't need to be heroic. We're raising two generations of kids... going on 3... who will have distinctly different attitudes toward supposed "rights" to keep and bear instruments of slaughter.

[brer cat]

11. K&R

[sheshe2]

16. I cried for the children and teachers you lost in Georgia.

From what I read their 'warning system' helped to end this quickly. It saved lives.

[Farmer-Rick]

13. Wow, now that's thinking ahead

I wonder if the first amendment lovers would fund bullet proof couches and panic rooms for all our class rooms and children congregation points? Since the Supremes won't allow Americans to control the free flow of weapons throughout society, we should then protect the most innocent and vulnerable from those weapons.

These kids can never be accurate enough to shoot back efficiently and the police and FBI are almost useless in preventing these shoot outs in children areas. The solution is to provide adequate protection, bullet proof furniture, bus stops, and panic rooms seems to be the answer.

[spanone]

14. K&R

[ShazzieB]

15. JFC, America.

Landon Benson, who commented on Lambert’s post, said: “Every single teacher feels this. Like a gut punch. I find myself scanning rooftops when I’m outside. I consider 'where will we run from out here in the field? How would I get their attention when they are far from me? How quickly will we all react?' almost daily.”

This paragraph was a gut punch to read.

We can do better than this, my fellow Americans. We HAVE to do better that this!

[Duncanpup]

20. So glad she was prepared

[3Hotdogs]

21. It was 2006. I was a teacher in an urban N.J. high school. A pistol had been taken from a kid a few months earlier.

On a January morning, the newspaper reported about a shooting that was outside my classroom window. It was an after-school event. But still....

I left the house to drive to work. I got to the entrance to the N.J. Turnpike and asked myself, "What am I doing this for?'

I turned the car around, called in sick and went on an Audubon walk with Joyce.

The next day, I turned in my pension papers.

I'm glad she is in the classroom. Buy also, WHY? We would all be better off if ALL the teachers said "FUCK IT," Until the gun problem is fixed.

[barbtries]

27. really?

just give it up? then only rich kids will get educated. I don't like your proposal. I understand the frustration...but no. We need to be educating our children.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

22. Kamala Harris reminds us that it doesn't have to be this way.

[Upthevibe]

23. sheshe2.........

Thank you for this post....What an amazing teacher.....

As a substitute teacher (for one high school) as soon as I walk into the classroom I'll be in that day I assess the room for what my plan would be.

[barbtries]

26. i cannot express

how angry it makes me that your first thought is not what you will be teaching that day but how you will keep your children alive. this does not have to be this way.

#VoteBlueToSaveAmerica #CommonSenseGunLaws

[barbtries]

24. in my granddaughter's 5th grade class,

they lied and said it was real. one of her classmates peed his pants. her lie, I can understand. Their lie, was traumatizing to a school full of children.

only in the US.

[kimbutgar]

25. As a substitute teacher I've had to do those drills and inside I was crying and scared but stayed brave for the kids

I can’t I show we have to deal with this in 2024. Drills should be for natural disasters not gun attacks. I am so ashamed of the gun nuts in this country who only want to keep themselves safe and not others who call themselves good Christians.

[DallasNE]

28. Do You Ever Notice How The Shooters Are Never Stopped

By school security or teachers with a gun? This teacher's quick thinking and planning ahead almost surely saved lives. We need to model the classroom on things that actually work.

[maccafan]

29. I am a retired teacher

I would have done anything to protect "my kids" (as I always called them)! I believe all teachers would do the same. Luckily I never had to face this horrible situation.

[Cha]

30. Ohh.. Thank Goodness for Jennifer Carter's Quick thinking

and Grace under fire.

She is a Hero.. and.. "Last year, the school named Carter teacher of the year."

Mahalo, she :

[sheshe2]

31. She was, Cha.

I am glad she was prepared and handled it so well. The kids were lucky to have her as their teacher and protector.

I can't even imagine the trauma they must feel going back.

And a huge FU to JD saying these shootings are a fact of life.

[Cha]

32. Yes the Shock and I would

imagine the Life Long Trauma of experiencing being the targets of a School Shooter.

Those poor Families and Friends , Students and Teachers who were killed.

As for the Stupid jdv... "It's a Fact of Death.. you stupid heartless *****.

It is Heartening to read Experiences like Jennifer Carter's.. TY again