Taking It Personally

In light of yesterday’s carnage on the campus of Virginia Tech, I keep coming back to a recurring theme not only in my own heart, but in my writing, as well.

It was driven home to me again this morning as I heard interviewed a young student named Derek, whose German professor and more than half his classmates were gunned down before his eyes, and who—even though he himself had been shot in the shoulder—helped to barricade the room once the killer made an exit.

Derek said more than once during his comments that he wanted to “go forward with his life.”

I understand the concept of “going on with life,” which to me could mean something as elementary as putting one foot in front of the other. Something as ambitious as, let’s say, getting out of bed in the morning.

But how does a human being who has witnessed such horrors “go forward”? How do they fully embrace the goals and dreams and loves that formerly meant the world to them? Are there things from which the heart cannot recover?

I know that, in Christ, there is healing and redemption and forgiveness and grace. Without these benefits of His salvation, I could not have endured the few truly horrible events that have happened in my own lifetime.

Still, Derek expressed a hope to actually forget that yesterday ever happened. I don’t think that’s possible, but I will pray for him and all the others, that they are someday, somehow able to move forward.

It won’t be anytime soon. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. But someday, somehow, by the mercies of God.

Posted by Katy on 04/17/07 at 10:07 AM

Fallible Comments...

When you were in English 203, did any of your classmates' subject manner or personal characteristics worry you?
Posted by Terri on 04/18/07 at 08:27 PM
Terri--You know, I've been thinking a lot about that! I only found one young man's writing very disturbing, at least that I remember. The guy who would read his poetry aloud, the erotic poetry about the kind of sex that Bill Clinton says isn't sex. Remember? Maybe I'm just old, but the guy seemed to be sadly lacking any sense of boundaries. But I certainly didn't consider him to be threatening in any significant way, just inappropriate.

I feel bad for Nikki Giovanni and the other professors who tried to help Cho and didn't get too far. I just heard Nikki on the news saying that she told him, "Either you drop this class or I quit teaching here, it doesn't matter to me." Her class had dropped to only 7 students, as he'd scared the rest out of their wits.

As a teacher, have you had students you felt this strongly about?
Posted by Katy on 04/18/07 at 08:47 PM
thanks for your thoughts katy. i've wondered some of the same.
Posted by jenn_a on 04/19/07 at 02:00 PM
jenn--Dennis Miller said everyone should be given a 24-hour grace period for every goofy thing they say, think, and feel after a catastrophe of this kind. We all have blind spots, that's for sure. I tend to get stuck in one spot and not move forward at all, after much more minor traumas. We're all wired a bit differently, I think. Thanks for reading!
Posted by Katy on 04/20/07 at 02:22 PM
Heck, a lot of my 7th graders writings worry me. I had a student write the other day on their autobiography (that is their 4th quarter project)...If I were a book, I would be a death threat note because I could kill everyone in the school. Guess what the consequence was for what he wrote? He had to write a letter of apology to me? Big flippin' deal! Like that is going to stop him from taking us all out some day. Each year it gets worse and worse, and I get more scared for our society as a whole, as well as for the youth of America. The blame can go to so many people/places, but I have to point fingers first AT HOME. These children need to have and be given correct morals and values and be taught right from wrong. I realize we can't shelter our kids from what is happening in the world, but we can help them understand what is morally reprehensible. Just my two cents... My prayers to the victims and survivors in VA Tech. Extra prayers, as well, to the teachers who helped protect their students at their time of need. They are true heroes.
Posted by Bridget on 04/22/07 at 07:14 PM
Bridgie--Do you mean that's the punishment the principal doled out to the kid? Did the school involve his parents? (Maybe the parents made him write the letter?) Freedom of speech is all fine and dancy, but veiled (or unveiled...) death threats? A professor friend of mine says, "We are not allowed to cry 'Fire!' in a theater or to shout 'Bomb!' in an airport. But kids can threaten to kill teachers and classmates, and get away with it?"

I love your insights here!! And I love you.
Posted by Katy on 04/23/07 at 08:35 AM
Yep, that was the consequence from the principal. I was appalled. The parents did nothing. (They did know about it, too.) I agree with your prof. friend, and my journalism background, of course, is all for the 1st amendment. However, I draw the line when students write about/say things like this. I have to report it to the office, and I can only HOPE that something will be done on that end, but it rarely happens. It gets incredibly frustrating. Our disctrict is very much into keeping everything "hush, hush" and shoving everything under the carpet to keep a perfect image. If it were a KC school, we would have made the news if a student had written the same thing, plus the kid would have been suspended for sure. A letter to me was just plain ridiculous.
Posted by Bridget on 04/23/07 at 04:21 PM
Bridgie--Yikes! Now we've got the Ward Parkway Mall shooting, too. A killer whose sister said she "tried to get him mental health treatment" for suicidal tendencies, but the facility released him after 6 hours. Come on, people!!!
Posted by Katy on 05/01/07 at 02:53 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Taking It Personally In light of yesterday’s carnage on the campus of Virginia Tech, I keep coming back to a recurring theme not only in my own heart, but in my writing, as well. It was driven home to me again this morning as I heard interviewed a young student named Derek, whose German professor and more than half his classmates were gunned down before his eyes, and who—even though he himself had been shot in the shoulder—helped to barricade the room once the killer made an exit. Derek said more than once during his comments that he wanted to “go forward with his life.” I understand the concept of “going on with life,” which to me could mean something as elementary as putting one foot in front of the other. Something as ambitious as, let’s say, getting out of bed in the morning. But how does a human being who has witnessed such horrors “go forward”? How do they fully embrace the goals and dreams and loves that formerly meant the world to them? Are there things from which the heart cannot recover? I know that, in Christ, there is healing and redemption and forgiveness and grace. Without these benefits of His salvation, I could not have endured the few truly horrible events that have happened in my own lifetime. Still, Derek expressed a hope to actually forget that yesterday ever happened. I don’t think that’s possible, but I will pray for him and all the others, that they are someday, somehow able to move forward. It won’t be anytime soon. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be. But someday, somehow, by the mercies of God. Posted by Katy on 04/17/07 at 10:07 AM Fallible Comments... When you were in English 203, did any of your classmates' subject manner or personal characteristics worry you? Posted by Terri on 04/18/07 at 08:27 PM Terri--You know, I've been thinking a lot about that! I only found one young man's writing very disturbing, at least that I remember. The guy who would read his poetry aloud, the erotic poetry about the kind of sex that Bill Clinton says isn't sex. Remember? Maybe I'm just old, but the guy seemed to be sadly lacking any sense of boundaries. But I certainly didn't consider him to be threatening in any significant way, just inappropriate. I feel bad for Nikki Giovanni and the other professors who tried to help Cho and didn't get too far. I just heard Nikki on the news saying that she told him, "Either you drop this class or I quit teaching here, it doesn't matter to me." Her class had dropped to only 7 students, as he'd scared the rest out of their wits. As a teacher, have you had students you felt this strongly about? Posted by Katy on 04/18/07 at 08:47 PM thanks for your thoughts katy. i've wondered some of the same. Posted by jenn_a on 04/19/07 at 02:00 PM jenn--Dennis Miller said everyone should be given a 24-hour grace period for every goofy thing they say, think, and feel after a catastrophe of this kind. We all have blind spots, that's for sure. I tend to get stuck in one spot and not move forward at all, after much more minor traumas. We're all wired a bit differently, I think. Thanks for reading! Posted by Katy on 04/20/07 at 02:22 PM Heck, a lot of my 7th graders writings worry me. I had a student write the other day on their autobiography (that is their 4th quarter project)...If I were a book, I would be a death threat note because I could kill everyone in the school. Guess what the consequence was for what he wrote? He had to write a letter of apology to me? Big flippin' deal! Like that is going to stop him from taking us all out some day. Each year it gets worse and worse, and I get more scared for our society as a whole, as well as for the youth of America. The blame can go to so many people/places, but I have to point fingers first AT HOME. These children need to have and be given correct morals and values and be taught right from wrong. I realize we can't shelter our kids from what is happening in the world, but we can help them understand what is morally reprehensible. Just my two cents... My prayers to the victims and survivors in VA Tech. Extra prayers, as well, to the teachers who helped protect their students at their time of need. They are true heroes. Posted by Bridget on 04/22/07 at 07:14 PM Bridgie--Do you mean that's the punishment the principal doled out to the kid? Did the school involve his parents? (Maybe the parents made him write the letter?) Freedom of speech is all fine and dancy, but veiled (or unveiled...) death threats? A professor friend of mine says, "We are not allowed to cry 'Fire!' in a theater or to shout 'Bomb!' in an airport. But kids can threaten to kill teachers and classmates, and get away with it?" I love your insights here!! And I love you. Posted by Katy on 04/23/07 at 08:35 AM Yep, that was the consequence from the principal. I was appalled. The parents did nothing. (They did know about it, too.) I agree with your prof. friend, and my journalism background, of course, is all for the 1st amendment. However, I draw the line when students write about/say things like this. I have to report it to the office, and I can only HOPE that something will be done on that end, but it rarely happens. It gets incredibly frustrating. Our disctrict is very much into keeping everything "hush, hush" and shoving everything under the carpet to keep a perfect image. If it were a KC school, we would have made the news if a student had written the same thing, plus the kid would have been suspended for sure. A letter to me was just plain ridiculous. Posted by Bridget on 04/23/07 at 04:21 PM Bridgie--Yikes! Now we've got the Ward Parkway Mall shooting, too. A killer whose sister said she "tried to get him mental health treatment" for suicidal tendencies, but the facility released him after 6 hours. Come on, people!!! Posted by Katy on 05/01/07 at 02:53 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: DNR Previous entry: I'm Dreaming Of A White April 14 << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Taking It Personally

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri