For Shakhana Gosh, first- class teacher PS 24 in sunset park, just two blocks from the subway station where the shooting took place on Tuesday took place the day has begun like any other.
After the morning meeting with other teachers, her students were sitting down for class at 8:10, ready to take on reading and mathematics lessons. One half hour later announcement came over PA system: The school turned into a “shelter”. in place” – type of lockdown, where classes continue as usual, but no one can enter or exit building.
Around 9 am, a colleague of Ms. Gosh, who was not at school on On Tuesday, I texted her explaining why: there was a shooting. place at the 36th Street subway station.
“Today was very, very difficult,” Ms. Gosh said. “It was like nothing I’ve dealt with with”.
Insofar as children in her class is so young no announcements about news we made not to scare them, and Mrs. Gosh had to put on calmness face for rest of day. When her students started noticing that her phone was constantly beeping, she held them busy announcing play time.
“I’m really trying hard keep it together and not show Any of my fear,” said Ms Gosh. “The children were playing with Play-Doh at the end of day and wish show me ice cream they made and I was like’I am writing to your mother and trying to make sure she can pick you up but thanks!'”
Annie Tang, a fourth and fifth grade teacher at a school about a mile from the shooting site, also protect their students from full story received shelter after schoolin-place order, telling your students what it is just Boer.
“We were all scared out,” she said. “We kept it as normal as possible.”
Although Mrs. Tang managed to keep her students busy. with art lessons and science projects, some of her students noticed that something was off. Some asked why they can’t go outside for break on sunny day and why lockdown exercises last some hours.
At the end of That afternoon, Ms. Tang warned her students that it might take longer. for them to get home and that their families, friends or other relatives may be there to pick them up. Immediately, one of her students asked her if there had been a shooting.
“I said truth, but not all truth,” she said. “I said it’s alright, no one died because I didn’t want go crazy out students.”
“I specifically told my children that I wanted them parents tell them,” she said. added.
With all trains in in area shut down after school let out Ms. Tang ended up take the ferry home and Mrs. Gosh asked her cousin drive her.
Ms Gosh, who trying to escape the chaos of day, while preparing dinner, she said that she began to think about how she will talk to her first classmates about shooting. She’ll probably focus the conversation on expressing her feelings, she said, and explaining what to do if they were caught in situation like This.
“I think we’ll have to talk about who hurt others and why it happens,” Ms Ghosh said. “This is big the question these kids ask all the time is “why did they do that?” What is the most difficult question of all because we don’t have an answer.”
Miss Tan, who she said plans unpack with another teacher friend tonight said she had no idea how She will be begin talk to your students about shooting in there is a lesson tomorrow, but she knows that her students will ask her questions. Tomorrow she added should be Picture Day.
“We should look happy, but I don’t sure how so be it,” she said. “I guess there will be some students who absent because it is real scary”.
