A Lesson In Fear

A decision by Newtown Middle School Principal Diane Sherlock and eighth grade faculty to cancel an eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C., and the Gettysburg battlefield has drawn criticism from some parents who believe their children are being deprived of a great educational opportunity. The September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC, have left everyone feeling a bit uncertain about how to apply the discretion/valor equation to their travel plans, so the confusion and questions that have arisen over Ms Sherlock’s decision were probably inevitable.

The eighth graders who have made the annual spring trek to the nation’s capital in past years can attest to value of the trip. Kids look forward to the trip all year, and they return with a more personal and direct understanding of our country’s greatness. Foregoing that experience, especially at a time when the greatness of the country is being tested, will significantly diminish the eighth grade experience for the current class.

Fear is clearly at the heart of the decision to stay home this year, and fear is an easy target right now when our national dialogue is all about courage and fearlessness and the need to get on with normal life. As one letter writer pointed out in last week’s Bee, “Terrorists only win when they force us to give up or sacrifice that which we hold most dear.”

When it comes to winning or losing against the terrorists, however, we should not offer up the safety of our children as the thing to tip the balance. The best interests of the children should clearly be the determining factor here. Dying, or being injured, in a terrorist attack is not in the best interests of our children. Neither is dying or being injured in a bus accident. Notwithstanding the events of September 11, experts tell us that the risk of a bus accident, which has been accepted and assumed on every school trip ever taken by Newtown students, far exceeds the risks posed by terrorists. So the fear at the heart of this decision may be exaggerated – only time will tell. Next spring, the educators may appear sage or silly depending on events between now and then. They have chosen now – at the time when reservations and arrangements must be made – to fear the worst and have canceled the trip without consulting parents.

We should be mindful, however, that there is also a risk in not going ahead with the trip. Like the rest of us, kids are trying to fit the terrible events of September 11 into the context of their own lives. Children who do not feel safe do not thrive, and many parents have been going to extra lengths to reassure their children these days that they are safe. If their teachers and principal tell them that they believe that they will not be safe traveling away from their home, then there is a good chance that they will feel unsafe out in the world and want to stay close to home.

This does not square with the lesson parents and teachers have always tried to impart to children – that the world is theirs to seize. Every risk should be rationally assessed and every caution should be taken right up until the time kids step onto the bus to take their class trip next spring. If at that time the safety of the nation’s capital is in serious doubt, then the trip should be called off. It may be worth the price of lost deposits and last minute cancellations to keep alive the lesson that it is better to overcome fear than to be overcome by fear.

An old proverb says that fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. We should be careful not to let that wolf prey on our children’s confidence in their world.