Sheepdogs for Kids

Sheepdogs Named in Chardon Shooting

2012-02-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

Two Sheepdogs that heroically acted in the Chardon High School shooting are now named. Coach Frank Hall yelled, "Hey!" after the shooting started. This startled the shooter, then Hall chased the shooter out of the school. Teacher Joseph Ricci grabbed one of the wounded students, pulled them into his room, then administered first aid. Both of these actions showed great courage, and demonstrated great love for the students in their charge.

Kenneth Trump is quoted in an article on MSNBC as saying about Coach Hall, "It's not something you can train somebody to do, it's inside the person." After the comment he made about the woman who attempted to disarm a shooter at a school board meeting, it would appear that the end result is what makes a person's actions heroic. I would say that the actions of the woman were heroic, even if unsuccessful. Coach Hall's actions were just as heroic, and were successful.

As can be discerned by my blog, I disagree with Trump's assessment. I served in the Army for 12 years, eight of them as an Infantry Drill Sergeant. I took civilians and taught them how to react in stressful, violent moments. It can, and has been, taught. The Sheepdog mindset is all about getting educators to think how they would react, to provide them with the experiences so that they can use pattern-matching and recognition to come up with the best decision.

If teachers and staff are trained properly, are given numerous scenarios to consider, and utilize mental simulations, they can reach the point where they will hear a gun shot, and know what to do. It can be done, and it must be done. A great first step is "Safe Topics - The First Thirty Seconds", a new product developed by Safe Havens International.

As Michael Dorn, Executive Director of Safe Havens International writes, "Emergency reference charts should not be viewed as an instructional manual to follow step by step during the first critical seconds of a crisis. Instead they are a valuable tool to help staff develop what Dr. Gary Klein refers to as a base of knowledge. Klein’s research shows that people can perform exceptionally well in making life and death decisions but they need practice using a concept known as mental simulation. For school employees to get increased benefit from this research – based concept, they need to be provided appropriate responses to a wide array of situations rather than just a few situations that we fear the most like active shooter situations."

If there is any lesson to be learned from this tragedy, it's that the people who watch out for our kids during the day need to be taught how to protect our kids when the wolves come howling into our safe schools. If educators don't want to develop that skill, they're in the wrong profession.

A Sheepdog You Should Know

2012-02-27T18:38:00.000-05:00

Gary Sinise. A Sheepdog who watches out for other Sheepdogs. God Bless you, Gary!

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/02/gary_sinise_an_american_hero.html

A Sad Day in Chardon, Ohio

2012-02-27T18:02:00.002-05:00

http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Channel/School-Safety/News/2012/02/27/Ohio-School-Gunman-Apprehended.aspx

A 17-year old makes a life-changing decision, ending the life of a another, wounding four more, and forever altering the lives of a whole town.

In the numerous stories I've read today, mention is made of a Sheepdog who chased the shooter out of the school. Think about that.

School is starting as usual. Kids are in the cafeteria talking, laughing, griping about things that happened over the weekend. Pretty much a routine start to what will be a horrible day.

A wolf, for an as yet unknown reason, stands up, pulls a pistol and begins firing. Early indications are that these are targeted victims, as it seems the victims are spread out. There is blood, the smell of gun smoke, screams, and students running everywhere.

Anyone within earshot has suddenly come face-to-face with a spiked heart rate, tunnel vision, and the oft-times overwhelming fight-or-flight response. Many are running. In the midst of all this, a teacher, whose name has not been unreleased yet, chases the shooter out of the school.

Michael Dorn, and international school safety expert, posted a great blog on some key points to remember here: http://www.safehavensinternational.org/secondary-nav-pages/micheals-blog/

Training and preparation can only bring you to the decision-point. At that point, the Sheepdog makes the decision to protect others.

Can you see yourself making that decision?

An update:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/27/ohio-high-school-on-lockdown-after-reports-shooting/

A further update:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107152/Chardon-High-School-shooting-THIRD-classmate-dies-TJ-Lanes-online-rantings-revealed.html

A Sheepdog You Should Know

2012-02-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

Kathy Phillips drives a Pre-School bus for Southern Hancock Schools. Last month, while driving her students home, a car pulled out from behind a fence and ran into her bus. The car was heavily damaged, and the bus' front fender was slightly bent.

Inside the bus, the bus aide, Peggy Jones, was turned in her seat, supervising her students. The impact knocked her to the floor, injuring her neck. The children were secured in their seats via child car seats and five-point harnesses.

The first I heard of the accident was a radio call. Kathy's voice was firm, controlled, and calm. I grabbed a handheld radio and drove over to the scene of the accident. I got there right after the fire department, and I walked onto the bus.

Kathy was standing by her bus seat. She appeared as calm and collected as she sounded on the radio. She was giving information to a Sheriff's Deputy, and was watching as the EMTs cared for Peggy.

When we were released, I ended up riding with her as the replacement aide as Peggy was taken to the hospital. She was engaged with her kids, upbeat, and we got the kids home.

Her peers were very impressed with her demeanor on the radio. Several of them nominated her for the Sheepdog of the Month, and last week, she received the award in front of all of her colleagues.

Her citation read, "During a recent accident, Kathy’s aide was injured, and substantial damage was done to the car that hit her bus. Kathy maintained her composure and performed all the steps necessary to keep her kids safe. Her peers noted her calm voice on the radio, providing them with an outstanding example of how to react to a crisis. Her love for students, and her focus on what is important has helped the CSCSHC FLEET remain a safe place to travel and excel."

Kathy Phillips is an excellent example for bus drivers to follow.

Sheepdog Air

2012-02-22T20:31:00.005-05:00

Story here.

Well done, Sheepdogs!

A Wolf in Sheepdog's Clothing

2012-02-03T14:30:00.002-05:00

One of the worst things a Sheepdog has to face is betrayal. When a person who is in a Sheepdog position betrays his/her trust and violates the children they were to protect, real evil occurs. Such a thing happened to us right before Thanksgiving: http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-brian-turner-former-teacher-facing-child-molestation-allegations-dating-back-30-years-20111219,0,4490875.column

Now, to be sure, he's only been charged with molestation, and I won't go any further into what I know of this case while it is still under investigation. However, this situation does bring up a very important consideration. How do we keep the wolves from wearing sheepdog clothing?

Child predators do not look like child predators. They look like real people, for obvious reasons. We had done a background check, but all that does is discover if the person had ever been arrested, or charged, with a crime. It cannot get into the mind of the monster. Thus background checks only indicate the obvious. So now what?

Child predation is a behavior. So there should be a way to ferret out this behavior prior to allowing them near children. This would require a behavioral assessment, one that would be upheld in court. My friend Michael Dorn tells me there is one. I will investigate further.

It is doubtful that this assessment will tell you that the screened person is, with certainty, a predator. However, it should raise enough uncertainty that hiring someone else would be the prudent thing to do.

Both my mom and dad were molested as children. My mom repeatedly by her father. My youngest was molested when she was 6. The man above was charged for an act that occurred on my watch.

Never again.

Case in point: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/03/molestation-complaints-increase-at-school-where-teacher-allegedly-abused/?test=latestnews

Christmas Sheepdogs

2011-12-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday an event occurred that reaffirmed what Christmas is all about, as well as what being a Sheepdog is all about.

I received a phone call from Brenda McNamara, one of my bus drivers. She is one of the best of my drivers. She has developed great relationships with many of her students, and their parents. One of them called her to tell her that her two sons would not be receiving any Christmas presents. The woman's in dire financial straits, and wanted her children enrolled in a program called the United Christmas Service. However, despite several phone calls and letters, she never completed the necessary paperwork, and so there was nothing for her children. Brenda didn't know what to do, so she called me.

I called the school counselor in charge of the UCS program and got the background story on the family. The counselor didn't know what she could do, as the Toys for Tots program deadline had passed, as had the deadline of others. I then called Mark Kern, the principal of the children's school. He didn't answer his phone, so I left a message explaining what had happened, and started to make plans to go shopping. I live 25 miles away from New Palestine, but if I couldn't work anything out, I would go. Last minute on Christmas Eve didn't seem a good time for last second heroics.

Or did it?

Enter Dick Jefford, II. Dick is a retired police chief I first met when he joined our school's Safe School Committee. He is a former Marine, so of course he and I hit it off. He is also the Hancock County Director for Toys for Tots, so I called him up and explained the situation. He told me that he had family coming, and that things had been very hectic, then he paused. He then said, "We have a saying here, no child should be without a present at Christmas."

I gave him the necessary information, and within two hours, I received a call from Brenda thanking me. Of course I told her that the real hero was Dick. I then got a call from Mark. He was under the weather, and was on his way to a Minute Clinic when he got my message. He told me that he was about to call the mother and have her meet him at a Walmart to get presents for the boys on his own dime.

Brenda McNamara the bus driver, Mark Kern the elementary school principal, Dick Jefford the retired police chief. Three of the nicest people you know, three exceptional Sheepdogs who made sure that two boys had something to open Christmas morning. Three exceptional people who live my motto, "Non in meus vigilo" 'Not on my watch'.

Merry Christmas, Brenda, Mark, and Dick. Christ truly shone through you yesterday, and two lives were touched by your gentle Warrior spirits. Your love of children, and your compassion for others are core virtues of the Sheepdog, and it is an honor to call you friends.

God bless you all!

Virtue #10 - ???

2011-12-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

Mark Mireles has given us nine Warrior Virtues that I have tried to apply to Sheepdogs and Master Teachers. To understand the tenth virtue, Mireles reminds us of an old Greek aphorism, "know thyself."(p. 67) The Greeks knew that introspection was needed to internalize what they learned. So it is with us. Some of the best ways to teach is to use open-ended questions that force the student to bend their minds to increase their understanding. In the Bible, these types of questions were called parables. It is in this spirit that Mireles leaves the tenth virtue blank. It is for each person to come up with their own tenth virtue.

Mireles describes a pair of ill-fitting wrestling shoes that taught him his virtue. He realized that nothing will ever be perfect in the ring, and later in life, yet a Warrior will always give his best, no matter what position they find themselves in. He wore those shoes until they fell apart to remind him of that lesson.

My epiphany came on September 20, 2002, when a tornado touched down near my elementary school. When it ripped off some rooftop ventilators, and children and teachers began screaming, I found myself immediately running toward the tornado. Later, I would wonder why.

The realization I came to was not that I was afraid of not fulfilling my responsibility, nor was I afraid of being seen as cowardly, even though those played a small part in it. I was afraid of losing my people. The emotion driving that fear was, and continues to be, love.

When I am giving responsibility for people, whether they be children or adult, I cannot see them as a burden, I see them as people worthy of my life. That requires love. "No greater Love than this, that a man lay down his life for others." (John 15:13)

What is your tenth virtue?

Pep Session Stupidity

2011-12-18T09:15:00.001-05:00

tosh.comedycentral.com/blog/2011/12/15/funny-prank-or-the-creepiest-thing-you-have-ever-seen-in-your-life-and-not-funny-at-all/?xrs=synd_facebook

My vote is the creepiest thing I have ever seen.

Take the captains of your sports teams, blindfold them, tell them their getting a kiss, and have their parents give them the kiss? Not just a peck on the cheek either. One mother can be seen putting her son's hand on her rear. Several of them were asked, on microphone, how they liked the kiss.

Then, they unmask the child, to the laughter of the rest of the school. Classy.

Who, in the school, thought this was a good idea? Why would the parents agree to do this?

Why wasn't there a Sheepdog in this school telling the administration that this was a bad idea?

In a world gone crazy, Sheepdogs are needed more than ever.

School Cafeteria Safety

2011-12-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

Witnesses say a fourth-grade boy choked on meatballs during lunch in a New York City school cafeteria this month and later died.

The New York Post reports that 9-year-old Jonathan Jewth fell to the ground during lunch Dec. 5 and was unconscious before help arrived. They say cafeteria workers at Public School 47 in the Bronx didn't know what to do and failed to help him.

Do your cafeteria personnel know what to do? Have you trained them on what to do? This death was most likely preventable. A nine-year old boy's life, whose life was in the care of the school, is gone.

Sheepdog thinking will prevent this from happening.

Take the time.

Virtue #9 - Code

2011-12-17T23:21:00.000-05:00

Mark Mireles begins his talk of Code by selecting the definition of integrity that he likes. "Core honesty imbued by a code of conduct." (p. 67) True Warriors have a well-defined sense of right and wrong, of good and evil. Many cultures throughout history have established a Code to delineate what is right and wrong, good and evil. The Japanese Samurai had Bushido. Arthur's Knights of the Round Table had the Chivalric Code.

A true Warrior establishes their core beliefs before they develop, or accept, a Code. Their personal experiences help shape this Code, and this Code extends into all facets of their life. Warriors use integrity in everything they do, and this integrity becomes a resource for the Warrior when things turn rough.

If you have not already done so, take time to think about what you believe, and how these beliefs can be expressed in a Code. Write it down. Think about it often. Live it.

Be a Warrior.

Virtue #8 - Bravery

2011-12-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

Bravery is the one most people think about when there is talk of Warriors. Most dream of being brave when the time comes. Mireles calls it the "sexy icon" of the Warrior. I have yet to meet a person that doesn't hold bravery in high esteem.

Mireles uses the story of Lenny Skutnik to illustrate his point. Lenny was a federal office worker who happened to see a tragedy unfold on his way home. The year was 1982, and Air Florida Flight 90 had crashed into the Potomac River, killing all but five people. One of the survivors was a flight attendant, who was floundering in the icy waters as a helicopter tried to rescue her. Enter Lenny, who doffed his coat and shoes, and dove into the icy water. He swam out, dove down into the river, pulled the flight attendant back up, and helped her into the harness from the helicopter. The few words here cannot adequately describe the bravery shown by Mr. Skutnik.

Mireles emphasizes what I think is a key point. He said that Skutnik acted without any obligation to do so. Or did he? This is a key question for the Warrior, the Sheepdog, and the Master Teacher. Do we have an obligation to help others? Is their a moral obligation to choose to help others?

For the Warrior, the answer is yes. It is a choice.

Virtue #7 - Gameness

2011-12-12T22:21:00.000-05:00

Mark Mireles describes 'gameness' as having heart, of rising to the challenge and performing well under pressure. As Mireles writes, "This is a characteristic that warriors cultivate through training." (p. 65) He contrasts this with "room wrestlers," people who do well in training, but don't perform well in the match.

What sets these two groups apart? Heart. The Warrior does not like, or want, to lose, so when they compete, they do so with all their heart. Mireles describes this as an innate trait, and in many ways he is correct. However, I also believe that one can choose to never give up, to "bring it." That is not an easy choice, but it is one available to the Warrior.

Dave Grossman's Sheepdog Tip of the Day for Dec. 12, 2011 (http://www.simple-tech.com/sheepdog/tip.php?name=during%2F65.html), is about Officer Stacy Lim of the LAPD. While off-duty, she was set upon by some gangbangers looking to jack her car. When she ID'd herself as a police officer, she was shot through the heart with a .357 magnum bullet that tore a chunk out of her back as it left her body.

She returned fire, and chased after the shooter, while the reaming gang-bangers decided this Warrior was too much for them and ran off. The shooter died of his wounds, and Officer Lim died twice on the operating table. However, she came through, and returned to duty eight months later. She is indeed a gamer!

As LTC Grossman so aptly wrote, "Lim had a competitive attitude that refused to lose, and she had a plan, a visualized determination to win."

That is a virtue worth having, whether you are a Warrior, a Sheepdog, or a Master Teacher.

2011-12-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

Go Army! Beat Navy!

In Loco Parentis in School Safety

2011-12-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

In his blog, Ken Trump begins another attack against A.L.I.C.E. training in schools with a mention of a bedrock of American education, in loco parentis. This attack is lacking in depth, as most arguments built on false premises are.

For instance, Mr. Trump describes in loco parentis, a common law concept that says schools have the authority of the parent while the child is in school. There are numerous areas of schooling in which this concept applies, but Mr. Trump focuses on safety as he writes, "One of those areas where parents can and should have a voice is in the safety of their children. They especially should have a voice and and a chioce when educators and/or safety officials propose teaching and directing students to act in a manner which the natural parents believe could increase the risk of harm to their children." (www.schoolsecurity.org)

The false premise is that parents do not have a voice, or a choice in the safety of their children. The truth is, successful schools seek out and encourage parental input into their programs, but do not confuse input with command. Too often parents attempt to dictate to schools how a school will educate their child. This is not how programs are implemented in schools. The schools propose programs, and the superintendents present them to their respective school boards. The school boards vote on them and, if approved, the schools implement the programs. Parents can provide input, but if the vote goes against them, they can either accept the program, attempt to opt their child out of the program, in special circumstances, or they can withdraw their child from that school.

As for parents believing that a particular safety program could increase the risk to their children, that is their right, but they do not have the right to arbitrarily alter a school's program. Let's take a look at a middle school with, say, 500 students. That school proposes to implement A.L.I.C.E. training (http://www.roseminars.com) in their schools. The training program is presented to the board, after due consideration is given by the administrators/teachers in the form of research and study groups. The board votes to implement the program. At this point, what are the options for a parent who disagrees? Opting out in a safety matter is not a viable option. That leaves accepting the program by having their child comply, or withdrawing their student to find a better place for them.

To be sure, accepting the program doesn't mean that the parent should cease to provide input to the school. If the parent feels strongly enough about the program, they can continue to lobby the board, or the superintendent, to change based upon research. However, a school cannot create a protocol that has individual components for each student. There is one plan, and they have to work on utilizing that one plan. That is where in loco parentis applies. A parent cannot, on their own, come in and nullify any segment of the school's program based upon their personal feelings without first using the previously described process. If they feel that strongly about the safety of their child, then they should withdraw their child from that school until they can find a place that will keep their child safe as they feel it should be done. It is imperative that parents are part of the discussion on a school's efforts at school safety, just as it is imperative to involve educators in the process.

Any security guard, former police officer, or former military officer can have the best planned program on paper, but without the knowledge of educational practices and children, well intentioned efforts can turn problematic.

Let's have that discussion about best practices on school safety. Let's leave out the false premises.

Virtue #6 - Testing

2011-12-03T14:53:00.000-05:00

In Warriors, Mireles starts off his comments on Testing by writing, "A Warrior tests himself everyday to hone his skills physically, mentally, and spiritually, in a disciplined ritual of rigorous training that defines who he is." (p.63) This is also true for the Sheepdog and the Master Teacher.

Warriors are constantly honing their combat skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. Their goal is to be the last man standing. While the goals of the Sheepdog are different, they also hone their skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts. While the Warrior's personal workouts include physical conditioning and weapons training, the Sheepdog researches the latest in emergency preparedness/response methods. The Master Teacher reads professional journals, attends conferences, and is constantly seeking to hone their teaching skills.

While Warriors, Sheepdogs and Master Teachers may test their skills against others, their true competition is with themselves. It does not mean that they cannot work with others. Often they are at their best when doing so, and in the case of the Sheepdog, their work cannot be done alone. However, Mireles warns that if they do what they do in order to prove something to someone else, their work will have a negative effect. A Warrior does what needs to be done, because it has to be done. There is no room for self-serving in the work of protecting others.

Push yourself. Always strive to be better than you are. You are needed at your best.

Virtue #5 - Work Ethic

2011-12-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Mireles describes work ethic as "getting the job done and sucking it up." This means doing what is needed to get the job done. This seems like a lost skill nowadays. For the Warrior/Sheepdog?Master Teacher, it's a skill that lets you take pride in your accomplishment.

Something that goes with work ethic is sacrifice. There are always things that you could be doing instead of work. Maybe there is a favorite TV show on, or perhaps there was a movie you wanted to see, instead of a project you are working on. Warriors will sacrifice their wants to get the job done. The key is to find a balance between your duty and your family. Sometimes Warriors sacrifice their families to get the job done. Make sure to keep an eye on the big picture.

When doing a job, things can get hard. There may be details that cause problems, and you need to find a solution. Frustration can set in, and you will feel like giving up. Sucking it up means you persevere. Sometimes the frustration comes from physical limitations. Michael Dorn has dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder. Yet, in spite of his dyslexia, Mike has written 25 books, hundreds of articles, and is the Executive Director of Safe Havens International the world's leading non-profit organization dedicated to the safety of children. Dyslexia is a difficult hurdle to overcome, but Mike sucked it up, overcame his obstacles, and has become very successful.

Master teachers have an excellent work ethic. There are many things a teacher could do after school hours. Master teachers forgo many of them to grade papers, plan lessons, or reach out to their students. They are dedicated to their children, so they sacrifice of themselves to give their students what they need to succeed.

So a solid work ethic is a a must for the Warrior, for the Sheepdog, and for the Master Teacher.

Do you have it?

An Unusual Event

2011-11-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

I sat in my office, monitoring the radio, when I heard a driver of one of my special needs buses call out, "Bus ## to base, I have a dog onboard."

I hadn't finished my first cup of coffee, but I perked right up. "Bus ##, this is Base. Come Back?"

"Boss, I got a dog on my bus, and he's getting vicious!"

Well, now he had my attention. I asked for his location, and then called the Sheriff's Department with the information.

"Bus ##, law enforcement is on the way!"

"Thanks boss, tell 'em to hurry!" I could hear barking in the background.

All I could do was wait to see what came across the radio. I'm used to doing, so this was hard for me.

"Boss, where's law enforcement?" It had been a few minutes, but we are a rural community, so all I could tell him was, "I can't make them go any faster. Just hang in there!"

The next comment made my day, "They better hurry. He's in the driver's seat, and he won't let me get back on it!"

I couldn't help it. I clamped my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The lead mechanic, who had been listening, pitched in and closed out the broadcast as I gathered myself together. The mental image of the dog being in the driver's seat was too funny.

Later, after I had settled down and the driver had returned, I pulled the hard drive from the bus camera system and watched the drama unfold. It wasn't nearly as funny watching it on video. The dog in question was a 60lbs pitbull/bulldog mix. It looked like he got on the bus, got scared, and wasn't about to leave the area under the steering wheel. He bit the owner's girlfriend, disregarded the owner, ignored the cop's laser light, the dog treats and his favorite bouncy ball. Three cops, one fire truck, one EMT vehicle, and one Animal Control Officer later, he was finally pulled off the bus. He was taken away because he was not up on his shots.

After watching the video, I began asking myself questions. How could this have been prevented? Was our response as good as it could have been? How do we prepare bus drivers for such situations?

My job, as a leader, is to provide my drivers with numerous scenarios so they have a diverse base of experience with which to pull from in a crisis. This got reinforced with a phone call with Mike Dorn. So, I will turn this into a teaching moment.

And, have a little fun with the dog in the driver's seat.

Virtue #4 - Nobility

2011-11-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

This virtue has the most meaning for me. As a child, I not only grew up with stories of Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, John Wayne and Superman, I had the real-life examples of my grandmother taking care of my bed-ridden grandfather, slowly dying of emphysema, and my dad taking care of my mom and us kids so my mom could go to school and get her nursing degrees (Three of them!). In all of what they did, I never saw complaint, nor did they shy from doing what needed to be done. My grandma and my father did what they did out of love for their spouse. That love ennobled their efforts.

Mireles writes that the virtue of nobility "sets the warrior apart." Warriors do not do what they do because they have to, but because they have chosen to do so, a noble choice. However nobility, as Mireles describes it, is not about that choice, but in how the Warrior relates to others. A police officer demonstrates nobility when he/she treats their prisoner with respect. A Warrior demonstrates nobility when they treat a prisoner with respect. A master teacher demonstrates nobility when they treat the at-risk student with as much professionalism as their top student. It's a matter of basic respect.

Mireles writes this about respect:
          "True respect is caring about people at a deep level, a caring
           that is related to nobility. Respect is manifested through the
           warrior's action, and nobility is his persona. one cannot exist
           without the other. Warriors carry these virtues in their hearts,
           and it is what separates them from mercenaries." (p. 61)

This describes the Warrior's Paradox. In the Sheepdog analogy, Sheepdogs are described as having a capacity for violence, but a love for their sheep. Thus, Sheepdogs have to have a deep respect for humanity, even while they may have to engage in violence against those who seek to harm others. Those who are able to do so demonstrate true nobility.

Master teachers learn to look beyond the behavior and see the hurt underneath. That doesn't mean they don't hold the child accountable for their actions, but they are still human beings, and are still due respect. Master teachers will do this, and try to address the hurt at the same time. They don't take such actions personally. After 23 years of dealing with middle school students, I know that if I were to have taken everything that happened personally, I would have gone insane long ago, or I would have quit and sought a new career field.

Society has given the Warrior, the Sheepdog, the teacher, a tremendous amount of trust by putting us into positions in which we protect others. By maintaining respect for others, by holding ourselves to a higher standard, we demonstrate nobility, and thus maintain the trust that society has given us.

Are you up for that challenge?

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Virtue #3 - Knowledge

2011-11-26T20:02:00.001-05:00

"Knowledge is power." This old adage applies to Sheepdogs as well. Mireles writes about two types of knowledge, universal and specific. Universal knowledge is common knowledge. This type of knowledge helps the warrior better understand Man and the world around him. Specific knowledge has to do with the area in which the Warrior works. There is a specific skill set in that area in which the Warrior must be proficient, so time must be set aside in which to acquire that knowledge.

For the master teacher, knowledge is obtained in numerous ways. College courses, professional conventions, professional journals, and personal research are some of the many ways a master teacher can develop their skill set. Networking with other educators is another way. A master teacher is open to new ideas, and is able to use their knowledge and experience to assess ideas to see how to integrate them into what they do.

When it comes to applying knowledge, the Warrior and the master teacher should keep things simple. The KISS principle means Keep it Simple, Stupid. Sometimes the tendency is to employ too much knowledge, and create complex solutions that are doomed to fail. Keep the bridge between knowledge and emergency response as clear of clutter as possible. When you are responding to a crisis, there will be enough challenges, without you adding some of your own.

Warriors must know the tools of their trade, just as master teachers need to know theirs. Remember that such leaning is a process, not a goal. Use what knowledge you can develop to protect others.

Knowledge is power.

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Virtue #2 - Action

2011-11-25T23:38:00.001-05:00

Mireles goes on to describe the second Warrior Virtue, Action. A true Warrior acts in the face of danger, regardless of what that danger might be. It could be anything from a violent situation in school to a task that will divert your attention from what you want to do. In any case, a person with a warrior mindset doesn't procrastinate. Procrastinate is another way of saying 'lazy'. Warriors will do what needs to be done.

Action is not the same as busy work. A lawyer friend of Mireles' said, "Never confuse action with results." For the warrior, and for the master teacher, actions must be toward a valued end. Thus, action is tied in with discipline. This makes your actions effective, which will make effective results.

A warrior also does not tell others to do a job he or she wouldn't do themselves. Take responsibility for your actions, and you'll gain the respect of your peers.

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Virtue #1 - Discipline

2011-11-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

“Ten Warrior Virtues” is an essay by Mark Mireles. It is found in the book Warriors: More on Living with Courage, Discipline, and Honor, edited by Loren Christenson. Mark Mireles is the most highly decorated police officer in LAPD history, having been awarded the LAPD Medal of Valor twice, the California Medal of Valor, and the Carnegie Medal, the highest award for valor awarded to a citizen in the US and Canada.

In his essay he lists ten warrior virtues. These virtues describe the traits that demonstrate the deep-seated values held by warriors, and display in their daily lives. As Mireles writes, “It’s not a macho thing; it’s a subtle persona that is hard to put a finger on unless you know what to look for.” (p. 58) Therefore, being a true warrior is not about thumping your chest. I have been around Special Forces soldiers, and they do not thump their chests. They are professional and business-like in what they do. They take their business very seriously. My experience has told me that master teachers have the same mindset. They are disciplined teachers.

The dictionary has several meanings for ‘discipline’. The one that most closely matches Mireles’ meaning is, “Behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline) In this context, discipline means doing things you don’t want to do. It makes a soldier bear days, weeks and months in extreme hot or cold, humid or dry, wet or dry conditions. It makes a master teacher stay late to finish lesson plans, miss social functions because there are papers to grade, or deal with the emotional messes adults create for our children.

The trait of discipline is as much mental as it is physical. That means the warrior, and the effective teacher, have a set of rules, and live by them as they work to attain their goal. What is required is discipline of the mind. The Warrior strengthens this by setting tasks for themselves that are necessary, but not pleasant. Tell yourself that you can do it, and then do it. I remember my Dad telling me the same thing, “It’s not hard, just do it!” It always frustrated me, because a part of me didn’t want to. The Warrior does.

If you are looking for a free way to make your school a better place, strengthen your discipline. It’s free!

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Ten Warrior Virtues

2011-11-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

In a recent post on his blog, Ken Trump pontificated on school safety advocates who "pull the emotional strings with warrior themes, chest puffery, and themes of nobility." As his last two posts were in response to my opinion of something Mr. Trump had said, I thought it a safe bet he was referring to me, and those like me.

Considering how little he knows about me personally, I thought that was an interesting tact to take.

So let's see. I served in the US Army Reserves for 12 years, in an Infantry Training Unit. I attended the Indiana University ROTC Department for 2 years. For two years prior to that, I served as an Infantry Drill Sergeant. Upon graduation (with a Bachelor's Degree in Junior High Education), I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry, and served two years in that position before resigning my commission to return to duty as an Infantry Drill Sergeant. I received the Meritorious Service Medal for developing the first two weeks of lessons for the US Army's conversion from the old judo-style hand-to-hand combat, to a newer style that incorporated more high-speed martial arts moves. I then served as the primary instructor for those lessons in front of then Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr. Upon being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, I received a medical discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant.

During that time I began teaching junior high and middle school math and social studies. I did that for 12 years, obtained my Master's in School Administration, and have been an elementary and middle school Assistant Principal for ten years. I am now currently the Director of School Safety for my school corporation. All told, I have been teaching and training men, women and children for over 28 years.

I have been a certified School Safety Officer for seven years. Each year I have to attend two full days of training to maintain my certification. In between, I attend FEMA classes, and take online FEMA course. I have completed graduate level courses in School Safety at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, and have started coursework on a Master's Certificate in Homeland Security. I have also taken numerous law enforcement courses in interrogation, bomb threat response, and school safety planning. My work in school safety was a large part of my being awarded the Indiana Assistant Principal of the Year award this past weekend, an award for which I was nominated, and evaluated, by peers.

Point being, I have never attempted to pass myself off as a "school safety expert". Nor do I "chest thump" when it comes to children. I do not see anything wrong with warrior themes, nor of concepts like nobility. Quite frankly, the Ten Warrior Virtues that Mark Mireles wrote about apply as much to master teachers as they do to Warriors, with nobility being one of the most important virtue. The lack of this virtue is exemplified by the increasing number of news stories of educators who betray the trust of children by their predatory behavior.

As for developing and implementing training for staff and students, I take a back seat to few people when it comes to making that training age appropriate. Certainly not to anyone who has received little, if any, formal education on the pedagogy, methodology, and psychology of school-aged children.

There is a debate to be had between those who feel law enforcement and/or military tactics or thinking have no place in schools, and those who think such things are necessary in today's society. Clouding the debate with such terms as "chest thumping" is not conducive to this debate.

In the next couple of weeks, I will be posting the Ten Warrior Virtues of Mark Mireles, and I will explain the correlation between them and the traits of a master teacher. Those that disagree are more than welcome to weigh in, as are those that agree. In that discussion, more effective tactics can be developed based upon a practical philosophy,

In the end, it's about keeping kids safe.

Active Shooter Training - Educator Style

2011-11-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

On November 10th, the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy conducted a regional training at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. Mike Horton of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy put some educators through basic active shooter training. Day One consisted of classroom training, which I didn't attend.

I was intrigued enough by the concept of educators going through this training that I asked Dave Woodward, the Program Director of the ISSSA, if I could observe Day Two, the scenario part of the training. He agreed so there I was, wearing an orange vest and watching fellow educators demonstrate their skills in traveling in a team, and in room entry.

From a military or law enforcement perspective, there were times I cringed. I watched a shooter stick a gun into a doorway and turn their head as they fired into the room. I watched a person come out of a room with their hands up, was directed to the rear of the formation, and pulled a gun out of a pocket to shoot the team from the rear.

They were using sim rounds, capsules filled with soap that mark where it hits. They sting, so the adrenaline was kicked up a notch every time they ran a scenario. This is stress inoculation, as Dave Grossman explained it in his book On Combat. When they face a real situation in their schools, these educators will remember this training, and it will help them make proper decisions.

What was important was not the mistakes being made, but the discussions that went on immediately after each scenario. The LEOs involved shared their experiences and knowledge with the educators, and the educators shared their insights and knowledge with the LEOs.

This is an excellent concept for the ISSSA. Educators need stress inoculation and a wide variety of experiences to be able to effectively respond to whatever comes their school's way. Educators should not concentrate solely on active shooter training, but the lessons learned from this traiing will go far beyond what they went through.

Volunteering to go through this training shows Sheepdog traits. My colleagues are to be commended, as is Dave and Ryan from the ISSSA. You guys make e proud to be an educator AND a School Safety Officer!

Sugar Gliders: A Matter of School Safety

2011-11-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in my office when Kerry Taylor, one of the many office professionals who help me keep my life organized, comes in and says, "Some girls just told me that XXXXX has a squirrel in his locker." Immediately Ray Steven's song "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival" came to mind, but I brutally beat it back into my subconscious as I started thinking about the implications. It could be infested with fleas, lice, or any number of nasty little things. It could be rabid. It could be peeing or pooping in the locker. It might get out.

About that time, Royce McDougall, our counselor, looked in the door and said, "I hear we got a squirrel problem?" I chuckled and said, "Apparently."

"We gonna go get it?" I stood up and grabbed a pair of leather safety gloves and said, "I guess we have to."

We found a rubbermaid container with a lid. and with Nancy Komornik, Royce's secretary coming along for the show, we went to the student's locker, joking about what we would find.

With my box in my gloved hands, I waited while Royce opened the locker door. When no crazed tree rat jumped out screaming, Royce looked into the locker. He looked at me and said, "There's no squirrel here." He shut the door, and we walked back to the office.

I remember saying, "I'm almost disappointed. I wanted to wrestle a wild animal." That got chuckles form the other two.

When I got back to my office, I asked for the boy who owned the locker to come to my office. He came in, relaxed, and said, "Hey Mr. Satterly, what's up?"

"XXXXX, why would some girls say that you have a squirrel in your locker?"

He looked surprised. "I don't have a squirrel in my locker!"

Having worked for 22 years with this age group, my next questions seemed inevitable. "So what do you have in your locker?"

"A Sugar Glider."

It sounded like drug paraphernalia, or something, so I asked something intelligent, "What?"

"A Sugar Glider. I can show you on You Tube."

I felt like I was drowning. "No, just tell me what it is."

He went on to explain that it is a hamster-like creature that could glide from tree to tree. I looked it up on the internet and found a Wikipedia entry. "They're from Australia. What is it doing here?"

"I dunno. I thought it would be cool."

Somewhere in my head, a vein pulsed, promising a whopper of a headache.

"Go get it."

He came back into my office with a drawstring bag. "You're not going to freak out, are you?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him and said, "Me, freak out over an animal? No."

He opened the bag and pulled out a fleece hunting hat. He handed it to me and said, "Be careful, they're fast." Kevin Pollack does a great impersonation of Christopher Walken that talks about marsupials being fast, and the memory of that bit made me grin as I opened the hat. A tiny pink nose and two bulbous black eyes poked out of a fold in the hat. Yup. He had a live critter in his locker. Turns out he brought it to school on the school bus, and had kept it in his locker all day.

I told him that bringing a live animal to school was not a good idea. His response was, "Why? It's not in the handbook." The headache creeped closer. I had him leave, telling him I would keep the creature and have his mom pick it up.

I had his mom called to come pick up the creature, and Kerry told me that mom was NOT happy!

There was no school punishment forthcoming for XXXXX. Sometimes parental punishment is worse than anything the school can do, especially when it was 'no harm, no foul' at the school.

Disaster averted!

Matthew Ricard - A Sheepdog You Should Know

2011-10-31T21:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_19154292

Assistant Principal Matthew Ricard stopped a student armed with a pellet gun from getting into a cafeteria at Nashoba Valley Technical High School.

He didn't know it was a pellet gun. It looked like an assault rifle.

Outstanding, Mr. Ricard!

Docility vs 'Permission to Live'

2011-10-31T20:35:00.000-04:00

Everyone's nightmare happens. A person with evil in their hearts enters your child's school, heads into a classroom, and opens fire. Actually, this event is quite rare, but I'm using an extreme example to make a point.

What actions do you want your child to take in this situation? Should they sit and wait for instructions, try to hide under tables? Should they run, throwing things at their attacker, attempting to distract the attacker so they can get away? Before making any emergency plans, this question has to be answered.

The truth is, children don't want to die. They don't want to be subjected to evil, to violence. Children want to live. That desire is instinctual, and in violent situations that drive should be directed, not suppressed.

An argument against having 'permission to live' is that it requires a lot of training to get kids to act in unison against an attacker. Having perused numerous materials on ALiCE, I have yet to see any materials that call for children to act in unison, concert, or at the instruction of the teacher. What is taught is that when the gunman starts shooting, everyone runs. Those who can throw things do so, attempting to distract the shooter. What is needed, at that moment, is chaos.

It doesn't take a military genius to know that a moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one. It also doesn't take a law enforcement guru to know that when something is thrown at your face, you duck. Anyone familiar with child psychology would know that a scared child, more often than not, runs when frightened. When scared, they seek direction from their authority figure, in this case the teacher. In the scenario above, will it be easier for the teacher to direct the children to go against their natural instinct, stay seated, and make easy targets? Or would it be easier to tell the kids, "RUN!"

Here's the thing. What do most parents teach their kids to do when someone tries to grab them off of the streets? Go with them? Post a comment if that's what you teach your children. Most of us teach our children to kick, scream, try to pull away, to stop the abductor from the abduction. Does this require a degree in child psychology to formulate? Do we rehearse this with our kids? Why is a shooter in the classroom any different? Someone is trying to take their life away.

In loco parentis is a legal term which describes public school authority over the child while the child is in school. If I teach my child to violently react when someone tries to grab them, shouldn't I also teach them to violently act if someone is trying to kill them?

Or do I deny them permission to live?

Bringing a Purse to a Gun Fight, Part II

2011-10-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

There appears to be two mindsets when it comes to school safety. There are those who think actions in school situations should be left to professionals. Anyone who has read my blog, or has attended my trainings know that we need to teach people to respond properly to attackers, in keeping with best practices by agencies whose job it is to protect us. Thus the conflict can be defined, for school personnel, as 'docility' vs 'permission to live'.

I am concerned at the 'docility' philosophy behind how we have trained people in the past, but I am on board with current law enforcement training doctrine, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which encourages a more active approach. LEOs took a passive stance during Columbine. They learned through that tragedy to change their ways. Training people to be docile is NOT proper.

In our full-scale active shooter exercise, conducted on October 19th, the time elapsed from the first shot fired to the neutralization of both shooters was twelve minutes. Waiting until someone comes to save you is not something I will ever endorse. There is a time and a place for people at the business end of a gun to act, but that will never happen of we teach them to be docile.

My school district doesn't "go with one-shot school trainings". Our training is consistent with Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement guidelines. As a matter of fact, this came up during the full-scale exercise I mentioned before. We had one of two shooters who had entered a classroom. After the incident in which the police entered and engaged the shooter, who had started shooting students in the room, the teacher, a former paratrooper in the US Army, was speaking to the law enforcement officers (LEOs) about what he could have done. Much of the discussion involved the active involvement of the teacher, in keeping with the above guidelines.

The following is taken from the document, Active Shooter: How to Respond, produced by the DHS, "Take action against the active shooter: As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by: Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her; Throwing items and improvising weapons; Yelling; Committing to your actions" (Active Shooter: How to Respond, DHS www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdf - 2009-12-02) There is clearly a place for people to act, and it is well within the bounds of best practices to teach the people we protect how to protect themselves, and when to do so. They have to have permission to live.

So what should we, as leaders do? Teach our people to be docile, or teach them in accordance with best practices? I want the maximum number of people in my care to survive whatever situation they find themselves. If that increases my responsibility and liability for that, bring it on. I have a conscience to live with, and will not let anyone's opinion sway me from what I know to be right, especially when that opinion has been formed from my military service (Infantry), numerous law enforcement training, and training from school safety people I know and trust.

As I noted above, training people incurs responsibility and liability. That is why I teach that people in my sphere of responsibility have permission to live. I do not teach submissiveness, nor do I teach people to be "sheeple", a term used later in the presentation mentioned in my previous post. My teachings are in line with DHS, IDHS guidelines, and are in keeping with the ALICE model taught by the Carmel Police Department in one of the breakout sessions I attended.

Apparently there are two opposing philosophies at work here. Bill Bonds, who took the gun off of the shooter at Paducah High School, didn't have any formal training in unarmed combat. David Benke, the teacher who disarmed the shooter at Deer Creek Middle School, didn't wait passively for the police to arrive. He tackled the shooter and disarmed him. Jon Lane, a gym coach at Frontier Middle School, wrestled that shooter to the ground and disarmed him. Jencie Fagan, of Pine Middle School, confronted the shooter there, and subdued him. We can even stray out of the area of schools and look at 9/11 for an example. Does anyone remember Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, Thomas Burnett or Jeremy Glick? What would our world be like without their untrained response?

Perhaps this warrior mindset is troubling for some. For me, it is troubling that we don't see more of this. Yes, we should be training our people to be warriors. Not everyone can be, but it is a choice. I provide my people with training that identifies those choices, and helps them develop skill sets to implement those choices. That training is ongoing, not done in one hour presentations. It is a mindset that I try to develop. I want my staff and children to emulate Bill Bonds, David Benke, Jon Lane, Jencie Fagan, Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, Thomas Burnett and Jeremy Glick. I want them to emulate people like Michael Dorn, who rose above his childhood challenges of bullying and dyslexia to become a very successful police officer and a world-wide expert in school safety. I want them to emulate Rick Rescorla, who saved 2,700 people on 9/11.

A warrior isn't about weapons, tactics, or certain skill sets. It is about the frame of mind. The people I train seem to appreciate that, and in the end, their opinion, as well as the opinions of the students I protect, are the only opinions I truly care about.

Bringing a Purse to a Gun Fight

2011-10-27T20:32:00.000-04:00

While attending the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy this week, I had an opportunity to see part of Ken Trump's presentation on School Board security. He showed the video of the Panama City School Board shooting during the presentation. At one point, a woman attempts to use her purse to knock the gun out of the shooter's hand. She fails, and he pushes her away.

Mr. Trump made the seemingly derisive comment, "Don't bring a purse to a gun fight."

That comment rubbed me the wrong way. A woman, not young by any means, attempts to intervene in a shooting using the tools she had, and a man who was lecturing others on school safety mocks her efforts.

Mark Mireles, one of the most decorated officers in LAPD history, wrote about the Ten Warrior Virtues in "Warriors", compiled by Loren Christensen. One of the virtues Mireles mentions is nobility. To be a warrior, you must love what you defend. The warrior is no better than the ones he protects. Ken Trump's comment did not show much nobility.

Part of my job as a School Safety Officer is to help teachers who are sheep-like become more warrior-like. One of the things I try to teach is to think on your feet, use what you have, and as they teach in the Infantry; adapt, change, and overcome. The lady in the board room is to be commended. Sure, she can learn from it. We all learn from each experience. But dammit, she acted, when others ran, or froze!

I, for one, salute her.

Full Scale Exercise - Active Shooter Scenario

2011-09-25T21:03:00.000-04:00

The Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County (CSCSHC) will be conducting a Full Scale Exercise involving an active scenario on Wednesday, October 19, 2011. It will begin around 9am, and the activity part of the exercise will end by noon. The hot wash will last the rest of the day.

This exercise will be like a Final Exam for us. For several years now our school corporation has implemented many changes in the area of school safety. New protocols, numerous tabletop exercises, and too many meetings to count. We have worked with our local law enforcement and fire safety officials to make sure we are doing all we can to make our students and staff safe and secure.

Now it's time to put all that to the test.

The following agencies will be participating in this exercise: CSCSHC, the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, the New Palestine Police Department, the Sugar Creek Township Fire Department, the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency, the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, the Fortville Police Department, The Greenfield Police Department, and the Indiana State Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD)Team.

This exercise will require coordination between all the above agencies, as well as student, staff and parent volunteers, and will be a major undertaking. But it will be a major learning time for us, and those who will help us if that dark day ever happens.

Keep in mind, while this is about an active shooter scenario, the lessons we learn will aplly to nearly all situations in which we integrate our response with our First Responders.

Throughout all the meetings I have attended leading up to this exercise, I have been profoundly impressed with the professionalism and competence of the police and fire officers.

Our lives could not be in better hands.

Indiana State Fair Sheepdogs

2011-08-14T19:22:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/sugarland-concert-ends-tragic-stage-collapse-video-122304778.html

A tragedy occurred at the Indiana State Fair. The stage roof collapsed, killing five people and wounding over 40. High winds blew the structure down on some fans. The link above shows the video of the event.

What is important for this blog is what happens immediately after, before the dust even settles. People turned and ran to the downed structure, to help those trapped underneath. Sheepdogs.

My prayers go out to the families of those killed, injured, and traumatized by the incident. I lay no blame, as some in the media do. What I am not seeing are the stories of those who turned into the face of danger to help their fellow men and women.

This post is for those sheepdogs. Hooah!

Active Shooter Training with Sheepdogs

2011-07-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

You stand before another police officer, your heart is pounding, your mouth is dry, and sweat streams down your face. He tells you that shots have been fired, and that children are in danger. You hear shots ring out in the building as you and your brothers gear up and prepare to go in.

Moments before, you were patrolling in your car, thinking about your son's baseball game that evening. The radio call declaring an active shooter in a school changed your life forever.

The ranking cop issues assignments, and you take up your position as the point man as your team enters the building. The fire alarm has gone off, and the strident klaxon grates on your ears as you lead the team down a hallway. You barely notice the weight of your tactical vest and equipment belt as you hear shots and screams in the distance.

Your heart cries out for you to break out into a run as you hear screams and more shots, but your training keeps you with your team, knowing that only your combined firepower can put an end to this madness.

You turn a corner into a scene from Hell. Bodies are on the floor all the way down the hallway, in numerous positions. Blood smears adorn the walls, as well as bits of things you don't take time to think about, but which will haunt your dreams for the rest of your life. Moans come from some of the bodies, but you have to get to the source of the damage before you can help them. You file the moans away as one more thing to think about later, and you will.

Your team leader calls out doorways and hallways as they come up. He announces a stairwell to the left, and your vision narrows down to that stairwell. The sounds of shots being fired come from upstairs, and things appear to go into slow motion as time slows. You begin to go up the stairs, bringing your pistol up to cover the top of the stairs, and you stumble. It saves your life as a couple of shots hit the wall behind you, passing through where you were just a second ago. You call out, "CONTACT! Top of the stairs!" as you scramble to your your feet. The head above you disappears. You take a right guard position, as another team member steps into your point position, and once again head up the stairs.

As you reach the top of the stairs, you hear gunfire and screams coming from a classroom two doors down. The new point man calls this out, and the heart that you thought could not beat any faster goes into overdrive.

The point man quickly steps past the door to the classroom and takes up position about ten feet down the hall. You step up to the team leader, put your left shoulder into him, and push him past the door as you scan the room through the window. You see the shooter in the back of the room shooting into a body, and you see several bodies on the floor, and quite a few students cowering on the floor, screaming and crying. You reach the other side of the door, and you tell the team leader, "One shooter, far side of the room."

The team leader says, "Criss-cross, GO!"

You make eye contact with the officer across the door. The hinges are on his side, on the outside, so the door will swing to him. He takes a deep breath, reaches for the door handle, and checks to see if it will work. It does, so he pulls the door open.

As soon as it is open far enough, you shoulder your way in, entering diagonally through the door. As soon as you step in, you target the shooter, who is nothing but a dark shape in the back of the room. His gun was pointed down, but now starts to swing around towards you. Your gun bucks in your hand, and he staggers. The officer who opened the door had come in diagonally behind you and is now on your left. He fires as well, and in the space of a couple of seconds the shooter is shot four times out of six shots.

The echoes of the shots fade, to be replaced by sobbing and the heavy breathing of you and the other officer. You shuffle over to the shooter's body, keeping your gun trained on him. The other officer trains his gun around the room, making sure no one else is a threat. You kick the gun away from the shooter, and check his pulse, although one of the rounds took him in the face, and it doesn't look like much was left. When you can feel no pulse, you yell out, "Suspect is dead!" The other officer yells out, "Room is clear! MEDICAL!"

For three days, I have had the honor of training with police officers from several jurisdictions who were in the Active Shooter Instructors course. I am a school administrator, so I am not taking the course, but by learning what the police are doing, I can better prepare my students and staff for the unlikely event an active shooter is in my school.

I am impressed with the professionalism of the officers in the training. In between the scenarios they run, they joke around with each other almost like teenage boys. There is a sense of camaraderie between them that I haven't seen since leaving the Army in 1993. After each scenario, they gather together and go over what went right and wrong. They are brutally honest with each other, knowing that they have to be, to be prepared to handle whatever evil they may be called to take care of. In the scenarios, I play one of the "bad guys". My Infantry training helps me to be as difficult a foe as possible, as I know that's what they want, and need. Sometimes I play a hostage, or a victim. Sometimes I am a lone bad guy, sometimes I'm one of two.

They don't play a lot of "what if" games. They train to historical realities, and probabilities. Resources are scarce, so they don't waste them on scenarios highly unlikely to happen. The use of simunitions adds an element of reality by raising the stress levels. When shot with one, they sting. You also have the psychological impact of seeing someone trying to hurt you, and the adrenalin kicks in. This affects your aim. In one scenario, 12 shots were fired by the good guys, with two hitting their target. Police officers need to psychologically inoculate themselves to this, and the physical stress of these types of situations. We were in an air-conditioned school, and yet officers were sweating after each scenario.

You want to know what lessons were learned in Columbine; Bailey, Colorado; Nickle Mines, Pennsylvania; and Virgina Tech? Attend a training session like this and see how the police learn from these events and prepare for the bad guys, who also learn from these events.

The "thin blue line" may be thin, but it is a strong one. I, for one, am glad they do what they do. I am also glad for the men and women who train them. Thanks to all the men and women of law enforcement, for training like this, and thinking the unthinkable.

Gang Rapes in High Schools

2011-06-22T21:58:00.000-04:00

"A 15-year-old female student at Clifton High School in New Jersey claims she was gang raped while in the school building. The two young men claim innocence. However, the police have stated that they have strong evidence in this criminal incident. It is tragic that such a terrible crime allegedly occurred in a school building."
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979465897

Yes, it is indeed tragic. It is also completely avoidable. The article goes on to state that budget cuts have led to staff cuts, with the logical conclusion being that such cuts endanger children.

This is sheep talk.

Regardless of how many staff there are in the building, it is their duty to supervise the students in their care. There is no excuse for for this lack of supervision. A true sheepdog would have adapted, overcome, and provided a safe environment for the kids in that school.

Video cameras are nice when video evidence is needed, but they cannot be a substitute for proper supervision. Teachers should be posted at strategic places in the hall, with other teachers roving through restrooms and stairwells. Student accountability measures should be practiced and enforced.

Sexual assault is a terrible thing. The only crimes I consider to be worse than sexual assault are crimes against children. Incidents like this fuel my fire to push teachers to do more to keep students safe. No one wants to walk through restrooms, or through stairwells where shady things go on. But compare the discomfort of doing that to the cold, empty feeling of failure when you realize an innocent child was harmed because you couldn't put forth a little effort.

Failing our children is not a sheepdog option.

2011-06-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

An awesome poem I found on Blackfive describes Sheepdogs perfectly.

The Rick Rescorla School Safety Award

2011-06-03T20:01:00.000-04:00

Back in February, I blogged about Doe Creek Middle School's Sheepdogs of the Month. At the end of the school year, one of the Sheepdogs of the Month was selected as the first recipient of the Rick Rescorla School Safety Award.

Rick Rescorla’s picture was featured on the cover of the book “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young” by General Hal Moore and Rick Galloway. Rick served in the British Army, enlisted in the US Army, and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam. This battle, in which Rick was awarded the Silver Star, is chronicled in Moore’s and Galloway’s book. During the battle, Rick sang Cornish martial songs to keep up his troop’s morale.

After he retired from the Army, he became Vice President of Security for Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, housed in the World Trade Center(WTC). He was there in 1993 for the first attack, and his actions, along with his foresight and preparation, saved the lives of 2,700 people. He pushed, cajoled, and wheedled employees to practice evacuations. When the building authorities gave safety directives that were not the best, he ignored them and continued to drill his employees, cheerfully ignoring their protests.

He was there in 2001, on the day when the twin towers were attacked in the manner he had predicted. When the building authorities told everyone to stay put, he once again used his cheerful, forceful personality to get the employees to disregard the bad instructions. The employees of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter used the protocols he developed and relentlessly drilled into them to successfully evacuate the tower, all the while listening to his singing of Cornish martial songs.

All but six of Morgan Stanley's 2,700 WTC employees survived. Four of those six were Rescorla and three deputies who followed him back into the building; Wesley Mercer, Jorge Velazquez, and Godwin Forde. (Time Magazine, June 9, 2008). Rescorla’s honor cost him his life, a cost he gladly paid. When told he needed to evacuate as well, he replied, "As soon as I make sure everyone else is out." Rick lived his life, and gave his life, with honor. He was a man I definitely consider to be an outstanding example for all sheepdogs.

I can think of no better man to represent the epitome of a sheepdog. It was Rick's example that inspired me to create this program. Our PTO provided funds for a plaque that would list the winners of each year. The individual being honored also receives a personal plaque.

This year's winner is Ellen Krug. Mrs. Krug was our choir teacher. Her relationships with her students helped her intercede in numerous situations that might have led to violence. It also led to a student trusting her enough to come to her with a rumor of a student who had run away from home. Not succumbing to denial, Mrs. Krug brought the problem to me, and I contacted law enforcement. They were able to locate her at her home. Her parents did not know she was there, but were able to get to her at home and address the situation.

Her watchfulness over her charges extended to bus trips between Doe Creek and New Palestine High School. She would be able to take over 80 students on these trips with no discipline issues, and always had complete accountability. Not an easy task with middle school students. She was also very conscientious about her safety responsibilities, often being the first to ask questions about a procedure.

Ellen Krug exemplifies the spirit of Rick Rescorla, and represents the best of our Sheepdogs. Mrs. Krug, thank you for helping to keep Doe Creek students safe and secure.

A Warrior You Should Know - John Giduck

2011-04-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

Today was the second of two days that I had to attend the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy (ISSSA) to maintain my certification as an Indiana School Safety Officer. Last week, I began my new duties as Director of Transportation and Director of School Safety for CSC Southern Hancock County, so I had decided to take a course of Critical Asset Management, which was more in line with my new duties. There were several great offerings; Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation, Gang Awareness, and one I really wanted to go to, School Safety and Survival: The Beslan Terrorist School Siege and Lessons for America. The presenter was John Giduck, from the Archangel Group.

I had purchased John's book, Terror at Beslan, a couple of years ago, and read it cover-to-cover, then went back and started to read it again, highlighting the important lessons that I need to apply to my work, and ideas I had not considered before.

The Chechen terrorists used tactics straight from the al Qaeda playbook, "Separate the young people from the old, the women, and the children. The young people have more strength, hence their ability to resist is high. The security forces must be killed instantly. This prevents others from showing resistance." (Giduck, p. 184) This came as a revelation, as I assumed that they would herd the children together in a gym or other large venue. No. They seek control through fear, and separating the groups will breed fear.

Russian Special Forces Commander Sergie Lisyuk noted, "Security in schools should be a large system. The first and most important part of the system must be the information and intelligence system." (Giduck, p.249) In an earlier blog I talked about rapport-building. This is important, as your own students are often the best source for information.

The entire book offered up such gems, but more importantly, it gave me insights into the heart of evil men. Sheepdogs are the ones who have to think of these things, to know the heart of the wolf, and help prepare the sheep for the wolf's attack. As I read Giduck's book, I resolved that I would never allow such a thing on my watch due to lack of preparation on my part.

I was able to meet John this morning. I stopped in to get him to sign my copy of Terror at Beslan, and I saw Shelley Klingerman, of Stiletto Agency, selling two other books written by John. John came in, and I was immediately struck by his presence. I had seen such presence before; Dave Grossman, Mike Dorn, and my brother, Tom Satterly. These are men who have faced evil and came out the victor, and they have the presence of warriors who are sure of themselves, and have a passion for teaching others. I took an instant liking to him. He was very personable and charming. He is a friend of Dave Grossman, and I showed him the 'Sheepdog' shirt I got from RangerUp.com, inspired by Col. Grossman. He liked it.

The other two books were 'The Green Beret in You", written with Sergeant Major John Anderson, and "Shooter Down" with Major Joseph Bail. I cannot wait to see what further lessons John can teach me in these books, and I look forward into implementing those lessons into my own school safety work.

It was an honor to meet you, John Giduck.

Bullying - What is It?

2011-03-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

This may take a few posts, as bullying is a complex issue. I am looking for feedback, as a discussion on this topic must be had, at many levels.

First off, I was a victim of bullying for six years as a child. I was called names, beat up, excluded, made fun of, and generally had a bad time of it. Before anyone starts thinking I had a miserable childhood, it wasn't. I had a stable family parents who loved me, so the bad times were mitigated with caring parents. That didn't make the bad times any more enjoyable.

The first step to problem-solving is to identify the problem. What is bullying?

Indiana Code IC 20-33-8-0.2 states that bullying means overt, repeated acts or gestures, including:
(1) verbal or written communications transmitted; (2) physical acts committed; or (3) any other behaviors committed; by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the other student.

Well that's just great! Leave it to legislators to develop language that only other legislators can truly understand. So let's break it down. Overt means that the behavior must be open and observable; not hidden, concealed, or secret. That's a problem. Often the bully hides what he/she does. So that means the sheepdog's job is to bring the bullying to light.

It has to be repeated. Technically, that means more than once. Does that mean committing a defined behavior twice makes you a bully? Three? It is important to establish a pattern of behavior. That means the sheepdog has to find a way to show the behavior has been repeated. That means documentation.

Lastly, there has to be intent. Wolves intend to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or hurt others. Yet we have all engaged in such behaviors, yet we don't truly want to hurt others. Therefore determining intent is vital to combating bullying. That means that the sheepdog has to know his students, to better be able to discern intent.

Another aspect of bullying, not considered by legislators, is control. The victim of bullying loses control over their liberty to another. This loss of liberty is why bullying is such a problem. Liberty is one of our inalienable rights. We have gone to war to defend it. Yet when a child loses it to another child, we have erroneously classified it as "part of growing up". Yet what lesson do we teach when we enable the loss of control of a child's liberty right?

When one person strips another of control while engaging in the above defined behaviors, then true bullying is taking place. As the bully intends to do this, then what we have is, at best, sociopathic behavior. When the bully enjoys the pain caused, then it can be said that he/she is exhibiting psychopathic behaviors. When described like that, it's easier to see why bullying has become such a problem. Add the instant gratification of the electronic age, and we have a recipe for societal disaster.

No pressure.

A Sheepdog Kind of Day

2011-02-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

My week last week ended on a very typical sheepdog kind of day. The kind of day that makes me glad to be a sheepdog.

It began with paperwork from a pending expulsion of a student who was a bully, and not suited for a standard educational environment. Gotta love the paperwork, necessary as it may be.

I had previously received a couple of reports that a student was inappropriately touching others in private places. The student in question is a sweet child who isn't the strongest thinker, and it was not in my mind that she was doing this with malice. Children who exhibit such outward sexual behaviors usually do so because they were sexually abused themselves. I asked her teacher to bring her to my office so I could talk to her.

When she came in, she was all smiles, and her body language was open. I began to ask her about her touching other students, and she started to fidget as she explained she just "poked" them. I began to press a little, brushing aside her child-like attempts at deflections.

Several years ago, I received law enforcement training in interviewing and interrogation techniques. I also received training in therapeutic interviews, drawing information out of abused children that can start the healing process. Fortunately, I rarely have to use those skills, but they came into play that day.

Rapport-building was not necessary, as I already knew her pretty well, so I was able to begin some basic questioning. It was only a moment or two until her responses to the questions were coupled with avoidance behaviors. She stopped looking me in the eyes, she leaned away, her arms closed, and her face took on an aspect of shame. In direct response to the question of whether anyone had ever touched her in her private parts, she gave the strongest response thus far, including touching herself. To be sure of the response, I asked her again, and got the same response. I had established that something awful had happened, and it was time to leave it in the hands of people better trained than I.

After she had left, I had to do some calming exercises. Seeing children who have been preyed upon makes me furious, and I cannot act that way, so getting back to an even keel was necessary. I did some auto-genic breathing, looked at pictures of my family, and ended on some pictures my daughter Carole had made for me. Feeling grounded again, I could move on.

Next up was a case of battery. Two students had been having problems for a couple of years. That week, words were flying back and forth, mostly between their friends. The younger boy had finally had enough, and came up behind the older boy and swung at him. The older boy grabbed the younger one around the waist, and they both went down. The younger one grabbed the older one around his face, and began squeezing. A teacher intervened, but it took some doing to get the younger boy's arm away from the older one.

This one required the assistance of Hancock County's finest. As in the above case, I often need the help of experts to determine how serious a situation is, so Hancock County Sheriff's Deputies came and assessed the attack to see how serious it was. They watched the video, and then spoke to the boy and his parents, who had been called in. The victim's parents decided to press charges, so they stayed to complete the paperwork. By then the day was done, but not quite for me.

I went outside to my car to put something away, and I saw two Welsh Corgis running around, one with a limp. I called out to them, and the one with the limp came right up to me while the other ran off as if it didn't hear me. The corgi that came to me had a tag, so I called the number on it and got a phone number from the veterinarian. I called and left a message at the number. I gave the corgi some water and some peanut butter pretzels, which he loved. The vet had said his name was Hoss, and it fit, as it looked like Hoss had not missed many meals.

I used whitepages.com to reverse trace the phone number, and found that the owners lived right across the road from the school. I took Hoss home, and reunited him with his owners. His owner told me the other corgi had made it home, which amazed him, as she is deaf. That explained why she didn't come when I called. Seeing the joy on the owner's face made everything that day worthwhile. A hurt little girl was going to get help, justice was served in a battery case, and Hoss was back with those who loved him.

It seemed fitting that one sheepdog help another to end my day, although I wasn't sure who helped who. Thanks Hoss!

School's Sheepdogs are Key to its Turnaround.

2011-02-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

Nicole Fama and Gwendolyn Hardiman took their positions at opposite ends of a hallway near the Arlington Woods Elementary cafeteria on a recent Thursday morning.

"Here they come," Fama said, as the first of hundreds of students burst through the school's front doors.

Before long, a line of students stretched from one end of the hallway to the other. And for the next 20 minutes the boys and girls waiting to enter the cafeteria received hugs, smiles, advice and lectures -- and anything else they needed -- from Fama and Hardiman, two educators whose weekdays begin with keeping order during the school's free breakfast program.

But this duo's job is not about cafeteria duty. Rather, it's about ensuring that the discipline problems that plagued Arlington Woods for many years are minimized. Their performance is high on the list of impressive things at an impressive school. As co-leaders and the only members of the discipline team, they've helped spark a quick turnaround at the Eastside school.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110220/LOCAL/102200369/School-s-peacemaking-pair-gently-lays-down-law-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com

In my last post, I recognized those who are sheepdogs in my school. Reading this article in the Indianapolis Star this morning, I realized I needed to recognize others as well. Fama and Hardiman are the epitome of sheepdogs. They love their kids, but know that outbursts and fighting disrupt learning. They develop rapports with their children and parents, as well as intelligence on issues that will affect learning.

I don't know how much they are paying these ladies, but it is a necessary expense, and it is clearly not enough. Nicole Fama and Gwendolyn Hardiman, you are on my Sheepdog Hall of Fame! Matthew Tully, thank you for bringing these Sheepdogs to the attention of Indianapolis!

Sheepdogs of the Month

2011-02-15T19:55:00.000-05:00

Part of the job of a sheepdog in schools is to develop a climate in the school in which everyone has a part to play. The staff and students of Doe Creek Middle School have come a long way toward that goal. What I needed was a way to recognize those who went above and beyond to make our school a safer place. Enter the Sheepdog of the Month program.

Each month I ask the teachers to nominate one of their own who best exhibits the traits of a sheepdog in schools. Teachers who develop trusting relationships with their students, teachers who put themselves between harm and the students. Teachers demonstrate true leadership with their peers and students. After receiving nominations, I pick one who best represents the traits of the sheepdog. I also ask the teachers to nominate a student who exhibits the same traits.

The teacher who is selected gets a certificate, signed by the Principal and myself, which gets presented to the teacher in front of their students. They also receive a few "goodies" like 'Jeans cards', which allows them to wear blue jeans to school for one day. They also get a 'Sheepdog' t-shirt, designed by Ranger Up: http://www.rangerup.com/police.html The shirts are paid for by our PTO.

At the end of the year, each of our Sheepdogs of the Month are eligible to win the Rick Rescorla School Safety Award. Rick Rescorla was a Vietnam War Silver Star recipient. He was also Director of Security at Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter on 9/11. He evacuated 2,700 people, and died after he and three others went back up to make sure everyone was out. The winner will receive a small trophy, and their name will be inscribed on a plaque that will stay with the school.

Amber Connors was our first recipient. She develops trusting relationships with her students. When one came to her with the report of a possible shooting in the school, she did not engage in denial, but got the information to me immediately, and we were able to determine that it was just a rumor.

Danielle Daugherty was our second recipient. She also develops trusting relationships, and also teaches them to be sheepdogs themselves. Her relationships have resulted in numerous reports of bullying that she has sent my way. Her leadership with her students is very apparent.

Amanda Schwyn was our third recipient. She stepped into the middle of a fight between two girls, knowing that if she allowed it to continue, other students would get hurt. She acted decisively, and with the interests of students foremost in her mind.

Shawn Rago was our fourth recipient. She has also developed trusting relationships with students who tell her of bad things happening in our school. She has provided me with several pieces of information that has allowed us to get drugs out of our school.

Ellen Krug is very conscientious about school safety, and about her children. She heard a rumor that a student of hers had run away from home. She contacted me, I contacted law enforcement, and we were able to quickly locate the student. She was also very good about noticing bullying, and reporting it in a timely fashion.

Bryan Turner is a gym teacher. The classes are of a nature that injuries happen. Mr. Turner remains calm, and quickly acts to get the injured student to the clinic.

Karen Payne is a cafeteria monitor. She came to me with information of one of her students who approached her with information of some problems at home. We were able to address the issue, with Mrs. Payne following through to make sure it was taken care of.

Debra Kleyn is also a cafeteria monitor. In her work, she frequently noticed building issues between students, and would notify the office for intervention. In an environment full of noise, she heard the right things.

Ron Hayes is a custodian. While walking through the cafeteria, he saw two students engaged in the "Choking Game". One was pressing hard on the chest of the other to prevent them from breathing. He stopped the two students, and took them to the office, where they were able to speak with counselors.

Deputy Chapman has a daughter at our school. He volunteered at the end of each school day to stop traffic on the road outside of school, allowing the buses to quickly get on their way. People trying to get ahead of the buses often endangered the children on the buses in their haste.

Officer Fisher served as security at many of our school dances. He also interacts with many of the students in town, keeping them out of trouble, and providing a role model for them.

Who will be next? We have many outstanding teachers to choose from. Several students have been selected as well, receiving certificates, but as this is a middle school, and in the interests of internet safety, we do not publicly announce their names.

It is my hope to make this a corporation-wide affair, and to make the Rick Rescorla award the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County's way to honor those who protect our kids.

A "Drug Problem" at my School

2011-02-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

The last part of this week saw me engaged in full sheepdog mode. It ended with two students being suspended pending expulsion, and a parent calling me to ask about a "drug problem" at my school. I explained that there was no "problem", in that a student reported the presence of marijuana in our school, I caught the student, and the one wanting to make the purchase, and that both were being removed from our school. No problem.

It began with an anonymous phone call Wednesday morning reporting a student who had been allegedly bringing a pipe and weed to a bus stop. I went to to go speak with the student, and noticed that something was wrong with his eyes. They were dilated, one bigger than the other, and did not react well to light. I had him seen by our school nurse, Mrs. Pineda, who agreed that something wasn't right. I talked to him in my office, and told him I was prepared to call the paramedics if he didn't convince me that he wasn't in danger. He told me that he had taken some ibuprofen, and as he talked, his eyes returned to normal. I sent him back to class, and went about my other duties.

The young man had developed a trusting relationship with one of his teachers, and apparently after leaving me, he began talking to her. Out of that talk came several pieces of information. One was that he had taken several of his mother's Lexapro, an anti-depressant. Another was that he was being drug-tested by the Hancock County Juvenile Probation Department, and had been given several vitamin C tablets in an effort to trick an upcoming drug test. Those were turned over to me at the end of the day on Thursday. Another was that the same student had brought marijuana to school to sell to others. This piece of information infuriated me, and also came at the end of the day.

I called the Hancock County Sheriff's Department to have a deputy come and ID the pills. The deputy who showed up happened to be a K-9 officer, so after he told me the pills were indeed over the counter, I asked him to bring his dog in. He did, and he and his dog scanned several locker banks, but the dog gave no positive indications. However, quite a few students were in the cafeteria for play practice, and witnessed the locker searches, which worked to my advantage, as news of the K-9's presence was quickly texted to others, and the word got out.

On Friday morning, the same student informed his teacher that the student who had given him the vitamin C tablets had brought marijuana to school to sell to another student. I went and got the alleged dealer out of class and brought him to my office. There I asked him to empty his pockets, which he did, with the exception of a small cargo pocket. When I asked about that one, his reaction told me I had found the drugs. In that side pocket he had a small quantity of marijuana in a baggie, and a white, clumpy powder in another baggie.

A Sheriff's deputy once again came out to the school, and identified the leafy, green substance as marijuana, a small amount in a "dime bag". Once his mother arrived, he interrogated the boy and determined who the buyer was. As it so happened, a K-9 officer was once again present, and the school was placed on a Code Yellow lockdown, in which all students are restricted to their classrooms. The K-9 officer and his dog once again searched selected locker banks, but this time the dog 'hit' on two lockers. One was the locker of the boy who had the marijuana, the other was the locker of the boy who was going to buy it.

The boy who was caught in possession of it, was arrested and taken to a juvenile detention facility. The other boy was sent home with his mother. Both have been suspended ten days from school pending expulsion. It took two days, numerous phone calls, numerous interviews, and close cooperation with local law enforcement officers to catch two kids who made horrible mistakes.

The fact that kids are using and dealing marijuana isn't a 'drug problem' with the school. It's a community problem, a family problem, and a societal problem, but not a 'school problem' as the parent who called me tried to tell me. It's a school problem if we remain oblivious, if we do nothing, if we turn a blind eye and live in denial like sheep. But as a sheepdog, I do none of these things, nor do many of our teachers.

There is nothing worse about my job than to hold a child accountable for the horrible mistakes they might make. Not doing so endangers the hundreds of innocent children who deserve to be able to come to a school in which the use and trafficking of such poisons will NOT be tolerated. I have to do my part to make my school such a place, including the not so pleasant tasks that come with the job.

It is the way of the Sheepdog.

Friends in the Business

2011-02-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

School Safety consulting can sometimes be a dog-eat-dog business. There are a LOT of professionals, and some not so professional people, who engage in the business of making schools safer. I have run into a few not-so-professional people, but by and large I have been impressed with many I have worked with, a couple of whom I've already blogged about, Dave Grossman and Michael Dorn.

Another one of the good guys is Dale Yeager, CEO of SERAPH, the Problem Solving Company. I first met Dale many moons ago through the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy. He is a criminal analyst, the civilian equivalent of a profiler. He was involved in the first investigation of the Jon Bonet Ramsey murder. Criminal profiling is a hobby of mine, and Dale's insights and knowledge have helped me strengthen my knowledge in that area.

As part of our REMS Grant implementation, Dale came to us and provided my staff with training in recognizing violent behavior, and protecting ourselves from that violence. My staff came away from that training very impressed, as they were not only taught the theory, but practical applications. They engaged in neural-linguistic programming, autogenic breathing, and basic self-defense principles that left my staff more confident in their ability to handle whatever may occur in their classroom.

His company handles all sorts of security training, for universities, for nightclubs and arenas, law enforcement, and the military. SERAPH also provides legal services, and consulting services such as helping school districts find funding for their educational efforts. Most importantly, Dale is a man of integrity, as are the people who work with him.

Working in the school safety field is not a place for a lot of accolades. Usually people don't think about you unless there is a problem, and afterward they would just as soon forget about you. Sheepdogs are not the kind of people who do what they do for accolades. We do what we do because it protects people, especially children. We do derive pleasure from the relationships we build during our work. Dale is a friend, and a colleague, and is truly dedicated to being a sheepdog.

Thanks Dale!
http://www.seraph.net/

The Foundation for Sheepdogs in Schools

2011-02-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

“He has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.” Walter Lippmann

     Consider the soldier, police officer, fire fighter, and educator. One of these things is not like the others. Most people would choose the educator as the odd person out, but that needs to change. Children are sent to school with the understanding that they will return home, safe and sound, none the worse for wear, aside from homework. Yet are today’s educators up to the task? Is it the responsibility of the educator to protect their students, or is it something that should be outsourced? The protection of children entrusted to us is education’s primary responsibility. That’s been lost, because for quite some time it wasn’t needed. Clearly it is needed now, and too many educators are too quick to pass the responsibility off to the police. Rather then police patrolling halls what we need in our schools are sheepdogs.

     Why a Sheepdog and what do we mean by the term? In his book, “On Combat”, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Dave Grossman quotes a Vietnam veteran and a retired colonel, who classified people into three types: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. LTC Grossman went on to write, “We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools…But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school.” (On Combat) In schools, we have the predators and the prey, and they aren’t always the students. Grossman describes a wolf, “If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.” The news, almost everyday, carries a story of wolves in schools, and what they do to children. Bullying, drugs, and gangs threaten our children. Often even teachers are the targets.

     That leaves the sheepdog. Grossman wrote, “But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.” Is it possible to be an educator, and be what LTC Grossman describes? The answer is yes, and it is at the same time both easy and difficult to do.

     Becoming a sheepdog is best achieved if you believe in the reason for the change, if you have something to believe in. In the Roman Catholic religion, saints personify a particular aspect of being human that is to be emulated. For example, St. George is the Patron Saint of soldiers, while St. Michael is the Patron Saint of police officers. The man who should be the Patron Saint of sheepdogs is Rick Rescorla. Rick’s picture was featured on the cover of the book “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young” by General Hal Moore and Rick Galloway. Rick served in the British Army, enlisted in the US Army, and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam, chronicled in Moore’s and Galloway’s book. During the battle, he sang Cornish martial songs to keep up his troop’s morale.

     After he retired from the Army, he became Vice President of Security for Morgan
Stanley/Dean Witter, housed in the World Trade Center(WTC). He was there in 1993 for the first attack, and his actions, along with his foresight and preparation, saved the lives of 2,700 people. He pushed, cajoled, and wheedled employees to practice evacuations. When the building authorities gave safety directives that were not the best, he ignored them and continued to drill his employees, cheerfully ignoring their protests.

     He was there in 2001, on the day when the twin towers were attacked in the manner he had predicted. When the building authorities told everyone to stay put, he once again used his cheerful, forceful personality to get the employees to disregard the bad instructions. The employees of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter used the protocols he developed and relentlessly drilled into them to successfully evacuate the tower, all the while listening to his singing of Cornish martial songs.

     All but six of Morgan Stanley's 2,700 WTC employees survived. Four of those six were Rescorla and three deputies who followed him back into the building; Wesley Mercer, Jorge Velazquez, and Godwin Forde. (Time Magazine, June 9, 2008). Rescorla’s honor cost him his life, a cost he gladly paid. When told he needed to evacuate as well, he replied, "As soon as I make sure everyone else is out." Rick lived his life, and gave his life with honor. He was a man that is an outstanding example for all sheepdogs.

     Rick Rescorla did not stand back and let things happen. He saw what needed to be done, and he did it. He constantly made a choice, even if he knew it would cost him, because he knew it was the right choice. If Rick witnessed an accident, he would have stopped to help. If it came down to a choice between inaction and doing something that was hard, but right, Rick would choose the right thing.

     Sheepdogs live by a code. This code guides them, and is the basis for the decisions and choices they make in life. Many warrior societies live by their codes. The Samurai lived by Bushido; medieval knights lived by the Chivalric Code. These codes are a collection of attributes that the member uses to emulate the behavior cherished.

     Mark Mireles is a former Marine, an organization of warriors with their own Code. He is also a two-time recipient of a Medal of Valor while a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal, the highest civilian award for heroism in the US and Canada. He has developed what he calls the Ten Warrior Virtues. (Warriors, pp. 57-68) These virtues can be practiced by anyone, but they should be lived by sheepdogs.

     The first Warrior Virtue is Discipline. Mireles describes discipline as doing what you may not want to do. It is as much mental as it is physical. It will also help a sheepdog do things that need to be done, and persevere through all sorts of adversity. To be effective, a sheepdog’s discipline must be self-directed. A lot of things that need to be done to keep children safe require time and effort. Every day when you arrive at your school, do you walk around and make sure everything is secured, and ready to go? This should be done one or two other times during the day, because people will leave doors propped open, leave doors unlocked, or leave valuables lying around, unsecured. Discipline is needed to make sure duties like this get done, even when the sheepdog would like to do other things.

     The second Warrior Virtue is Action. When bad things happen, sheepdogs act. They move toward the danger, not away. Action can sometimes lead to mistakes, but the sheepdog treats mistakes as learning opportunities. Action can occur in many ways, whether by direct personal action, or delegation to others. However, a sheepdog is always responsible for their actions and the actions of those under their authority. With discipline, sheepdogs take action, even on things they don’t want to do, but have to be done. A sheepdog would never ask others to take an action they wouldn’t do themselves.

     The third Warrior Virtue is Knowledge. Sheepdogs value general knowledge, as well as specific knowledge that pertain to their job. General knowledge helps the sheepdog understand the world around them, as well as the minds of those they serve with, and work against. When it comes to acting on knowledge, the sheepdog always tries to keep it simple. When it comes to school safety, the sheepdog has to know everything about school safety. Partial knowledge can hurt people.

     The fourth Warrior Virtue is Nobility. The decision a sheepdog makes to serve others is a noble one, but Mireles describes nobility in regards to how sheepdogs relate to others. Sheepdogs care for all people, and have a deep respect for all humanity. Yet the sheepdog is ready to do violence to protect those in its care, when violence is called for. At Deer Creek Middle School in Littleton, Colorado, David Benke heard the shots that were killing his students. He went toward the sounds of the shots, tackled the shooter, and with another teacher’s help restrained him until the police arrived. (Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2010) Nobility includes showing respect to all. “Respect comes from caring about the cause, possessing the right attitude, and demonstrating the right behavior toward others, the good and the evil.” (Warriors, pp. 61-62) Sheepdogs serve others because of that respect, and that respect should guide all of their decisions.

     The fifth Warrior Virtue is Work Ethic. This entails a belief in getting the job done, whether it is an easy job or a hard one. Perseverance is a valuable trait for this virtue. The job is often hard, smelly, and demanding, yet it has to be done. Army grunts refer to this time as “suck it up time,” often in answer to someone’s griping about the job. It is that simple, and yet often so hard. The other side of the work ethic is getting the job done right. There may be limited resources, personal demands of time and effort, and yet the sheepdog sucks it up and gets it done, whether it involves sacrifice, or just getting to work everyday.

     The sixth Warrior Virtue is Testing. A sheepdog is constantly testing himself, making himself inured to conflict by constantly placing himself in controlled conflict. Sheep do not care to think ‘what if?’ but a sheepdog makes that part of his everyday existence. Failure during testing is not a sign of weakness, but a symptom of a problem that needs correction. When you test, test as you would perform. If all you do during fire drills is line the children up, take them outside, and then walk them back in when it’s over, you are violating this virtue, as very little gets tested by this practice. Use as much realism as you can provide to train your people. During fire drills, block exits, and do the drills during passing periods, bus drop-off, lunch, and during most weather. Sometimes ‘take’ a kid to check awareness and accountability. Have the teacher kick off the drill by coming into the classroom and announcing, “You smell smoke! What do you do?” The teacher must locate the alarm, simulate pulling it, go back to their room and evacuate their children. Test like you would perform for real.

     The seventh Warrior Virtue is Gameness. This means performing well under pressure. This is achieved through proper training and preparation, but can only be measured under pressure. Mireles talks of those who practice well, but don’t perform under pressure, versus those who practice all right, but perform well under pressure. Gameness is being faced with something out of the realm of preparation, and adapting to it and appropriately responding. The first responders in New York City on 9/11 were not prepared for two planes striking the World Trade Center, yet they adapted and responded, some at the expense of their lives.

     The eighth Warrior Virtue is Bravery. Mireles describes this as the one that people think of when they think of sheepdogs. He describes an act of bravery he saw as a child in 1982. Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River, killing 79 people. A female survivor was in the frigid waters trying to stay afloat as a helicopter hovered overhead. Lenny Skutnik, a federal office worker, took off his overcoat and his shoes, and dove into the river, swam out to where she had sunk, found her, brought her back up to the surface, and kept her afloat until they were both saved. (Warriors, p. 66) Mireles asks a very important question. He said that Skutnik did so with no obligation to save the woman. Or did he? As a sheepdog, you are under no obligation to protect others. Or are you? As a school sheepdog, you should feel an obligation to help those who are in need in schools. This obligation is internal, and should be for any sheepdog.

     The ninth Warrior Virtue is Code. Sheepdogs operate under a Code, a system that helps them define right and wrong, good and evil. Mireles wrote, “A warrior has to know what he believes in before he can define his personal code.” (Warriors, p. 66) Mireles has outlined his ten virtues, the outline of the things he believes in. The Code is how a sheepdog exemplifies their calling. Take some time and identify your Code.

     The tenth Warrior Virtue is _____.   The tenth virtue has been intentionally left blank. The ancient Greeks had a saying “Know thyself.” This was a directive to introspection, a skill needed by the sheepdog. Mireles describes Taoist and Zen lessons using open parables that forced students to bend their minds to find the meaning. Mireles leaves the tenth Virtue blank for the sheepdogs to fill in for themselves. Perhaps your tenth virtue is love. A sheepdog has to love, and love deeply. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) A sheepdog needs to know in their heart that they would lay down their life for their students and teachers. If love isn’t your tenth virtue what is your tenth virtue?

     Do you have what it takes to be a sheepdog? You need to choose action over indecision, and have a strong sense of right and wrong. You have to choose to be persistent, and know how to be a leader. You have to choose to be compassionate about those in your care, and know nothing is more important than their safety. When there is trouble, do you choose to head toward the trouble, or away from it? To be a sheep dog, you need to understand that you are both shield and sword to protect the sheep from the wolf. It’s never easy, but if the mindset is right, the rewards can be very fulfilling.

     For the people whose profession is public safety being a sheepdog is a choice. In the field of education it's not something many have even considered. The realities of today’s violence in our communities and schools are forcing educators to the realization they need make a choice. The choice is to either let events overwhelm them or prepare to deal with events when they occur and to consider a wider range of possible dangers. The choice between being a sheepdog or a sheep will affect the safety of their students, and is one that must be made.

Making the Call

2011-02-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

I discovered a new found respect for Superintendents on Monday, January 31. As the Athletic Director, I am responsible for making the call on games, especially during inclement weather. We had a major winter storm moving in and I had two girl's basketball games scheduled away, and the boy's county tournament, also away.

The AD from the school we were sending the girls to called around 2:00pm, and we decided it was best to cancel. The storm hadn't started, but it was forecast to begin while the girls were there, and it was supposed to be freezing rain. That wasn't too hard a call to make. We both agreed it was the thing to do, and it was just a regular season game. The boy's tourney was a bit harder.

I received a call from the Transportation Director at 2:30, when our school releases at 2:35pm. He was asking if I was going to cancel the boy's trip to the tourney. Now there's pressure. Any decision I made would affect three other schools, not to mention their families and friends. I didn't have the luxury of time, so I couldn't contact the other Athletic Directors to discuss it.

So I did what I always do in such situations. I defaulted to what was safe for kids. I could not, in good conscience, allow them to be away from school and have the storm move in. School buses are safe, but nothing is safe on ice. I would rather face angry, frustrated people than dead kids, so I made the call to cancel.

As it turns out, it was the right one, as the storm hit as predicted, and the ride home would have been very difficult. I am sure people were upset, but I stand by the decision, and would do it again the same way in similar circumstances.

Of course, superintendents have to make that call on a bigger scale, and they have state regulations, laws, and other things to weigh in on the decision. It's not an easy one to make, and my own little episode gave me a better appreciation of what they go through when making the call.

The Importance of Rapport-Building in School Safety

2011-01-29T22:06:00.000-05:00

An iPod is stolen. Getting it back can be a daunting task. It's a small item, and there are so many kids. What is a Sheepdog to do? Having a rapport with your students can make this an easier situation to resolve.

I was faced with this dilemma yesterday. A student had an iPod Touch fall out of his pocket. It was found, and placed on a teacher's desk. The teacher asked the class about it, found the owner, and then found that the iPod was missing. An allegation was made concerning one of the students.

I spoke to the student, who said he had "found" the iPod, and had taken it home to see if he could "find out" who it belonged to. When he brought it back to school, someone "stole" it out of his locker. Yeah, I didn't buy it either. I told the young man I wasn't buying it, and that I wanted the iPod returned.

The next day, I had another student in my office who was having a very rough day. He looked like he needed some time to decompress, so I passed him my iPad and and showed him how to play Angry Birds. He played that for a bit, until he heard me talking to my secretary about the missing iPod. He asked me if I wanted to know where the iPod was.

Within a matter of minutes, I had yet another student down to the office, who had the iPod in his locker. He had taken it and loaded his own apps and music onto it. He gave me the iPod, which I was able to return to the rightful owner.

A simple thing like allowing a student to decompress with a video game unlocked a secret, and allowed me to solve a crime.

The relationships we build with students are free, yet can have great dividends. When students know they can talk to you, they will tell you where and when drugs are being sold, who has taken what, and when horrible things have happened to them. This isn't about being their "friend", but being approachable, and treating them like real people. Having that rapport can also alert you to when a student is lying to you, which we know will occasionally happen.

As a Sheepdog, you are a leader. One of the aspects of leadership is providing a model for others to follow. Lead your teachers to develop rapport with their students. When we are teaching, and a child comes to us with a concern, it is NOT an imposition to listen to them. Acting like it is will lead the child to stop coming to you, and thus you will not have vital information when you need it.

Others Keepers

2011-01-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

Program urges middle schoolers to speak up about bullying

Story and photos by KRISTY DEER kdeer @newpalestinereporter .com

Knowing that school should be considered a safe zone for students, but realizing that is not always the case, Southern Hancock School Safety Officer Steve Satterly conducted an antibullying program at Doe Creek Middle School recently. “Bullying is an aggressive behavior with the intent to harm,” Satterly told a group of students in teacher Danielle Daugherty’s sixth-grade Language Arts class. As the district safety officer, Satterly knows plenty on the subject. Not only has he researched and led numerous discussions on how to prevent bullying, he has a true understanding of why it happens. Satterly was a victim of bullying when he was in school.

“After six years of being bullied, I had pretty much determined that the problem was me,” he told the students.

Developing a low self-esteem, he said, is one of the characteristics children develop when they are abused.

He also said many students who are bullied often become bullies themselves.

Satterly told the students he grew up at a time when adults often told children that bullying was a part of life. However, he now knows that’s not the right message.

“It wasn’t a phase of life that I had to go through; I got abused, plain and simple.”

Satterly asked the students to search themselves.

“What kind of a kid are you? If you see something, you can comfort the kid or you can let the bystanders know that it’s not cool.”

Satterly informed the students that if they see bullying or are a victim of bullying, they should not ignore it.

“It will not go away,” he said. “If you see something and you say, ‘It’s not my problem,’ then that means you’re OK with it. Is that the kind of person you really want to be?”

He also warned the students that being a bully can lead to further problems down the road, such as being expelled from school and getting involved in criminal activity.

“If a bully knows he can get away with it, he or she is going to try something else,” Satterly said.

He also said administrators, teachers, parents and students all need to work together to put an end to abusive behavior at school.

“There (are) state and national reports that show a third of the students that do report bullying feel their staff responded poorly,” he admitted.

“Sixty-five percent of kids believe that teachers are not interested in solving their problems and that disturbs me, but not as much as the figure that shows 75 percent feel administrators are not concerned.”

Satterly also shared that information with principals from around the state at a recent conference, hoping to show bullying does exist and should not be ignored.

In addition to the anti-bullying program, Satterly has helped create a “Sheep Dog” initiative at DCMS where teachers and students are rewarded for protecting those who are bullied at school.

He presented Daughtery with the teachers’ award during his presentation to her class.

She promptly took the chance to share her thoughts on the issue with her students.

“All these things, it should not go in one ear and out the other. You know which part you feel comfortable with doing, even if it’s talking with an adult to have them handle a situation for you. That means, you’re a sheep dog,” she said.

“I thought he did a very good job with this,” sixth-grader Joey Heidenreich said.

“I learned to stand up for other people and about being a sheep dog.”

While he said he hasn’t seen any fights break out at school his first year at Doe Creek, he has seen some overly aggressive teasing towards others that made him feel uncomfortable.

Students who do report bad behavior will be given a Sheep Dog award for their efforts to make the school safer. Satterly said the award will be kept confidential.

Paperwork: The Dark Side of School Safety

2011-01-21T19:44:00.000-05:00

My school had a two hour delay today, and I had to get my own little girl to her school, which was also on a two hour delay.

So what exciting adventure awaited me when I arrived?

Paperwork.

I received an email from the corporation office that they needed information for a "civil rights" report. They sent me a 32-page pdf with instructions, and asked for discipline info from last school year.

Four hours later, I was able to send them what they needed.

In the meantime, I had to deal with a lunch-time bullying situation, a disrespectful student, lunch duty, and a report of pot being smoked on a school bus.

Sheepdogs have to find balance. Paperwork is sometimes a necessary evil, but it cannot replace being in the halls, eyeballing kids, and maintaining a presence in the halls.

Man on a Mission

2011-01-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

I met Michael Dorn at the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy during Basic Training. He was billed as one of the world's foremost expert on school safety. As he began speaking, the first thing I noticed was his Georgia twang. Just like in the Jeff Foxworthy bit, I instinctively deducted 20 IQ points, but as he continued to talk, I noticed the twang less and less, and his passion for school safety more and more.

Some people work at something because they have to, some work at something because they believe in it. Mike is one of the latter. He is a soft-spoken man, but it is clear that he is passionate about keeping children safe.

After that first presentation, I went up to ask him a question, feeling a bit intimidated (Not an easy thing to do to me!). He was very personable, patient, and seemed genuinely interested in making sure I had an answer to my question. My first impression of Mike was a good one.

Since then, I have seen Mike present on bullying. I consider myself a big, tough Army Infantry grunt, but his description of how he was bullied as a child brought me to tears. No child should have to experience that, or anything close to that. I go to my student's classrooms to talk about bullying, and I share with them my experiences as a victim, but it is Mike's story that I keep in the back of my mind.

When he speaks, his eyes get intense, but he can be funny,and quick-witted. As he talks, he pulls the audience in, and makes them a part of what he is describing. it is easy to see that this is not a job for Mike, this is his calling.

Mike taught me a lot of what I know about facility security assessments, and over the years, he has become a friend to me. I had gone to the International School Safety Convention in Denver, Colorado, where Mike was speaking, and he called me out as a dedicated school safety officer, and I remember being humbled that such an expert in the field would do that. But that is Mike for you. School safety isn't about him, it's about the kids.

A very good lesson to learn.

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

2011-01-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

The whole idea of the sheepdog is the brainchild of one Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman. He taught Psychology at West Point, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School. I first met him at the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy Basic Training, where he spoke to us about how media can influence children. He was engaging, intense, and I knew that if I were to stay in the school safety field for very long, I would have to put on my war paint. I have a couple of his books, "On Killing" and "On Combat", both excellent reads. Why an educator would be reading such things should become more apparent the more you read my blog posts. The essay below explains the core concept of this blog, and the center point of my professional life. Hooah, LTC Grossman!

(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.

The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"

- William J. Bennett

In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy

November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

The gift of aggression

"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side."

Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"

But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,

There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,

O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.

“As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."

- Edmund Burke

Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.”

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit."

- Brigadier General Chuck Yeager

Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

"..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level."

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... “Baa.”

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.
(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

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Story and photos by KRISTY DEER kdeer@newpalestinereporter.com

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Story and photos by KRISTY DEER kdeer @newpalestinereporter .com