As a teacher, lockdown drills felt like rehearsing for my death

When I worked as a teacher, our school was required to perform a full lockdown procedure twice a year to ensure we were prepared in the event of an active shooter on campus. With each breaking news story of yet another (preventable) school shooting, the gravity of these drills grew heavier on my heart. In the wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex., I am reminded that the effects of this violence will be echoed year after year in the minds of kids and teachers across the country, each wondering, “Will we be next?”