Overview
Written from the first-person perspective of a Columbine shooting survivor, this book documents the experiences of a group of school shooting survivors who went on to become teachers. More than 25 years after the shooting on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School, the policies and practices in place to prevent school shootings do not seem to be working. In fact, school shootings have increased since 1999 and continue to increase. Through a phenomenological study of the author’s own experiences, as well as 11 other Columbine survivors who went on to become teachers, this book examines how surviving a school shooting has impacted every aspect of their personal and professional lives. The participants offer ideas and suggestions on how to decrease school shootings, sharing candid stories about bullying at Columbine, as well as the ways that teachers helped save their lives on the day of the shooting, and their views on the idea of arming teachers. The book concludes with recommendations for survivor-informed best practices for US schools, adding an essential and often overlooked perspective to the debate around making teachers responsible for preventing school shootings. A forward-looking and unique addition to the conversation about school shootings, this book is an essential resource for researchers, faculty, scholars, and post-graduate students with interests in education, criminology, school shootings, restorative justice, trauma studies, suicide prevention, and bullying. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Full Product Details
Author: Michelle Markert-Porter
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Weight: 0.530kg
ISBN: 9781032933801
ISBN 10: 1032933801
Pages: 184
Publication Date: 22 September 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Not yet available
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Reviews
""In this compelling, thought-provoking book, Michelle Markert Porter explores the lasting impacts of the Columbine school shooting on survivors who became teachers. By examining how shared trauma shapes their relationships with students and informs their teaching practices, Porter highlights the importance of empathy, safety, and resilience in education."" Eric Madfis, Professor of Criminal Justice, Director of the Violence Prevention and Transformation Research Collaborative, School of Social Work & Criminal Justice, University of Washington Tacoma, USA ""School shootings are distressingly common in America. Of the many students impacted by such tragedies, some, perhaps surprisingly, later choose to return to the classroom as teachers. Drawing on her own experience as a survivor of the Columbine school shooting and on interviews with others similarly affected, Michelle Porter examines how these teachers’ professional practice is informed by their past, how they seek to build relationships of care and trust with their students and, importantly, what they think needs to be done to prevent future episodes of violence. There is much for teachers, administrators and parents to learn from this wide-ranging investigation."" Chris Marshall, Emeritus Professor of Restorative Practice, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand ""This is a powerful read for all educators and those who care about schools, teachers and youth. With a deep level of care, thoughtfulness and nuance, Michelle shares her own experience of the Columbine shooting, and that of 11 of her peers who were also Columbine students and have since all become teachers. It is the type of book that only a survivor of Columbine could write, but it is one that we all need to read. It is an honour to listen in as Michelle and her participants carefully explain the ongoing impact of the Columbine shooting, personally and professionally for the individuals involved, as well as on how we view and operate as educational institutions and educators. Michelle’s approach brings nuance to our understanding of school shooting research and experience, and provides ways forward if we are ready to truly grapple with school shootings."" Kristin Elaine Reimer, Associate Professor, Education, Holistic School Well-Being & Restorative Justice Education, Cape Breton University, CA ""In Children Who Survived a School Shooting and Chose to Teach, Michelle Markert Porter shares her own experiences as a survivor of the Columbine mass shooting alongside the perspectives of other survivors who became teachers after tragedy. By weaving together the personal and professional perspectives while amplifying the voices and lived experiences of survivors, Porter shines the light on a group often overlooked in the conversation about school safety and emergency preparedness while offering practical and tangible ways in which to help support school shooting survivors turned educators."" Jaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government, USA
Author Information
Michelle Markert-Porter completed her doctorate in education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2023 at Texas A&M University, USA. She is now a Secondary Spanish and ESOL Teacher at St Patrick's College in Wellington, New Zealand.
