Praise to a Teacher Who Fights Drug War and Fear with a Song By Suncoast Rehabilitation Center/Derek A. Queener

In Monterrey, Mexico a school teacher and her class actually go through drills to prepare for all too frequent drug related gunfire. This was the case last week when across the street from the school, five people were killed by gunmen with ties to one of the two Mexican drug cartels.

Unfortunately this is a daily occurrence and has been since 2006, when the Mexican President, Felipe Calderon declared war on the Gulf and Zeta cartels. Since this declaration, over 35,000 people have been killed over turf and smuggling routes.

In the United States we have been witness to numerous tragedies in our schools such as Columbine, where a shooting rampage claimed the lives of several students and left our country outraged. We too are better prepared for such senseless acts of violence, but no drills are done with kindergartners if gunfire suddenly erupts.

Martha Rivera had no warning and no time to get her children to safety when a gunman began executing people across the street from her classroom last Friday. This 33 year old mother of two did the best she could in a situation no one, especially a teacher and a classroom full children should ever have to face. Mrs. Rivera instructed her children to put their heads to the floor, and in an effort to calm the kids and muffle the horrible sounds, she began to sing a Barney song familiar to all the children. The few minutes of screams and gunfire ended with five dead and fifteen kids still singing a cartoon song with their teacher.

At drug and alcohol treatment center, Suncoast Rehabilitation Center the reality that drugs kill is recognized every minute of every day. We have a drug and alcohol inpatient program that saves the lives of those addicted to drugs from as young as 18 to as old as 80. Though we know the children of this country are affected by drugs, they are not kindergarteners dodging bullets during nap-time. The children are usually affected by parents who are addicted and need drug and/or alcohol treatment, or even worse, born addicted themselves. Whether here or in Monterrey, Mexico, children should never suffer these horrible fates.

This world we live in down to the smallest country and the youngest child are not immune to the devastation of drugs and drug addiction. Mrs. Rivera and her kindergarten class were collateral damage in a war over how to sell and transport drugs. They are not addicts or drug dealers, yet drugs almost killed them none the less.

We at the drug and alcohol treatment center, Suncoast Rehabilitation Center applaud your courage Mrs. Rivera and we pray for your country, your children, and you.