In the last 30 years it has been my pleasure to teach more than 3,000 students to write and think critically, to understand our history and government.

To my current students, I have to confess: I cannot protect you. I cannot keep you safe in even the most basic way. I say this with the deepest humility, in fact, with shame. It is my job to shake up your minds; your physical safety should not be in question.

Our government, your government, the one we taught you about — how a bill becomes a law, remember? — has failed you. There is no bill, and certainly no law, that is coming to make you safe at school. Only thoughts and prayers for your deceased classmates.

But maybe we taught you something useful. Jefferson: Government must respond to the governed. Martin Luther King Jr.: Now is the time.

No sane adult (this excludes teachers) would work in an environment as dangerous as school. Since the grown-ups in Washington, D.C., will not protect you, the solution is in your hands. Demand security. Reject the lockdown-drill status quo. Nothing less will get their attention. The price of your education should not be your lives.

Kevin McIntosh

Somerville