No, this is not King Arthur and the Round Table, but shields nonetheless.

Some of us remember the air raid drills, when you would take cover under your desk. Our troops wear helmets and Kevlar vests to protect them from bullets and shrapnel.

So maybe we make all desktops in classrooms out of bullet-proof Kevlar. Classroom doors, too. And while we are at it, the covers of text books.

Thirty desks gives students thirty shields, and the book covers act as portable shields.

Expensive, yes. But how much is a student worth? This generation may tell their grandchildren, “I remember those drills we used to do, where we lifted up our desks and formed a room full of shields.”

Think about it.

Ben Thomas

Winthrop