Kathleen Parker’s column advocating the arming of teachers to defend our nation’s school children was certainly thought-provoking (“Should teacher be armed? If I were one, I’d want to be” June 7).

Having taught in a Maine public school for over 40 years, I tried to image what it would be like for me and my colleagues to be armed. I found it hard to imagine and think most teachers would. From the time a teacher walks into school early in the morning until they leave late in the afternoon they are overwhelmed with responsibilities – adding a gun to these responsibilities is unthinkable.

But here is an idea. Why not arm substitute teachers? Their role is much less stressful and being armed could be part of their training. While many are older with slowed reaction time the element of surprise could offset this challenge. Some subs could even be trained exclusively for this position – Gun Sub for a day. Signs could be placed at entry doors, “Caution, Armed Subs.”

Until more serious solutions are adopted regarding gun control and mental health care, this modest proposal just might work.

Steven Hill
Scarborough