Hero Teacher At Stoneman Douglass Once Told His Fiancée How To Remember Him Should He Die In A School Shooting

The Long Island native who died saving students in Florida last week gave his fiancée specific instructions about his funeral — should he ever die in a school shooting, the weeping woman said Sunday.

Hero teacher Scott Beigel once told fiancée Gwen as they watched coverage of a school shooting on TV, “Promise me if this ever happens to me, you will tell them the truth — tell them what a jerk I am, don’t talk about the hero stuff,” the grieving woman said through tears during Beigel’s funeral at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Fla.

“OK, Scott, I did what you asked,’’ the tearful woman continued. “Now I can tell the truth. You are an amazingly special person. You are my first love and my soulmate.’’

Beigel, a 35-year-old geography teacher who was born in Dix Hills, Long Island, had unlocked his classroom at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to let in some students during Wednesday’s deadly mayhem — then got nailed by a bullet while trying to lock the door again to keep out alleged killer Nikolas Cruz.

His maternal uncle, Mark, responded to reports that the FBI had received tips about Cruz that it failed to follow up on, calling out the “epic failure of law enforcement agencies — especially at the top — that are responsible for the loss of these 17 lives.’’

Beigel grew up in Dix Hills before attending the University of Miami, according to his obituary in the Florida Sun-Sentinel. He also coached the Stoneman Douglas cross-country team and was a counselor at Starlight Summer Camp in Pennsylvania.
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He was inspired to become a teacher after he started attending the camp at age 7, the paper reported.

via: nypost.com/2018/02/18/hero-florida-teacher-gave-fiancee-instructions-if-he-died-in-a-shooting/

Almost a week has passed since the Stoneman Douglas shooting and I wanna say I still can't believe it, but that would be a lie. I can believe it happened. It sadly isn't shocking anymore. Gun violence in the country is something all too familiar, and sadly something that you expect to see happening with how little regulation our country has with guns. People in politics need to realize that this is both a mental health issue AND a gun issue. Not one or the other. Maybe it's time to do something??? If I hear another Republican say something along the lines of "these people would still cause harm without guns" I'm gonna lose it. How can someone seriously think the same amount of carnage could happen with a knife and AR-15? 

I saw this story and it really stood out to me as someone with a teaching background. One of the victims, a 35 year old geography teacher named Scott Beigel in a way predicted his own death. He told his fiancée that should he die in a school shooting that he doesn't want to be remembered as a hero, instead talk about the jerk he was. Ironically, he did die a hero by saving students lives. I can't imagine how he must've felt in the moments leading up to his death. Every teacher's biggest fear come to life, and here all he's doing is trying to keep people alive, and he's dead because some monster had an AR-15.

How fucked up is that he said  "if I die in a shooting?" during coverage a previous school shooting and that actually happened? That thought should never have to cross a teachers mind. Teaching shouldn't be like being a cop or fucking soldier. You shouldn't have to worry about the possibility of dying on the job. You're in a SCHOOL. It's supposed to be one of the safest places on earth, an environment to learn, not be a fucking shooting range.

Unfortunately it's something you have to worry about now. I think about it. I want to give teaching another shot, but then I think to myself about the possibility of being a school shooting and it scares the shit out of me. We can't just assume it's going to happen in a "bad-area" because it usually doesn't. No place is immune. Historically it seems to be in the more affluent "it could never happen here" places, yet it does. I just don't understand how we just keep letting this happen. You'd think after Columbine that we'd be like oh shit 13 kids just died because a couple of psychos had assess to killing machines we should probably change. Instead hundreds of students have died while we just twiddle our thumbs and let it keep happening. 

The very handsome, Uncle Chaps made a great point about hypocrisy of all of this.

When Tide Pods were getting eaten too frequently, certain legislators were quick to introduce regulations to limit their harm.

— chaps (@UncleChaps) February 15, 2018

Stupid people trying to go viral over eating Tide Pods caused change, but another school shooting and nothing happens. Oh.

If there can be one positive from this school shooting it's that the survivors are fighting back and want changes made. Who knows if they'll succeed or not but at least they're trying to do something to stop it from happening again, unlike the FBI and United States government. R.I.P. Scott Beigel and all the other victims of this heinous crime, hopefully this time can be the one to finally spark some change.