The Hidden Dangers Lurking Behind Every Window—What Michael Gutierrez Wants You to Know
In a world where the daily routine can abruptly shift from the mundane to a heart-pounding alert, how do you reconcile the safety of your classroom with the ever-present threat lurking just beyond the windows? Michael Gutierrez’s gripping narrative plunges us right into those moments when the sirens wail, and “Avoid windows” isn’t just a phrase in a safety drill—it’s a lifeline. Teaching at the University of North Carolina, Gutierrez shares a raw, personal account of navigating crises that ripple through campuses and neighborhoods alike—where lockdowns become part of a child’s school year and the line between “routine” and “trauma” blurs like a murky fog. What’s it like to carry the calm in a room filled with quiet fear? And how does one dream of distant places with wide-open doors when the shadows in your own office grow long and heavy? This is more than a story about survival; it’s a meditation on the strange new normal we all find ourselves living in.
It’s August 28, the second week of the semester, and I am walking to the grocery store when the firetrucks blast down Highway 54 toward the University of North Carolina, where I teach. Cops follow. Siren after siren.
