"Pay Attention Please"

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, September 5, 2025)

“Pay Attention Please” is a youth fiction novel written by Jamie Sumner which I read last week. This book is like many of Sumner’s other books that feature a disabled main character. I make a habit of not reading the book covers so I can enjoy the surprises along the way. This book's formatting of shorter chapters and different paragraph structures made this a very fast read, until the storyline became evident for me.

This story took place in a small town where the main character was born with Cerebral Palsy. She was adopted by the school nurse of a small private school. The story weaves accessibility needs and adaptations throughout. The current story takes place when she is in middle school and has a Little, a kindergartner, that she is a mentor to. The Little has faced much in her short life and is quite shy unless bubble gum and her Big are involved.

The story takes a turn when their little private school has the tragedy of a school shooting. Man, sometimes I wish I read the book covers first. Reading page after page of not just the horrific situation of being a student using a chair and being stuck in gunfire but also the aftermath of pain, hurt, confusion, and grief made my heart sad and numb.

I grew up in a time when school shootings were not a thing in my student time of life. The first school shooting I knew about was Columbine High School on April, 20th, 1999. A few years later, when I was in college at UMD, our wind ensemble was on tour at local schools and another school shooting happened. This time at an elementary school. Even though we were safe in Minnesota with the tragedy in Texas, it still shook us as we dedicated our song, Be Thou My Vision composed by David Gillingham, to the many lives impacted by this horrific act. I will always remember the somberness, wet eyes, and soul filled music as well as the conductor’s baton moving and glistening through air that was heavy and weary.

For us future music educators on that stage, it was a reality check of the future we were embarking on and the doe eyed positivity changed. To be honest I really forgot about this memory as it related to my career until one day I was teaching general music in a space where the classroom windows were on ground level. We had our usual drills on a beautiful fall day. But this drill was different. My bright and thoughtful sixth graders started whispering very important questions as they were letting the reality of the drill sink in. Most of the students were fine and this was just a run of the mill drill. But then one kid asked louder, “Ms. U, what if the bad person was outside our window or if this was real? Would we just sit here?” I said. “Nope, we would quietly get all of the music gear from the cabinets and you would all hide in there.” One boy quietly slid over to me and said with tear filled eyes, but Ms U you can't fit in the cabinets with us because of your chair. And I hushed him for others not to hear but let him know that it’s ok because it is my job to protect my kids. That little face will forever be etched in my mind.

So the timing of reading this book with the school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis was not lost on me. The news clip about the student who uses a wheelchair being protected by their teacher who took them from their chair and put them under a pew to be covered by their teacher made me ball. FInding out that we have loved ones here in our community with their loved ones at the school and in the neighborhood during the shooting is also heartbreaking.

I don’t have any answers right now because I am sitting in disbelief and heartache. But I know the truth that disabled lives matter rings more clear every day. I know reading stories, fiction and non-fiction, bring stories and experiences to light for us to make decisions that are best for our whole community. I know that teachers don’t just teach but they protect and serve. I know that whatever the answer is, it will take us all to make the changes that are needed. We can do this, we have to.