The sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the hallways of the childless elementary school . It was an empty clip from a gun , fallen to the ground . `` That sound should be imprinted in your brain , '' Zach Hudson , co-founder of Defensive Tactics Solutions , told the educators in the audience . `` That is the sound of survival . That is the sound of opportunity . '' That , Hudson said , is the best time to attack a shooter if one enters the school or classroom . On a recent Saturday in Lake Mary , Florida , Hudson and his partner , Mike Friedman , conducted a free active shooter self-defense workshop for teachers and school staff members . Since the deadly school shootings in Newtown , Connecticut , last year , school security plans have included arming teachers , adding police officers and armed security guards , changing how schools are designed and adding bulletproof backpacks and whiteboards to schools . In the new school year , some educators are taking it upon themselves to be prepared for the unthinkable . What really makes schools safer ? The self-defense trainers , both parents , believe that workshops like this one should be mandatory for educators . `` You got to make sure you get those fire drills in every year , '' said Hudson , who was a CNN Hero in 2012 for his work with senior citizens . `` Fire drills are important , do n't get me wrong , but guess what , kids are n't dying in fires . They 're dying because they are being shot . That 's the truth , and that 's the threat . '' They passed out a pocket-sized active shooter reference guide published by the FBI ( PDF ) that says people have three options when an active shooter enters a location : run , hide or fight . `` Fight as a last resort and only when your life is in imminent danger , '' it says . This course offered guidance on how to escape or take cover but focused most of its four hours on how to fight and disarm an attacker -- something few educators have ever considered how to do . `` It 's very sad that we have to go through this kind of training to know how to protect our kids , '' said Marsha Taylor , a teacher of 25 years who works with young children . The protection exercises started with a fake gun pointed at the educators . `` It takes the fear out of it , '' Hudson said . Participants were taught how to grab the barrel and point it away while holding the slide so the handgun can not fire . Parts of the workshop were similar to a self-defense classes , where participants learned how and where to hit and the best position to stand when approaching an attacker . `` You have eight weapons , '' Friedman told the class . `` Two hands , two elbows , two knees , two feet . '' The educators of all ages practiced how to use those body parts on pads held by the instructors ; they were encouraged to make every strike fueled with aggression and anger . `` We do n't need to be armed with a weapon -- a gun per se , '' said Frank Taylor , a day-care owner who took the class . `` But if we have knowledge of how to use our bodies and our surroundings , than that in itself is the best form of arming ourselves . '' The tactics and strategies were tailored toward a school setting , instructors said , and part of the workshop focused on the school and classroom setup . Teachers were told which ordinary items found in a classroom might be used as weapons -- for example , throwing a stapler at the shooter or using it to hit an attacker in the temple . If scissors were available , educators were told to aim for the eyes . `` Who cares how you incapacitate ? '' Friedman said . `` Just attack the attacker . That 's the mind set . '' Teachers lessons ' in heroism and healing . In the school 's hallway , educators got a detailed lesson in how to run from the sound of bullets. `` 'Cover ' means that whatever you are behind will stop a bullet , '' Hudson explained , urging them to run from cover to cover . When told to hide , Hudson reminded the group that if they are n't seen , they 're less likely to be shot . The workshop ended with a `` bad guy '' with a gun entering the classroom . The educators were taught how to find the room 's `` blind spot '' : a place where they wo n't be seen when the shooter entered the room . It was also the best position , the trainer said , to use the element of surprise if they needed to disarm the shooter . A shooter , of course , that these educators wanted to prepare for but never hope to encounter . `` In addition to us providing exceptional education for the students , first and foremost , they have to be protected , '' Taylor said . `` If they 're not safe , then it does n't matter what we do from an educational standpoint . ''
Some Florida educators recently took self-defense training in case of a school shooting . Instructors say guides on how to hide , run or fight should be mandatory for teachers . Comment: