3 major things will be remembered from Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010.
- It was concert day! This is a huge day in the life of any elementary child. From singing 4 songs as a grade, 4 songs as a school, and having my class successfully play the xylophone while reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day in front of 600 people, it can only be described as pure happiness. Unfortunately the title of the book foreshadowed 2:30 in my classroom.
- Lockdown...We went into lockdown. Of course, as soon as we were commanded to keep all kids in the classroom, one of mine asked to go to the bathroom. "Hold it", I said with a smile (while thinking, Did you hear the principal?) . My computer lit up with IMs from colleagues in the county (I could see this from my chair I was sitting in up against my classroom door while still maintaining my Matilda Lit Circle and while 3 other small groups efficiently engaged in instruction). I felt my phone vibrate it was my brother to check in. My kids asked why we couldn't go in the halls. Me: "Didn't you feel how cold they are? They want to keep us safe and warm since they're not heated." No more questions after that. Outside my classroom windows, I saw cold police everywhere. Slowly, we released kids to parents who were being released from lockdown in the office. I can still say I haven't settled down from that. A man was spotted with a gun running around our school by a few people including teachers.
- Dinner at Panchos...Chik-fil-a was packed. So, one of my Young Life girls and I headed over to Pancho's. I thought none of the girls could make dinner or were not coming. I wasn't bummed because of the time of year. But, I was excited when she called at 6 to see if we could hang out. Once our bill came for me to pay, this older man in the booth next to us came over. He asked if he could pay my bill because his kids had gone through Young Life and he understood the importance of sharing meals with others. Then, he shared some other very affirming words towards me and the position of life I have chosen. I will cling to these. He also happened to be a fellow UVA alum. Wahoowa. I hope to do what he did in the future. Pay it forward.
Moral of the Story: Christina said it best..."there's never a normal day as a teacher." Pure truth. In all aspects of my life where I try to lead or teach, there is no norm.
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