This morning was a hard morning in front of the TV. If there was ever a morning since I’ve been retired that I wanted to dress up and go to work, it’s today. I want to be there with my colleagues for the early morning meeting taking place in every school today before the students arrive. I want to be there to hug children and read them funny stories. I want to hug parents as they deliver children to classroom doors. I want to remind children it’s holiday time and do some fun artwork with them today. I want to have a have five year old read me his private thoughts that the picture in his journal represents today. I want to sit with the class and address the question or comment that that very bright, aware and precocious little girl is going to blurt out sometime today. I want to sit with them and assure them that yes, a bad thing happened in a school, but we are safe here today and now we must get on with our learning. This is want I want to do today, but I can’t. My job today is to pray The Lord will be with my colleagues and daughter as they are called upon to do such important work today.
That is my work. It is what I’m wired to do. It’s very frustrating to not be able to be there to help. Today it’s important to assure children they are safe, be truthful but brief with what happened when addressing their concerns, and most of all teachers everywhere today will be called upon to create a safe and happy classroom atmosphere. How is that done? you might ask. Today is the day to read a holiday story, put on music and bring out the paint or the clay and let the children be children. They are processing this without words and we must give them that space to do so, while feeling safe.
Trying to accept the unexplainable is so hard when you can’t get in there and help out.
And so, as another day goes by, my heart will be in every teacher’s classroom today, my prayers will be with those who have lost their children and can’t send them to school today, but I am not helpless – I can pray and send God out there to help, and….I have written.
To all my colleagues and their students at BP – I love you, miss you, and so wish I could be there with you today…..
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