It's been quite a while since I have been a part of the blogging world, but after the Newtown tradgedy, I felt sudden inspiration to begin sharing those small moments in and out of the classroom that really make you think and evaluate the life you are living. :)
With that being said, let me take you back to Monday, December 17th, 9:00am. (The Monday after the tradgedy)
It was a chillly morning here in St. Augustine, and the morning routines of the classroom started off like normal....breakfast, morning work, morning announcements, etc. The students cleaned up and we met at our classroom carpet for what I thought would be a tough morning meeting.
Our principal had asked us to breifly discuss the tradgedy (in kid language) to ensure our students that they are safe and what we need to do to stay safe. No big deal right? Umph!
Well, I began our talk by explaining that something happended in a school up north that was not normal. Students and teachers were hurt, but there were many heros that day that helped people stay safe. I assured the students that they were safe, and we went over the procedures for a lock down drill very quickly. Here's where it gets good...
All of a sudden, one of my students raised her hand. Here is what she said.
Student: "You know Mrs. Hunter, the man that did this probably just had a rough life. He didnt know how to make good choices and he was so angry and didnt know how to handle it.."
Hmm...what to say...?????
Me: "You're right, so what could he have done instead of this?"
Student: "Well, he could have talked to someone and just got over his anger and moved on. He needed to be proactive for himself and not hurt others for his anger."
Wow...then of course 15 other little pairs of hands popped up with solutions to this issue. I of course had to stretch this converstaion on and let the students share! Who wouldn't?
With all of this being said, I was very humbled by the power of this students thinking, feelings, and ability to convey to other students truth.
Let us not ignore what happened and think we can not talk to our students/children about this tradgedy. Evil is very prevelant in our world, and they need to be able so share feelings and visions for a safe and positive future.
Talk on!
--Mrs. Hunter
