When we have fire drills, there is a lot of whispering, wiggling and whimpering, particularly if it is cold, hot, windy, humid, sunny or cloudy. There is a lot of reminding that we need to be quiet just in case this was a real emergency and we really did need to get information to people quickly. There are many reminders that the fire drill is not over until you are back in your seats. There are reminders, shushes, more reminders and more shushes. We never really thought they were listening. Yesterday, we found out they were listening. All of them were really listening! Yesterday, as March quietly warmed the winter air, we exited the building because there really was a concern about every one's safety. It turned out to be "not really a problem at all" but the local police and firemen came in the trucks and cars with lights flashing. They wore the gear they would have needed if it was a real emergency. They came quickly, lots of them, because, after all, it was a school!
The bigger kids were amazingly, wonderfully, perfectly quiet.
The younger kids were amazingly, wonderfully, perfectly quiet.
The teachers were amazingly, wonderfully, perfectly quiet.
We huddled together, without talking.
We listened, without talking.
We watched without talking.
We learned, they really were listening.
No one complained about being cold or inconvenienced
And without fanfare or fuss
We were back to teaching, learning and living
Safely in our school.
5 comments:
My children had a lockdown drill yesterday - it is so important to be quiet and calm during this time.
My post from yesterday-
http://awriterlylife.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/my-slice-6-sol-13-of-31/
Anita - Isn't it great to know?! This is a lesson for us all. People learn - they don't have to look like we think they should look and they are still learning! Thanks for the reminder!
They are so much more aware and responsible than we give them credit for sometimes!
http://katiemsmith425.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/180-degrees-wordpress-daily-prompt/
http://thoughtsandjots25.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/take-a-bow/
Sounds like you had an interesting day!
I loved the line, "there is a lot of whispering, wiggling and whimpering, particularly if it is cold, hot, windy, humid, sunny or cloudy". It made me laugh because it is so true.
http://findingmywritingvoice.blogspot.com/
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