Eve of Excitement

It's the eve of excitement!  Or what others call, the night before the last day, before spring break.  Kids are amped, teachers are hanging on tight and everyone is ready for a break.  Well, why not break out the Woot Woot wagon on this special day!

Periodically throughout the year, we bring out the wagon (not really a wagon).  We stock it with cold drinks and fun snacks, and lots of chocolate.  This year, we even decorated it to "fancy" it up!  We find some great music that everyone wants to dance to, and we're off!

We roll through the halls, dance at teacher's doors and excitedly keep knocking until someone opens the door!  By now, staff, and kids for that matter, know exactly what is happening when they hear the music.  "Snacks for adults!," I yell.  Kids groan.  They say no fair.  But they are laughing and dancing at the same time.

Today, our D.A.R.E. officer was at school and he had not ever experienced the Woot Woot before.  "This is awesome!," he yelled.  

As we finished rolling through the halls, and increasing the smile's on the faces of each adult, we had one more stop.  We rolled that cart outside, through the kids and kids lining up for dismissal, right to the buses.  Several had already lined up, and several more started pulling in.  Our amazing staff rolled the cart to each bus, fighting the wind, that was ripping the roof off our cart!  The drivers and aides each selected a snack and drink of their choice.

I try to always wave goodbye to the bus drivers each day, but today, I got the biggest, most excited waves of the year.

Today marks the eve of excitement, but the little things still go far.  Focus on the details and build a culture that celebrates the work of everyone, kids and adults.

It Is More Than What You See

 In day to day school life, we can't predict what is going to happen.  We all have our jobs and responsibilities each day, and a plan to execute our to-do list as best we can.  Along with our duties, there are the parts of each day we look forward to, as well.  I enjoy my time interacting with students during lunch periods.  Kids are relaxed while they eat and they often want to tell you a story, share their latest club idea, or challenge you to another arm wrestling match.

On a regular, normal day, we had an emergency this year.  As a school team, we came together to help a child.  Later, after time had passed, I was in the cafeteria with another grade level.  A teacher came to me, with three crying students.  They were concerned about the student that had the emergency, their friend.  I assured the students that their friend was going to be okay.  They wiped their tears and went back to class.

In the afternoon, I encountered several more students that were upset.  I talked briefly with each of them to try to console them, as their teacher had also done.  They were so worried and upset about their friend, who had the emergency.

I had never seen the level of concern from kids about a classmate as I did that day.  Their love for their friend was amazing.  This made me think hard about the work we do in schools.  We devote time to developing relationships with kids and building classrooms that are safe for all kids.  We teach kids to be kind and we hope that they will love each other and show compassion.  On this day, I was moved by the love the students showed for their friend.  Truly amazing.

In addition to the lunchroom emergency that day, we had a playground emergency, only a few weeks before.  Again, our team jumped in and reacted to a unpredictable situation without skipping a beat.  This situation required an ambulance ride for the student and myself, for precautionary measures.

Fast forward two months.  At the end of a parent meeting, the mom said, there's just one more thing.  I welcomed any further conversation.  The mom proceeded to tell me that she was waiting in the car pick up line during our recess emergency that day.  She added that she always likes to get in the line early, to secure a front spot, lol.  The mom went on to tell me how scared she was for the student, when she watched everything unfold and the ambulance arrive, a few months before.  Then she paused.  She said something I will never forget. "I realized I was crying, because I knew the child must have been scared.  But I also wouldn't want any other person watching over my child than you."

Every job probably has parts you don't see.  But in education, there are so many parts that we pour our hearts into, that no one sees.  Thank you to all of my educator friends for pouring your hearts into kids, even when people aren't looking.  You DO make a difference.