I guess we have to just go on...

I hardly feel like writing.   I feel like I am sick, like I am completely exhausted, achy and flu-ish,   but honestly,  I am thinking I might just be feeling the incredible sickening weight of the entire Sandy Hook tragedy wrapped around me like a disgusting soaked blanket.   I have spent so much time crying over the weekend,  I just feel worn out and old.   

This summer, as we excitedly prepared to start another school year,  safety drills were part of the routine, just like always.  We discussed what to do if there was a shooter in the building.   We came up with scenarios and what ifs...  We didn't exactly have a solution for every  possible scenario,  but we reasoned that this kind of thing wasn't going to happen in an elementary school.  But here we are.  And it is scary.   You can't stop crazy.  It is hard to wrap your mind around.   My babies came in today and I did my best to reassure them that they are safe,  but I'm not exactly sure that is true,  so it was hard.    I think we are as prepared as well as possible,  but that still might not be enough. It is so hard to know that even sacrificing my own life for them might not be enough.

I do have an incredible pride for our profession after this incident. Teachers do what they have to do anytime this happens.   I have never heard a story of a teacher freaking out and leaving her class.   In every single school shooting incident tragedy,  teachers have jumped in to do whatever they could to keep the precious children in their care safe.  That is incredible.  I am proud to be a part of this group of heroes.  I pray for the souls of those amazing individuals who gave up everything to protect "their" children.   Makes me just want to cry all day.

But as children teach us daily,  we have to go on.   We have to plan for the "what ifs".   Then we have to pray.   Then we just have to go on.   So today we went on. 

My class has  been using the incredible Catch Me If You Can Gingerbread Unit by Linda Kamp.  I am absolutely in love with it.   My whole team is working on Gingerbread People in some form or another,  so it was a fun choice for our school wide door decorating contest.   We each chose a different Gingerbread story for our door.   My teammate right next door did The Gingerbread Girl and I did The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.   My other teammates are doing The Gingerbread Pirates,  The Jalepeno Man, and The Gingerbread Cowboy.   Jill and I are pretty much done.  This is what our classes came up with.

 

I think they are pretty cute.   I will post more pictures when my teammates finish up.

 

 

I am so excited for the break in just a few days.   I think we need it more than ever this year.   Our administrators have been spoiling us this year!  We are doing the 12 days of Christmas and it has been so much fun.   We have had a hot chocolate bar,  days we have been allowed to leave early,  our duty covered so we could take a 1.5 hour lunch as a team,  they brought in a fire pit and made us smores in the yard,  treats, lunches, and a FULL WEEK of jeans everyday!  Tomorrow our assistant principal is making us a huge breakfast.   I love my administrators.   I am so thankful to work at my school, with my team and with the entire staff.   I can't imagine a better place to work.  I am a lucky girl.   But I am still really, really ready for a couple of weeks of just doing what we want.

 

Over the weekend I finished a book study I have been working on for a while - Owl Moon.   I love this beautiful book so much,  I have been really worried about doing it justice.  I hope that I have.  Please go check it out!  If you would be willing to give me some feedback and agree to pin it... I would be happy to email you a free copy - just leave me a comment below.

 

God Bless each you as you get through the days ahead!