My school district has been experiencing a rash of lockdowns. City wide we have had almost 40 with some schools being in the double digits. A student or a group of students has been calling 911 and reporting that there are either armed gun men in the school or there is a bomb. For the most part they have been 'none specific' but each time it requires us to go to our secure school procedure. We have had 4 but three in the last two days. Today we were again required to evacuate to our feeder school because today's call gave a time. That means transporting 850 students down the street for 6 blocks and crossing a major city intersection. Let's just say that by the time we get down the street we've lost about one third of our students. Needless to say, the students are getting upset and staff also.
While walking back I was very quiet because I was trying to find something good in this situation: how can we address apathy if this keeps happening, how do we convince at-risk students to keep trying, keep working, and to keep coming, what do we do about the students who think this is great becaus they don't have to be in school? etc..... Well, the universe will always give you the answer if you are listening. The daycare (with children ranging in age 0-5 years old) attached to my school also had to be evacuated and they only had a two minute head start. They were in nap time because it was just after lunch so some children didn't have on coats, shoes or socks and it's cold outside today. Cribs had to be pushed and little ones needed assistance to make the trip.
As we were walking back to school, I looked up to see the group of students I recruited to help out coming down the street with little ones in each hand, carrying the ones who can't walk yet, taking off their coats to make sure they weren't cold and a long list of tremendous acts of kindness. Not because someone was watching or giving them a grade. Just because that's what was needed in the moment. That's the stuff that doesn't make the newspaper when they are reporting about this maddness going on. They stayed with them the whole time. They coloured, played games, sang and just took care of those children. My faith renewed once again, teenagers are great and it is for us to find ways to engage them in behaviours and choices that are positive.
