Yesterday morning at 7:40 am, we heard over the loud speaker that our Principal called an emergency faculty meeting. There's something eerie about changing routine--especially in a profession like teaching, where you do the same thing every single day. It was easy to see the tension and insecurity on the teachers' faces as we all walked over to the other building. We didn't know what to expect, but we knew it could not be good news.
We learned some sombering news which I won't share on here. What I do want to tell, though, is how our Principal ended our meeting. Despite the fact that he just given us information that would easily ruin a day, teachers were in tears, and everyone was in shock; the bell still rang. Our day still had to start. He said "well...let's go serve some children."
No matter what was going on outside the doors of the school, there are still 700 children in this school walking into classrooms. Those teachers who were crying had to take a deep breath and slap a smile on and say "good morning" 21 times.
We set the tone.
It's up to us.
There's no hiding in a cubicle or staring blankly at a computer screen. No, we can't cancel a meeting or choose not to answer the phone for the day.
It doesn't matter what is going on in our hearts and minds. These kids deserve more! They deserve 100% all day every day, and that is a very difficult part of this job.
It doesn't matter what is going on in our hearts and minds. These kids deserve more! They deserve 100% all day every day, and that is a very difficult part of this job.
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