My thoughts and prayers to those in Newton, CT

As a mother of a little girl whose birthday is within months of all of the first graders who were killed, I can't help but think of those families and the bright futures that they will not be able to live out.  When I see their pictures it is not hard for me to imagine the energy, the laughter and the love that all of these children had.  They were no doubt like my Olivia and danced and sang their hearts out every chance they got.  They loved to swim, play sports and color like most 6 year olds.  I wonder if any of them had a Furby on their Christmas list like Olivia does.  I look at her beautiful smile and her beautiful personality and it leaves a lump in my throat to think of 20 families losing this beauty in their lives.

As a teacher of 5 and 6 year olds it is hard to look at my students and not think about how much they mean to me and the thought of something happening to one of them is numbing, much less a whole class at once.  What the staff of that school is going through right now is beyond comprehension.  5 and 6 year olds love their teachers and they love to show their teachers how much they love them and they are not afraid to tell you things to make you feel good... I have found myself really hugging back this past week with as much feeling as they give me.  If you know this age group it is not a good idea to give in to hugs for one, because soon you could be swarmed by all 20 looking for a hug too.  But I found myself not following my own rules and if they wanted a hug, I squeezed them tight and told them how special they are.  I know those children at Sandy Hook Elementary were loved by their teachers and I can picture them in class that morning anxious for another day of fun and learning.

Also, as a colleague of educators it is impossible not to go back in the classroom after this and think....."what if, what would I do".  It is hard not to think about the teachers in Newton that gave their lives trying to save the lives of their students.  The intense fear and helplessness that they must have felt, not for themselves but for their students.  There is not a doubt in my mind that every teacher I work with  would have done the same heroic actions that these teachers did in trying to protect their students.  Floating around Facebook there is a quote that describes the educators I work with perfectly.  I have no idea who said it but I like it:

“To parents who aren’t educators, this may be hard to understand. Five days a week, we teach your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. Question your kids. Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. Gush over your kids. Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids. Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids. Love your kids. 

We would all take a bullet for your kids. It’s nowhere in our job description. It isn’t covered in the employee handbook. It isn’t cited on our contracts. But we would all do it. So, yes—please hug your kids tonight—really, really tight. But on Monday, if you see your kids’ teacher, hug them too.”

Just love seeing an urban school bus in the country!

In October our kindergarten classes took a field trip to the farm!  It was the perfect wrap up to our science farm unit in my bilingual classes.  We learned to compare and contrast farm animals, name their body parts, and talked about foods grown on the farm.
Here are some pictures of what these city kids got to see!!