Thursday, March 15, 2012

Lockdown

I am SO very glad that we practice safety drills in school every month. No, I don't like dragging all of my kids outside in the rain for a fire drill. I grumble just like the children as we stand, shivering in the field. Today was an eye opener, as to why we perform these monthly drills.

My students were all huddled on the rug with their white boards, scribbling answers to our math review when we heard a firm voice bellow to us from the ceiling.

"Teachers, please lock down the building!"

Oh my goodness, I sprinted to the door to lock it. When I got back into the classroom, I found whiteboards scattered all over the floor and my children nestled into our reading nook in the corner. I closed the blinds and met my class on the floor. I glanced at the clock.....it was almost 3:00. We leave to go home at 3:10. I tried to stay calm but my heart cranked up the metronome a few more notches. I very calmly asked that the children be quiet as a mouse while I checked my email to see what was going on.

I emailed, letting everyone know that I had all my students and that we were fine. Other teachers did the same. I watched as the roll call kept appearing on my screen. No update. I began to run through every scenario in my head. How quickly can we get through my adjoining door? Should I quietly move desks to make an obstacle course for an intruder?

I felt like a duck. Calm on the surface but my legs were churning the water constantly.

The children began to ask questions. I told them that I didn't have any answers right now but they were safe here. I talked about how thick the windows were, how sturdy the door was, and how strong I am. You don't want to mess with a mama bear, I told them. They settled for a moment and then began to worry about their families. They were concerned that moms were going to be worried when they didn't get off the bus on time. The mama in me understood that worry but reassured the kids that parents would be called if we needed to stay too much later.

When we got the call to get children ready to go home, it was almost 20 minutes past release time. I looked around my room and asked the children to join me on the rug for a second. I complimented them on how quickly and quietly they went to our "safe spot". They were so grown-up and did exactly what was expected. I couldn't ask for any more from them. They beamed with pride and forgot about our scary incident. for a moment 

After getting everyone safely on to buses and into pick-up cars, I took a deep breathe. Thank you for our practice drills, and thank you for the heart that is slowly going back to it's normal heart rate.

What a scary day. We don't have any details about what happened. We do know that it was a precautionary lock down requested by the sheriff and that no one was in real danger. PHEW! Never a dull moment. 

18 comments:

  1. Wow! It sounds like you handled everything perfectly. That would be terrifying!

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  2. I was frightened for you throughout this story. I graduated from a school that (years after I was long gone) experienced a school shooting and death. It is such a scary thought and I now feel like it really can happen anywhere. I work in a very high poverty area and I have experienced one true lock down with students that turned out fine, but my heart was outside of my body for that entire time. I hope you are sleeping soundly tonight as I'm sure your body and mind need a rest after all of that.

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  3. "I felt like a duck. Calm on the surface but my legs were churning the water constantly."

    I commend you for keeping your duck legs invisible.

    A dramatic slice. Oh my.

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  4. Your writing reflected the suspense of the day's events so well. You did such a good job - both in the classroom and in your writing as well.

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  5. wow...you were a great mama bear ...this held me to the end and I could visualize the scene...xo

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  6. We've only had one 'lockdown' drill this year so far, and I'm sure that my middle schoolers would not respond as well as your little ones. Thank goodness you've had the drills.
    I was captivated by the story, the writing, the reflections.

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  7. Wow - great response by your kids, and I hope your heart has had a chance to settle down. So glad your kiddos knew what to do and did well, Mama Bear!

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  8. Loved your "duck" comparison! Aren't kids great when they really NEED to be. Lock downs are no fun, but it's good to know they can do it when they need to. Glad all was fine!

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  9. This brought tears to my eyes because I know the fear you must have had, and the desire to protect those kids in your care. We've been having lock down drills in our high school and our kids have really been taking them seriously. We talk about the reasons for them and the necessity of being quiet and NOT using their phones. If something really happens, I don't know how the phone thing will go because I know they will want to let family know what is going on. All we can do is keep practicing and talking.

    Glad all is well. Here's to a quieter day

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  10. Your description made me feel as if I was right there. Your children were allowed to ask questions and you told them what you knew. You helped them through a scary situation and let them know to be proud of themselves.

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  11. Oh my goodness, Elizabeth, it does sound so scary. I worked mostly with older students, so had a different way to approach them when we've had this happen. I admire your handling of the situation with little ones. It sounds like they were well prepared and felt so cared for. Good for you. I like the analogy about the duck-perfect!

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  12. Wow, terrifying. My heart was racing through your whole narrative. I enjoyed how you took us through your thoughts and feelings and what you said to the kids. Every time we have a lockdown drill, it makes me sad because I can't imagine what it would be like to have a real one. Glad everything is ok!

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  13. While I'm sorry you had to go through that today, it sure made for a great slice! I felt like I was there with you! Your descriptions were great...actually made my heart beat a little faster! Glad everything turned out ok!

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  14. I love how comforting the mama bear comment was. I'm so glad everything is ok.

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  15. The one thing that I was thinking of while holding my breath reading your slice was thank god you had those practice drills. Your students knew just what to do. I feel, sadly enough, one drill a year may not be enough. So glad all is well!

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  16. "I tried to stay calm but my heart cranked up the metronome a few more notches." Mine was doing the same thing as I read your post. So glad is was precautionary! And the duck imagery...perfect!

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  17. I took a deep breath during your slice and said a few prayers. My "duck legs' were churning too, and I am grateful you all are safe.

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  18. Elizabeth,
    A great reminder of the importance of drills. I must admit to getting a little frustrated over the constant interruption of instruction to practice these. I felt like I was right there with you through the entire event. The detailed way you shared the thoughts you had as you waited and wondered were powerful. I think we all would have similar thoughts in that situation. The shorter sentence structures as the crisis began helped to feel the urgency of the situation and drew me into your story. You must be very proud of your students.

    Cathy

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