Light

It was one helluva day at school, if you will pardon the potty mouth.

We had to evacuate the school during first lunch because of an incindiary incident in a stairwell close to my classroom.  My colleagues and I had just sat down to our lunch when the fire alarm went off.  We all waited just a beat, thinking that we would be told to stay put, that it was just a false alarm.  But the loud speaker message didn't come, and somehow we knew without being told to get to the kids immediately.

We took them outside to wait, and I have to admit, for having their social and feeding time interrupted, they were model citizens. 

The smoke and fire extinguisher residue lingered in the back hallway, so students were prohibited from using it for the rest of the day, but we were able to return to business as sort of usual. 

My brave colleagues who put out the fire were told they should go to the doctor to check their lungs.  That meant classes needed to be covered.  I cheerfully took the Texas History teacher's class and ran two classes in my room at once.

Just another day in paradise, right?  My carefully crafted lessons flew out the window.  We even went ahead with our scheduled meeting after school with a member of admin. 

At the end of the meeting, I found two boys harassing one of my sweet angel students.  Turns out, they called 911 from a classroom three times and hung up. She just witnessed them near the phone. They were begging her to tell the principals she was mistaken because the boys are in serious trouble now.  I went to bat for them with the principals because the boys swore on a stack (metaphorically) that they hadn't done it.  I got just a little egg on my face when I talked to the principal and found out that they had already admitted it IN WRITING.  Sigh.  And my poor angel girl was in tears because she didn't know what to do.  I will have a little more making up to her to do tomorrow.  Maybe I don't have kids yet because I cannot tell when the kids are lying like a rug.  I want to believe the best in all of them and they played me.  Big time.

On my way home, I got a text from a good friend who told me I would have a surprise waiting for me at home.  She couldn't have known how much I needed a pick me up today, and yet like so many times in my life, she let in the light I so desperately needed today.  The school's wall seemed to close in even closer today as the day ticked away.  Having dinner out with my handsome husband didn't hurt either. 

So, as a terribly stressful day ends, I bask in the light of friendship and love shining on me. And am in the process of finishing a well-deserved Shiner. 

I hope your light found you today.