Thoughts about Teachers on the Monday after Sandy Hook

Today was like any other Monday...and it wasn't.  So many of my teacher friends were apprehensive, going back to school on this last Monday before the "winter holiday", given the tragic events that had unfolded in Connecticut on Friday.  As the details of the shooting that left 20 children and six teachers dead were revealed, I could not get the little faces (and the older ones) out of my head, or heart.  Our administrative team met early to talk about security at our school where until today the door has always been unlocked.  Our building's office is far from the front entrance, something that the architects of the 1960s never worried about I am sure; but, which today gave us and some of our parents pause.  Our security guard was posted near that front door.  Typically, he hangs out in a van, labeled "security" watching primarily our property, our student's cars which from time to time have been targets of vandalism by random passers through.  Today, he concentrated on the people, smiling as our kids entered the building, streaming in for this last half day before finals begin tomorrow.  I had wondered what I would say to my class and I worried that some of my students would be upset.  Like the other administrators, I stayed in the halls as time grew near for classes to begin, joining the students and teachers in the gym for our last Advent prayer.  And, what I reflected on, as I prayed, was how normal  everything was.  Our kids were dressed in goofy Christmas sweaters and campus ministry tee shirts, the seniors sporting big bows, the "couples" dressing as "packages" in honor of a "free day" that they had won as part of a class competition.  It bothered me for awhile that these kids were not more upset.  Where were the tears?  the worried faces?

But, as I reflected about my own worries, I relaxed a bit.  Our kids were not immune to the tragedy in Connecticut.  Their "business as usual" demeanor was due to the fact, I think, that they trusted the adults in their lives..us...their teachers, their principal, their assistant principals, their coaches, their parents...to take care of them.  They felt safe in our building, in our gathering in prayer, in the Lasallian family that is O'Hara.  I believe that they were not worried because somehow we have conveyed to them through our presence, our prayers, our tweets, our quiet conversations, that they are safe, that they are loved, that we will help those who need help, care for those who need carrying for.  And, so they packaged Christmas gifts for the needy of Catholic Charities and gathered in the gym to pray around the Advent wreath, even those who think the whole praying thing can be overdone sometimes....and they played games on their ipads when they should have been taking notes and they were blissfully, thankfully, normal.  And, I gave thanks for them as I grieved for those students around the country who didn't feel safe or protected or loved.  And, although my heart is heavy with the tragedy of the deaths in Connecticut, I am overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and concern that I have heard from friends and from strangers.  Good does conquer evil. And, although tragedy can strike anywhere at any time, it is good thing that my kids were normal today, even as their parents and teachers were quieter and more appreciative and more watchful.  That is how it should be.  Adults take care of children,as they did in Connecticut and as they do each day in every school in America.  Hug a teacher and give thanks for those who teach.