My Second First Day of School
Most people would be thrilled to have a redo of their first day of the school year. That’s not to say that I wasn’t happy to see my students or be back in my routine. In fact, those things were amazing. But the circumstances in which I got to redo my first day of the school year were not. The three-day Labor Day weekend started early and lasted eight extra days due to a jackass named Harvey. Hurricane Harvey. I knew that when I went back to school, several students that I see daily would be considered homeless. I knew that the backpacks and neat shoes they were so proud of two weeks ago were gone, replaced by second-hand ones they did not pick out themselves.
The kids started to arrive, and I was greeted with smiles and hugs. I almost wondered if I had dreamed it all up--the storm, the devastation, the horror. Then it hit me. While these kids may have lost their homes to raging flood waters, their toys and their clothes, they gained something wonderful. In every place throughout every drowned city, there was love. People across the nation came to aid those who have nothing left. The students staying in shelters see all different types of people helping to feed them, clothe them, and make them feel safe and warm. The students at home undoubtedly saw the news their parents were watching in which ordinary citizens risked their lives to rescue people off of rooftops.
My students that I thought would come to me at least mildly depressed got to see the best of humanity. We got to talk about the ways that people can help whenever possible, and I do believe that even through this tragedy, we all came out as better people. Maybe Harvey isn’t that much of a jackass after all.
Reflection
Excuse the language, but it’s true. There’s not much reflection for this one. I feel that it speaks for itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment