I'm Back

I was running late and had to hustle up to the cafeteria for morning duty. I walked down the hall that looked so familiar to me. Maybe it was all a bad dream. Maybe the news was wrong. I had questions. I didn't know who to ask. I prepared a statement that I would deliver at the beginning of each class.

I would say, "We will not discuss any inappropriate gossip in this class. If you feel sad, confused distressed and need to talk to Guidance let me know and I will send you. No problem. You are free to make up your work. If you don't want to go to Guidance but you do want to interrupt my class with gossip then I will have Mr. Johnson speak with you about the situation." I wasn't going to write the kids up. I would send them to Mr. Johnson I just didn't want to tell them that I wasn't going to write them up.

I was amazed how well things went. Kind of amazing considering they just got back from break and prom is fast approaching. Not only that, but the kids will be getting out early tomorrow. So even without the gossip there was a lot to cause the kids to talk. We didn't need this.

Today eighth graders went on their tour of Rome High School. Tomorrow parents will come for conferences. Wednesday the parents of eighth graders will be at school. We didn't need this.

It's interesting that I'm quick to comment about other tragedies in other places. It's easy to speak about things when you have no vested interested in the story. It's easy to develop commentary about people you don't know.

When you know the people behind the story there are things you want to say but can't. There are things you wish you could get out there but you know that it would be inappropriate to do so at this time. I even debated posting the news article here on my blog but i decided against it. Even though it was straight from the paper with no comments I just don't feel comfortable in doing so. That I guess is the difference between a newstory you hear and one to which you have a front row seat. Maybe I will rethink my decision but for now I just can't post the news article.

Here are the blog contests I entered:

Prizes (2): Rain-X Latitude Wiper Blades, Rain-X Weatherbeater 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner & Rain Repellant, and Rain-X X-treme Clean.

Prize: $100 Marriott gift card.

Prize: iRobot Roomba Pet 562 (ARV $399).

Prize: Fairytale Cocoa Duo.

Prizes (3): Copy of Copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms: 101 Stories Celebrating the Power of Choice for Stay at Home and Work from Home Moms by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Wendy Walker.