This week was a rough week. Here in the Bluegrass State we had an election on Tuesday and it didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped. On Wednesday morning, our lives in our little community changed as a local police officer was shot while investigating a burglary in a rough section of town. His wife is the assistant principal at our local high school (not the one I work at but the town I live in). He had a little boy. The person who was burglarized is the teacher of the son of one of my dear friend's. He was afraid she would never come back. Through Friday morning our community prayed and cried out for the recovery of Officer Ellis until we found out that he had passed early that morning. I also woke up to find out that our school would have increased security that morning due to a student threat of violence. We were called in early to prepare for the students arrival and to understand how we would approach the day. While I completely agree with our district's decision to hold school that day, it was a hard day. Students were scared and upset and we only had about 60% attendance. I was emotional due to everything that had occurred this week. We were supposed to have a quiz, but sometimes plans change. Instead we talked and in one class we watched a video shown below. One of my kids had seen it before and said "Mrs. Snell this one always makes me cry". I talked about how it was not my intention to make them cry but to simply see that we don't always know what is going on in someone else's lives and while at the end of the year I hope they have learned Algebra, if I could simply teach them to be kind to each other for me that would be enough. We talked about how a kind word can sometimes change fate and the smile that they provide some one could have made the difference in a day like Friday. We talked about being scarred but that we could no more control Friday's events as we could whatever happens each day when we wake up or whenever we get in a car. But, what I reminded them that we could change is how we interact with others and we could choose to be kind. Ultimately, they had enough of my sappy talk and I had quickly thrown together a relevant activity to the week's topic of slope that involved Smarties so we moved on to actual math. But day's like Friday remind me that I am right where God has called me to be and even though it is tough at times, and not always what I had planned, I am following the path before me and grateful for where he is leading me!
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