Summer school safety lesson

Participated in another summer school collegiate meeting today that would forever alter the course of humanity as it currently exists. On today's docket was the most important of all subjects pertaining to children: safety and security. I was glad that I had been aligned with this theme all day, exchanging self-assured nods of self-congratulations with fellow educator Mrs. Sherman, as we both mentally recalled our safety review lesson with our 3rd graders before dangling them out of a second story window for our science experiment about the effects of oil on feathers. "Remember our safety rule," I yelled down to Xavier as I firmly gripped his ankles, "no wiggling."

Whether a valued item had actually been lost, misplaced, or pilfered has yet to be determined but our summer school team has raced into offensive action. When empty, classrooms are to be locked. With a sigh of relief, I realized that the only sticky fingers now able to access my 4.5 pound bag of plain M&Ms would be mine. I would certainly sleep better with that knowledge. "What was stolen," asked my husband. "Remember...innocent before being proved guilty," I chided before sharing that the owner had identified the object as a possible meteorite. Brad stared at me for a moment. "You had a meeting because some kid lost his rock," he asked, digging out the receipt for last year's school taxes and waving it in my face. He does this several times a week so it no longer has the desired impact...I just enjoy the breeze. "One man's rock is another man's ruby," I replied. Brad rolled his eyes in exasperation. "A ruby is NOT a rock; it's a gem." "GemSTONE," I emphasized, "hence, a rock." My husband wandering away, muttering something about "rocks for brains" but I was glad to have been able to teach him a little bit about the proper classification of rocks, minerals and gems.

This quick and decisive directive re-enforced my own feelings about the safety and security of all children. Sometimes I worry that I'm "too safe" but now I realize that there is no such thing. Whew. I was afraid I'd gone a bit overboard this morning when, fearing that my 3rd graders would trip and fall down the stairs wearing their flip-flops, I instead just had them slide down the banister railing. Safety first.