The same team

I talked to my students about September 11.  A lot of them were excited to share comments.  (I usually ask those children with eagerly raised hands if they have a comment or question.  Questions I will answer, comments need to wait....)

We finally had time for comments.  Most of the comments were about the fact that their parents watched the news that day/remember that day.

My hands down favorite comment was this,  "My dad remembers September 11 because he's 45!  I know what you're thinking.  45 is really old.  But he isn't.  He doesn't even have a wrinkle."

I said, "I don't think 45 is that old."

I talked mostly about how patriotic and heroic people were after the events of that day.  I asked them why we still remember and talk about it if it was such an awful day.

Here's what they said:

"Because we can learn that when someone's having a hard time, we will help them."

"It reminds us we're all on the same team."

"We don't want it to happen again."

Yes, yes and a million times yes.

**

*

I'm trying so hard to grasp everything I need to learn at work.  It is an uphill climb.  I've abandoned any pretense of pride and I just ask a million questions.  All the time.  Yesterday I apologized to the ever patient and young and beautiful fellow 3rd grade teacher who looks more like Snow White than any other human I've met.  "I'm sorry I slow us down in our collaboration meetings with so many questions," I said.

She said, "I'm glad you ask.  I don't know all those things either.  I haven't been doing this very long."

We are all on the same team.