Memorial Day

For me, it's not about the cookout, or the day off, or hanging by the lake.

It's about remembering.

I live in a military town so the War on Terror is a daily reality for us.  We've lost a lot of soldiers in our community this year, and those loses have reached out and touched all of us.  And this year, it's even more poignant for me as the person I am remembering the most is one I never met - but I had her son in my fourth period class.

It's tough having a student who loses a parent under your watch.  It's even harder when it's in the line of duty.

I've worried about Clever Boy a lot today.  He doesn't have school to distract him and keep him busy and he lives in a really rural part of our community so it's not like he can just walk next door and find someone to hang out with.   I hope he's finding something to keep him busy (he does love to read) and that he and his Dad can, finally, hopefully, find some common ground and do some Dad and Son things.  But I still worry.

God Bless Clever Boy and his Mom.  Rest in Peace Sgt.

A Mom With the Right Attitude

Last year when the school board came out with our inclement weather make-up plan, it involved using our winter holidays (MLK Day, Presidents Day and Good Friday) to make up the school we missed due to weather, over the measly three days we are allotted.

No one raised a fuss.  Not a peep.  And, keep in mind, the school board meetings are open to the public and the school board is elected by the public so there was plenty of opportunity for the public to have some input.  If they cared enough...

But oh my, when it actually came to implementing the plan (with MLK Day the first day we used), you would have thought that some big vast conspiracy was afloat.  (For the record, we had to make up days last year, but we didn't go over our limit until after MLK Day so we didn't have to use it as a make-up day.  We did use President's Day and Good Friday and no one squawked.)

We had a lot of absent kids, but, for the most part, very few kids who had notes stating that they were at some of the regional MLK celebrations.  Most of our kids were absent because (a) the parent is so clueless they didn't get the phone call/email/read the paper/watch the news to figure out we were going to school and the kids sure as hell weren't going to tell them of (b) they had plans made for the three day weekend already and most of them didn't involve any sort of MLK celebration.

So, the kids that were there were, for the most part, completely accepted the fact that we were making up a snow day, buckled down and got to work and didn't whine.

Drama Boy, a boy I had last year and who is now in 8th grade, was apparently whining a big about going to school to Mrs. Sandpiper's room next door.  He wasn't happy he was in school on MLK day.

"So, what did your mother say about it?" Mrs. Sandpiper asked.  We both have always liked Drama Boy's mom because she's pretty much no-nonsense when it comes to school and Drama Boy's drama.

"She said that if Martin Luther King were alive today, he'd want me in school getting my education," Drama Boy replied.  "And you can't argue with that."

No you can't.  Perhaps that would be a better way to celebrate the day - put a focus on getting an education and being the best person you can be.

A Time For Courage

D-Day.

Sixty-five years ago.

I'm not going to listen to speeches by politicians. I'm not going to watch ceremonies. What I will do is read the words of the men who were there and try, try, try to fathom how they went through that. Because, quite honestly, they are why this matters.

If you know a veteran of WWII, and sadly they are passing on so very fast, listen to his or her stories.

And remember.

And thank them.

Because truly, they saved the world.