Walking on Air

This afternoon when my ceiling-mounted LCD projector started swaying and the floor shaking even though no herd of students was running down the hallway, one of my students–it was our first day of school–ventured, “Is it an earthquake?”

If I would have thought faster, I would have told the whole class to crawl under their desks, but instead I just stood there with a puzzled expression on my face while I thought, “You know, they’ve never told us what to do if we have an earthquake.”

“I guess we could all get under our desks,” I said.

“What if you don’t fit?” one girl said.

After school I heard another teacher say, “I almost crawled under my desk, but then I realized that that would still leave twenty three students right there in my classroom in harm’s way.”

But it’s not only because of the earthquake that I won’t forget this–M pointed out that it’s my seventh–first day of school, because today I received a most encouraging note from a mom of both a former and a present student:

I hope you’re having a great first day of the school year! Last night as [my former student] B and I were processing her going to high school and working through the anxiety that comes with that she was commenting on how there will never be another year like seventh grade. We talked about Mr. Doud and what he shared with the staff [when he spoke with teachers and the school board–the mom’s currently the board chair–earlier this month] and she said, “That’s Mr. Jacobs.” She really appreciated your style, humor, willingness to joke with her, and make a huge impact on her life. I just wanted to share that with you. And of course…she told [her little sister in my class this year] S that she was so lucky to have you. Thank you for being the teacher that B will always think highly of and who made a positive impact on her life. Have a great year!