The bags are packed for Scotland and England. The rain coats and toe/hand warmers are bought. The British pounds and my passport are ensconced in their secret hiding places. The phone is internationally prepared to receive and send text messages. The itinerary is set. My traditional night before I leave poem is written. The credit card company is properly notified so that I can spend oodles of money. The departure time is set. The enthusiasm is overflowing. Everything is ready to go, but for one important thing.
Us. We are no longer going. Due to the recent ISIS attack in Brussels, our school district had to make an extremely hard decision. Should we carry through with our plans to give our students an educational experience of a lifetime and risk the lives of our students and chaperones? Or should we stay on US soil where we may or may not be safer? In the end our administration decided that keeping our students and parents safe and sound was the number 1 priority. In light of the events today, it was the right, but heartbreaking decision.
So at 9:45 today, we found ourselves in the unfortunate position of having to inform parents and students that we were no longer going on a trip of a life time. The tears and the disappointment on their faces was heart breaking. The journey they all started planning two years ago is now a broken dream. What should have been an experience like no other became a teachable moment in world affairs. Instead of crossing the pond as an excited, anxious group, we are now a disappointed group grounded on Ohio turf. Instead of learning about British parliament and the Magna Carta, we are now teaching them about homeland security. Instead of being awestruck by the magnificence of Stonehenge, we are now teaching them about the rubble of terrorism. Instead of enjoying the musical, "Thriller" on the London stage, we are now teaching them about the horrifying images seen on TV. Instead of experiencing the hospitality of the British population, we are now teaching them about the evilness of a small group of people. Instead of creating happy lifetime memories, we are now teaching them how to deal with the sad reality of the world.
The reality of this situation is that it is a teachable moment. No matter how you look at it, we are showing them the world. Unfortunately, it isn't the world we wanted to show them. We wanted to let them learn about the magnitude of history that is Europe. We wanted them to experience various cultures. We wanted to give them international travel. We wanted to expose them to different foods. We wanted to watch them blossom and grow in confidence. We wanted to show then how to embrace the world around them. Instead we are teaching them about a world that isn't always kind. We are teaching them that there are groups out there that take pleasure in harming others. We are teaching them about world politics. We are teaching about how actions in foreign countries have an effect on a little rural school district in Ohio.
But we are also teaching them about the resilience of humanity. If we can't take our trip, I hope we can find the positive in such an evil doing. In all of the tragedy, I know we will learn about compassion. Over the hours, days and weeks, we will see the good stories about humans helping humans in the midst of disaster. We will see people loving one another. We hear stories of random acts of kindness. We will see people rebuild their lives. We will see new ways of fighting evilness. We will see our governments work together to end this way of life. We will work to rebuild trust in our mankind. We will see hope in the eyes and hearts of good people of the world.
We will teach our children to how to feel safe again. We will teach them to love their world around them and embrace it with compassion.
To all of the people of Belgium, you are in my thoughts and prayers. It breaks my heart to see the images on TV. I know you will rebound and grow from this situation. You will become stronger people in the face of this tragedy. You will show us how to live again.
Make Every Day Count.....
Denise
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