9/11

Dear Friends,
9/11 was chaotic. As a principal responsible for 600 elementary students and 32 staff members, I had some decisions to make without clear information. Are we under threat? Do I cancel school? How much information do we share with students? What message does our school community need to hear? Who has answers? Who is in control?

Imagine being a first grader. By the time you got to school, you might have seen the plane(s) smash into the trade towers time and time again on TV news. Did it happen once – or 30 times? Why is mom crying? Is New York close by? What will happen to me?

One parent came to the office with inside information. Our rural location (Ripon) made us vulnerable to airborne toxins spread by crop dusters. Hmm… I regularly watched the planes over the vegetable fields close to my home. Was this a real threat? Chaos.

We didn’t cancel school but we did reschedule the evening Back to School event (who would come?). We regulated the watching of video accounts of the tragedy for our younger students. They didn’t really understand what they were seeing. The older grades received updates as the day progressed. And we had a chapel to close the school day. The message? God is in control! When there is chaos; when one cannot make sense of tragedy; when one is fearful; remember, God is in control.

This is a simple message but also profound; important for first graders and school principals. Friends, do you experience chaos? The message is for you too…