We Are White Oak

I think last Friday was a day where we'll all remember where we were when we heard the news about Sandy Hook. I had just gotten into my car and heard Obama's voice on the radio, speaking about the tragedy. His long pauses after he spoke about the innocent victims reflected the overwhelming sorrow that we all were feeling as we reacted to the news. Good lord...it was completely senseless.

 

 Every time I watched the news, I ended up sobbing, as if someone in my own family had been affected. Has something changed since I have a child too? Is it that I work in a school myself? Maybe, but I think this incident has struck a deep chord in all of us, and finally, as a country, we may be ready to face the fact that we're not doing enough to protect our must innocent and most vulnerable from gun violence.

 When I came back to school on Monday, our students and staff were reeling. Oddly, it was our younger students who expressed the most sadness. Some staff talked about feeling unsafe and worrying about their own security. Our counseling department created a message and went on the TVs school wide to deliver it. We ended our message by saying "We are White Oak" (a phrase we use often) and adding "and we care."

At lunch, students had the opportunity to write down their feelings on green and white hearts (Sandy Hook's colors) and we stapled them to the bulletin board. Everyone who walked by remaked how beautiful it was. Having a tangible and visual place to express emotion was powerful for everybody.

While we continue to talk about our own safety procedures, especially with students who are new to the US, we also talk about how this situation makes no sense. Conversations about gun laws and deeper mental heath issues need to take place within families, but in school we can talk about how we come together to support one another in a time of tragedy. White Oak, with all it's quirks and imperfections, has done this well.