classroom

RIP, Pigeon Feather

Posted on by Erin

This photo was taken last Friday, November 12th.  I was super excited because the last, lone pigeon feather left behind by Cap’n Pidgey was still going strong.  For two months, give or take a couple of days, that feather has been a part of our class.  The kids check on it near-daily.

Today, however, no feather.  It was there yesterday, gone today.  Last night there were wind gusts above 50 miles per hour.  A tree branch pierced through one of the eaves of our garage roof.  My parents are still without power nearly 24 hours later.  I was seriously hoping the feather would somehow hang on.  RIP, little pigeon feather.  I believed in you. 

(Thinking about it now, a feather blowing away in a 50 mile per hour wind is not all that shocking…hm…maybe I should have posted a picture of the branch through our roof…)

Dear Soldiers,

Posted on by Erin

Just a little note from one of my darlings to all the heroes out there.

I realize it’s the day after Veteran’s Day and that officially little notes like this should have been posted yesterday.  I also feel like a thank-you is a thank-you no matter what day it shows up. 

My school had their Veteran’s Day assembly today and it was really moving.  Honestly, the only reason I went was because one of my little friends had almost caused a major scene at the last assembly and I might have been needed for back-up.  Usually I use assemblies as a time to get stuff done. Today, though, by the end of this assembly I was almost in tears.  I mean, there really were tears, but I had to turn my face away and take several deep breaths to keep from totally losing it. 

Here’s what did me in: they had all the Veterans present stand and had the students related to/affiliated with them go and join them while our 4th and 5th graders sang a medley of the theme songs for each branch of the military.  There was one girl who’d been in foster care and had been adopted by an awesome family.  She stood next to her dad and sang the theme song for his branch of service with all of her heart. Our principal’s son had worn his grandpa’s jacket from the airforce during WWII.  He stood next to his grandpa, now 90 years old, in the jacket singing, “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder…” 

It was too much, I was a goner.  I wished I’d invited my dad.  It made me long for my grandpas. I wished they were still here and I wished I was a kid at an elementary school that had a Veteran’s Day assembly like ours.