Something to Blog About!

There has been a lot to blog about over the past month...working out...wedding plans...visiting family...visiting the Retherfords and Rauschs....Betsy's shower, but this one takes the cake!

I didn't take any pictures (you'll know why when you read on) but picture this:

It was a normal Wednesday. I was teaching my second math class in my 4th grade classroom. We had just finished up doing some long division and the fire alarm went off. Now, fire alarms aren't uncommon because we have to have so many drills every month, but they ARE uncommon on especially cold or rainy days. Still, have you ever had a fire alarm go off in school and it NOT be a drill?

So, I had my kids line up and we headed out to the cold, wet, rainy outdoors. While walking out the doors, I noticed a couple police officers. Again, police officers aren't uncommon at our school, but a FIRE ALARM in the RAIN on a COLD day with POLICE OFFICERS is a little strange. Still, I am pretty naive and continued to think it was a drill. Needless to say, at this point I was ticked at the admin for making these little kids stand in the rain for no good reason.

As soon as the kids were lined up and counted, they told us to get on the busses that were parked outside the school . At this time, I knew something was up! When I got on, I asked "two per seat?" That's the usual. The bus driver said, "honey, if you want these kids out of here we need to pack this bus." Oh dear! I hope I didn't show it, but I panicked a bit. We put three wet kids on each seat and packed about 10 adults in the aisles. Imagine the noise level! After they were settled, I found time to ask the bus driver what was up. He informed me that there had been a bomb threat!

A bomb threat in an elementary school?!?! Seriously!

After playing several games of "miss broyles says"...the silent version, we got the news that we were heading to the state park convention center. There, we packed about 300 9-11 year olds in a big fancy room with cloth tablecloths (the kids called them sheets...haha) Of course, there weren't enough seats so my kids sat in a circle on the floor with me while I thought of every stupid game I could to keep their minds off of what was going on. Even though I wouldn't tell them what was wrong, they obviously knew something was up. We had several worried looks and tears. I mean, it isn't every day when you stand in the rain outside of school, take a bus to a park, and sit in a big fancy room. They stopped believing that it was just a drill.

After a bit, parents started coming in to pick their kids up. The good thing about Carrollton is word travels fast! The remainder of the kids were taken home on the bus (most of our kids are bus riders). I felt so bad for the kids who did have parents that cared enough to pick them up! There were a LOT.

Anyway, by 3:15 I was able to leave. Still, I had to beg for the school to let me in to get my purse and keys. Since then, the building has been searched by bomb dogs. There is/was no bomb...just 300 wet, scared, impatient kids in one big fancy room with sheets on the tables for NO REASON.

Hopefully, we'll find out who the idiot was that made the call....and he'll spend many many years in jail.


Now, can you see why I didn't have any pictures to share?

Chalk that one up to teaching experience!