Heartfelt Prayers for Families in Connecticut

I haven't left school yet. I felt like I needed to write this here. I was eating lunch when a colleague came in and asked if I had heard about what happened in Connecticut today. I hadn't but when she explained what had happened, I felt tears in my eyes and my stomach turned over. As a former kindergarten teacher, someone who works with kindergartners everyday, and the mother of a kindergartner, the horrific events that transpired this morning were almost unbearable. I cannot imagine what the families who lost loved ones today must be going through. My sincerest prayers for strength, courage, and healing are sent to them this evening as I hug my kindergartner a little tighter. As educators, we seldom ponder the possibilities of putting ourselves in harms way at work. But it happens much too frequently these days that teachers are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for their students. I actually started to type "children" instead of "students" because that's how most of us view them. These are my children, everyday from 7:15-3:45. They are my responsibility. If I was in a similar situation, I would hope that I would have the courage to protect these little people even if it meant sacrificing everything. God bless those teachers who did just that today. If you have children, hold them even more tonight. If you know an educator, send him or her a little message and let them know you appreciate what they do for our children. If you are a teacher yourself, as many of my friends and followers are, I thank you so much for giving of your hearts and souls each day to make our world a better place. We will never be able to understand what happened today but I hope that educators, parents, and law enforcement can work together to prevent it from ever happening again.