Cue the Circus Music...

Eight times in the past two weeks we have had to evacuate the building. Three times because students pulled the fire alarm, twice because teachers burned food in the microwave, once because a student put their hair brush on a hot plate in the science lab, and twice because students set fire to bathroom trash cans. Our evacuation today will certainly have us on the news again for how poor it was. We had students fighting, rallying, and running away from school once we stepped outside. This is due in part to the extreme cold and that it was difficult to identify students in their winter gear, but it is also because our school does not have a fire drill plan! We know that we're supposed to leave the school ''in an expeditious manner'', but once outside it's a free-for-all...

Perspective

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I was recruiting for TFA at IU. I was thrilled to be able to share my experiences, and recruit new corps members for our movement. One our new slogans is "In two years you won't recognize yourself", and I found myself in a similar situation on Monday night. Sarah King and I attended a joint meeting of the Fraternity and Sorority presidents to talk about our TFA experiences. Having both served as Panehellenic presidents we were saddened by the converstaions we overheard. The group was arguing about 'serenades', a similar argument to one that has been going on for years. Sarah leaned over and whispered to me, "Can you believe this used to matter?"

Having done and seen what I have over the past several months, I have gained quite a new perspective, and I would like to be able to help others see it as well. For example, on my first day back at work from recruting, Makala, one of my senior girls asked to talk to me in the hallway. She shared with me that over the weekend she was in a bad car accident and lost her unborn baby. Makala was devastated but relieved at the same time because her parents were going to kick her out of the house if she had the baby. As difficult as it is to hear my students' stories and share in their pain, it motivates me even more to continue working to improve their lives, and the lives of children born in low-income communities after them.