All of our weeks of early morning rehearsing felt rewarded. An eight-hour ride home turned into 16 hours because of the blizzard that suddenly occurred. That we arrived home exhausted and safe turned the entire field trip into an adventure that we talked about for years to come. For us the trip became a magical memory. Our teachers were probably much more worried than we knew, but they didn't let on to us.
Life is fragile and adults all know it.
As parents and teachers we continuously narrow the risks our children take, even as we let them venture out to enlarge their experiences and to maximize their possibilities of becoming fuller adults. My parents were happy I went to Buffalo, but they were even happier when I arrived back home. I offer no words of wisdom because I have none. I grieve for the families that have been so directly affected. I think of the Newton principal because we have known each other since our high school days and because he is one of two principals I call when I need advice about the vagaries of middle school life.