When it Rains, it Pours....
It has been a while since I last posted. Mostly because I am a busy mom of a sassy 5 year old and a rambunctious 3 year old, but also because my job keeps me pretty busy. I am the technology coordinator at an elementary school near Baton Rouge. It has been hard for me to find time to share my ideas and lessons, but at this point in my life I feel the need to write.
On August 12, 2016 south Louisiana was hit by the Flood of 2016. This was the result of a slow moving, low pressure system that dropped as much as two feet of rain in only 48 hours. I woke up at 5:30 am to begin my morning. As I finished getting dressed, I glanced at Facebook noticing posts that school systems in the area was closing school. I told my husband (local high school athletic director and coach) and we both looked at the weather apps to see what might be going on.This was only the 3rd day of school, but the thought of getting an extra day off was exciting. For Technology Coordinators the first weeks of school are the hardest, most demanding. Every classroom and every teacher needs help. There is rarely time to work on the things that I need to work on, so I wanted that day to sit, relax and catch up.I texted my principal and assistant principal and they both had the same reaction as me. It's just rain! Is it really going to be bad enough to cancel school. Following what the school systems around us were doing we decided to cancel. I am very thankful that we were not at school when the storm hit.
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| Attempting to work in an upstairs classroom days following the flood. |
I spent the majority of the day on social media, watching a nightmare unfold. I will never forget the helplessness that I felt. You see, I don't live in the community of Central where my school is located. I live in South Baton Rouge and apparently my neighborhood is its own little island and we did not experience any flooding. That's where the survivor guilt kicks in! I watched (through the screen of my iPhone) my co-workers, students, friends and families lose their homes. I was stuck at my house surrounded by water and could not do anything to help these people.
On Saturday, I see posts that our school had started to take on water. My first thought was my computer lab and my most treasured teacher possession, my flash drive that I left in my computer. Good News! The flash drive survived, but the rest of the lab wasn't so lucky. The computer lab was a complete loss. This is where the road to recovery begins and the new normal.
As we begin a new school year, I can sit and reflect on what an amazing community I am apart of. I am thankful to start school in a classroom with all the things I need to have a successful year. I am thankful for my co-workers and their strength to move forward through the hard times. I am thankful for my students and their resilience through all the struggles. I am grateful for the support we received from other schools across the state and their willingness to help us bounce back quicker. I am thankful for my job! I am blessed to be a TEACHER and love what I do.
My school and this community came together and rebuilt what was lost. We still have issues that we face daily due to the flood, but after 6 months we are finally getting our normal back.
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