*Note: Due to the tragic events in Newtown, CT, I will not be on my normal blogging schedule for a few days.*
I have been trying to figure out how I was going to blog about what happened in Newtown, CT.
I have had no idea what to say.
I know everyone pretty much feels the same way these days – but, no one’s story is more heartbreaking than those that actually lost someone at Sandy Hook, or the citizens who live in the community.
I could say, “I am from CT. I am a first grade teacher. I am the same age as Victoria Soto.” But, my story doesn’t make me anymore different than the other 27 year old first grade teachers from CT in this world.
So, I won’t go on and on about what a mess I have been. We have all been a mess. And rightly so. Our world is now without twenty beautiful innocent children and six heroic women. I have seen it on your blogs. I have seen it on Twitter. On Facebook. On the News. I’ve talked to you in person.
We are all a mess. We can’t help it.
We are all completely and utterly heartbroken. We are all lost. We are all confused and angry and still in shock over what happened. And we are all wondering, what now?
What do we do now?
I went to church on Sunday looking for answers. I haven’t been to church on a random Sunday in a long, long time. I went alone. I brought a lot of tissues and I cried … I cried a lot. I cried for the children that lost their lives. I cried for the teachers that lost their lives. I cried for the families that lost their loved ones. I cried for a picture perfect community torn apart by a monster.
And then … I stopped crying… and I knew what I had to do.
First: I need to tell my students that I love them. I need to tell them that they are safe.
Second: I have to show my support for Newtown, CT.
Around the world, people are practicing 26 Acts of Kindness to honor each child and heroic teacher who lost their life on December 14th. That’s one thing I can do.
The next thing … SHOW Newtown, CT my support.
One of my good friends, and fellow teachers, showed me an incredible project that has been started by an Elementary School in Montana. It is called Paper Hearts Across America. I went to their Facebook page and knew that it was exactly what I wanted to do. Billings, MT is sending Paper Hearts to Newtown, Connecticut to raise awareness, discuss prevention, and help heal the community.
I advise you to go to the Facebook page and read all about it.
I printed out a flyer with all of the details about Paper Hearts Across America and handed it out to the teachers in my school. Then I called our local newspaper. They are coming to my school tomorrow to interview us and hopefully, fingers crossed, this article will get more schools across Maryland involved.
This is what we need to do… we need to help heal the community.
Note: Winners to the giveaways are posted. Congrats to Datevitation winner – Meg Bray and $25 to Campus Book Rentals – Peyton! I deeply apologize for not posting them sooner. However, there were some people who did not follow the rules and I had to change the winners.
Nothing can take away the loss or the pain from the loss. But if we learn from it and change the wrongs that helped it to occur it will make right a terrible wrong. I think what you are doing with your children is wonderful. Everyone needs to make this tragedy there’s and find a way to change the many wrongs that helped this happen.