“Our hearts are broken." ~ President Barack Obama

It had been my intention to bring you another holiday filled post today, but in light of yesterday's heartbreaking tragedy in Connecticut, I just can't do it.  As a parent, a grandparent, and a retired teacher of 30 years, with hundreds of students in my past - well - there just are no words.  I will return here on Wednesday with our most recent BITE gathering.  In the meantime, I will leave you with the following memory.

On the morning of September 11th, the school secretary called my room to tell me that a parent was coming to pick up her son because of what had happened.  "What has happened?" I asked. At that moment, I did not know the horror that had occurred - then my life, all of our lives, changed forever.  As we all struggled through that first day - what to say and how to say it to our students, I kept things very simple (I had much younger students then).  I told them that a terrible thing had happened and that people had died; they were going to see and hear many things on T.V. and that they needed to be with their parents when they watched it.  I then asked them to remember that most of the people that they knew; most of the people in the world, were good people.  I am reminding myself of that at this very moment.  

Most of the people I know, most of the people in the world, are good people.  My heart goes out to the families and community members of Newtown, Connecticut.