“Let the little children come to me,” Jesus said, “and do not hinder them . . .” — Matthew 19:14
Most mornings I hold the doors of Lincoln Park Middle School open for the kids as they come off their buses. As a para- professional, part of my job is to meet the kids from our classroom. After getting off the bus I help them grab breakfast and make it up to our room. The special education buses are often last, so this is how the ritual of holding the doors for all the kids began. It’s a nice way to start my day. “Good morning” or, “Have a great day” is all that I usually say. Often I get a “thanks” in return.
Last Friday four Duluth Police officers stood in front of me. They lined up just before the open doors. The night before staff and parents had been made aware of a threat that had been made toward some of the kids in the school. The administration and local law enforcement were handling it well, but it was still a hard way to start the day. It was even more difficult in light of all that had just happened on Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Texas with the killing of 19 children and 2 teachers. Our hearts were already so heavy.
Many of our middle schoolers stayed home that Friday. Others left during first hour when they learned of the threat. With so many kids gone the kitchen needed a headcount so they could prepare the right number of tacos for lunch. Teachers did their best to keep the learning happening. We continued to build clocks in shop class. We tried out the hot sauces we created in foods class and worked on math and reading.
I am so inspired by the teachers of Lincoln Park School. They are there because they want to be. The teachers and staff continue to come each day to work with the kids. They are there even with rising Covid numbers and the very real possibility of getting sick. They come amid the threats, practicing ALICE drills with our kids. And they continue to teach and comfort, coach and challenge all those wonderfully weird 11 – 14 year-olds.
President Barack Obama said this back in December 18, 2012 after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School; ”This is our first task — caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.”
His words still ring so very true. We are not doing enough. When will we dare to change? Thoughts and prayers are not enough, they are just a place to start. May our actions create doors of hope for all our kids to walk through.
O God who shows us again and again that all life is sacred, turn our bells into bullhorns, our thoughts into actions, our outrage into sustained efforts and our prayers into transformed lives. May we truly be instruments of peace.
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