Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Sleeping Beauty, Confined




I am pleased to introduce you to my lovely guest blogger- Oldest Daughter, age 6. She is the lover of all things gentle and unthreatening. She enjoys reading, coloring and creating games and productions. She has graduated from bath-taking with middle daughter and little son and is finding the world of showers thrilling. She is able to tie her shoes, pour her own milk, and put her hair in a ponytail.

And now I give you Oldest Daughter. In her own words (and typed with her own petite hands)...

"Today I had a lockdown it was long the boys sat down at the desk and the girls sat down at the carpit and my techer got a bucket so we can go potty and three boys went potty but I did not see cuses I was asleep we had to cuvver the windos the end"

And she speaks the truth. I got to the school about 10 minutes before the bell rang- which is my custom. The bell never rang. Around 5 minutes after the bell should have sounded I began to wonder what was up. I began to wonder if maybe the school was on lockdown. Because it has happened before, and will happen again.

After talking with other parents, we found out there had been a shooting in the neighborhood and the police were still searching for the suspect. So, the school was indeed on lockdown. Does this give you a beautiful vision of the neighborhood I live in, or what? Come visit. Anytime!

We sat there for one hour and thirty-five minutes (thank goodness little son and middle daughter were the picture of patience while in the car) waiting for our children to be released from school. All with no information from the school or from any other authorities. I tried to call the school office, but they were not answering calls. After speaking with the husband, he called the city police who apprised him of the situation and assured us the children would be released within the half hour- after they were sure the suspect was apprehended and those children who walk home would be safe.

Sure enough, the children were dismissed within the half hour. Oldest daughter jumped in the car and informed us about the lockdown.

According to lockdown protocol, the windows were covered and the children were encouraged to remain calm and quiet, and the potty bucket was made available. Be assured that the potty bucket was placed in an area that was out of sight of all the other children. And eventhough she was sleeping, I want to let you know that oldest daughter's teacher gave them permission to sleep if they were tired. Because, believe me, oldest daughter would never do anything without her teacher's permission. And then after 1 1/2 hours, oldest daughter was awakened and sent home.

I'm just grateful all the children are safe- especially my sweet oldest daughter. Oh, and I'm totally glad that little son and middle daughter didn't have to use the restroom while we waited. I don't have a potty bucket in my car.
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Sidenote: Did any of you watch Chuck last night? I did. And I loved all the Back to the Future material it contained. Especially in light of yesterday's post- and the comments it elicited. DeMorgan. Cracks me up.

15 comments:

kel said...

Oh my gosh.. that is truly terrifying!!!

ps. I'm new here.. from Blog Stalkers Unite.
Love your blog!

Anonymous said...

I've been in one lockdown in high school because a girl brought a gun to school (though she had left when the lockdown happened), and then there was another one after I graduated that happened because a guy (who I actually knew) was walking up the street with a gun to go hunting with his friends. And someone called the police about it.

Me (aka Danielle) said...

What a horrible, terifying experience! How do you ever stay calm..I would have panicked. As much as I would like to drop my young boys off on the nearest street corner at times, I would be a mess if something like this happened and was known to happen!!

How about you come and visit one of us..ANYTIME! My neighborhood has its fair share, but I am heavily armed!

uniquelynat said...

well kudos to oldest daughter for her writing skills! i am impressed that she wanted to blog....maybe cause she didn't actually have to talk to anyone face-to-face? (for those of you who don't know-she is also a little shy, even around extended family that she sees on a regular basis & are not strangers to her)

so please tell her- way to go and great job on the story!! I am sooo proud. and glad that she is ok!! and that she did not panic but took a nap instead.

Cynthia said...

Yikes! My kids' school has only been on lockdown once (surprising since there are a few patchy areas around here). Fortunately, it didn't extend beyond regular school hours.

So, did they apprehend the suspect?

K said...

Wow! That sounds scary! I'm glad everything was ok and that your daughter slept through the lockdown!

And yes I did watch Chuck, it is our favorite show after all! We laughed all the way through it! I just hope the Dukes of Hazzards car is in next week's show. HA! (o:

Heidi said...

I'm so sorry they had to lock them up! It is never a fun time but it is a very real situation. Thank goodness for potty buckets! After it happened to me as a teacher several times I would stock up on extra snacks and Capri Suns so that these poor kiddos wouldn't starve either. How safe did you feel in the parking lot?! Geez! Why did they not let you know by email or something before you got there. I'm daughter wasn't scared and could sleep right through it! How precious!

Loved Chuck last night too!

Jen said...

OMGosh! How scary. I'm not sure where you live, but that is truly scary. I have a daughter in elementary school and I know that would be a terrifying event for her. So sorry to hear that. Hey, I'd love to see you sometime in my neck of the woods at Tink! Come visit me at my blog sometime. Have a great day. ((HUGS)) to you and your daughter.

Nathan said...

It's a different world from when they used to tell kids to duck and cover with atomic bomb threats.

We didn't have lockdowns when I was in school, but we had about 500 earthquake drills and just as many fire drills.

I'm glad everything worked out and there were no problems. I'm glad they caught the shooter.

If you ever want to feel good about your neighborhood, feel free to visit ours. As I drive past the occasional graffiti every morning, I've decided I'm going to start referring to it as "modern art."

Of course, I probably shouldn't do this publicly, since the "artist" would probably knock out my teeth if he ever found out.

Sarah said...

Great spelling Q! I am impressed with your blogging skills. Lockdowns are no fun as a kid. And as a teacher, they are even worse. Especially when you are 7 1/2 months pregnant. And a little embarrassing when an administrator has to come and escort you to the restroom. Oy. Glad she got a nap!

Chillygator said...

That's so crazy. And sort of weird that they didn't mind the parents waiting in the parking lot where it's apparently not safe.

Kellie said...

I'm so glad everything is ok! Scary. I was substituting at my dad's school (he was a principal) and there was a bomb threat. Pretty scary then, too.

Elizabeth said...

I can't say that I miss living down there after reading your blog! I do miss you and all of my other friends though, so I hope you and everyone else stays super safe! Sorry that Q had to have such a rough day, but it sounds like she is a "Survivor" of the lockdown :) Not a fun experience, but one she will probably remember her whole life-bummer!

Mouse said...

I believe that was the same day that the police had my street taped off. I couldn't even drive down my street. The pieces of the story are coming together... they stormed a house on my street with shields and everything, but came out emptyhanded, people were saying there was a shoot-out. I suspect they were looking for the suspect who they suspected was in that house.

Randibee said...

What a stressful experience both for you and the first grade daughetr! I'm glad it all turned out well.