The kids were riled up because it's Monday and because the weather was warm and sunny after a morning rain. And then shortly into 2nd period the sky got very black, the wind started kicking hard core, and the lights flickered, went out, came back, then went out again.
There was a lot of shrieking. It took a while to get the kids back, but I managed to get a chunk of class work done before we were forced to close due to lack of power. We had no power for about 45 minutes before the decision was made.
It was quite a job notifying parents and herding kids out of the building in the dark. 5 minutes after we got them outside the lights came back on.
Used the bonus planning time this afternoon to talk about taking all the middle grades over to Harper's Ferry for a day this spring. I'm thrilled to be teaching the Civil War, and I really rallied for Harper's Ferry instead of Gettysburg because I want to start our expedition with John Brown and really get at what was going on in the country before the war started. John Brown at Harper's Ferry of course predates the Civil War but we also want to do some environmental science stuff with the kids, and perhaps a hike on the Appalachain Trail to boot! Much as I love Gettysburg, it's too spread out and too built up: Harper's Ferry maintains its old charm and the landscape is quite beautiful.
I hope the kids like it. A team of teachers is heading out there Friday to do some advance scouting--can't wait!
2 comments:
Harpers Ferry is gorgeous. If nothing else, the kids will love the spot where you can stand on three states at once (MD, VA, and west VA).
Years (YEARS) ago, I did a promo photo shoot there. It had some cool ruins and scenic overlooks at the time that made for inspiring photographing - presumably, it's all still there.
Most interesting thing I've read lately about the Civil War: a book called The War On Words. How writers censored themselves during the years before and after.
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