Be Like a Palm Tree

This morning I had a quick errand to attend to in the main office of my daughter’s elementary school. I walked into the office about 2 minutes before the first bell of the day. In 120 seconds, students would fill the hallways, stairwells, sidewalks, carpool lane, and bus drop off area. As I was taking care of my business I heard an administrator letting a teacher know that she was needed outside immediately to help unload students from cars. Even though this wasn’t the teacher’s regular time to help with carpool and she most assuredly had something else to do, she professionally set her plans aside, slid into a coat and stepped outside in to the windy cold. As I left the building shortly thereafter, I saw her opening car doors and greeting students with a great big smile and lots of warm, welcoming comments. On the short walk to my truck, I thought about how important it is for teachers to be flexible. The school day is full of unexpected events and it’s critical to bend in the breeze of the unanticipated.