• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

April 21, 2014 Current Events in Education

For Richard Martin

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Lee-Ann Meredith

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu Lee-Ann Meredith is a second grade teacher, author, Department Chairperson and education advocate who has spent the duration of her time in public education at John B. Murphy Elementary School in inner city Chicago. Often characterized as funny, dynamic, and an independent innovator, Lee-Ann cites her idol as Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. Fluent in a wide range in instructional strategies for the elementary level, Lee-Ann is dedicated to being an advocate for children everywhere by implementing 'cutting edge' strategies to increase student achievement. Some of the issues that she spearhead included: promoting literacy throughout the building, leading community meetings to advocate for full day kindergarten for all students and helping implement the Responsive Classroom strategies throughout the school. In addition to working closely with the curriculum, she also had the honor to supervise (and mentor into teaching positions) numerous student teachers and practicum students from various post-secondary institutions around the Chicago area such as: Erikson Institute, National Louis, DePaul. Northeaster Illinois, Roosevelt, and North Park Universities.
  • Social Emotional Learning: Can It Help Our Most Vulnerable Students? - August 27, 2017
  • Why We Should Teach Meditation in the Classroom - November 8, 2016
  • Strike! - October 5, 2016
  • Teaching a Superpower - September 22, 2016
  • Essentially, I am a Teacher - August 30, 2016
  • A Chicago Teacher's Dream - January 22, 2016
  • A Career in Crisis - August 27, 2015
  • Classroom Community and Rock-Paper-Scisssors - July 22, 2015
  • The Art of Teaching - June 22, 2015
  • Parent tip: Beyond Sounding It Out - June 4, 2015

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]

courtesy Charles Schultz

courtesy Charles Schultz

I’ve thought of Martin Richard often this week. He was the eight year old boy who died in the blast at the Boston Marathon finish line. Eight year old boys were half of my world each April for thirteen years. Surely, some were still seven but they were getting close to eight. They had the same humongous teeth that were in Martin Richard’s face. The same vitality oozed from their pores.

I was fortunate that in thirteen years in the classroom I never had a student be seriously ill or injured. I never had a student die. I can only walk through the scenario in my brain.

It is part of the planning process. What will I do when such and such happens? How will I deal with this or that? How do I deal with so and so? Rarely did I plan how I would deal with things that tore my soul open. And things did happen that tore me open. My own emotions came after the kids’. Always, my soul was the last on the list.

I picture Martin as a second grade boy. I’m not sure if he was but most likely he was moving through towards third grade. Second grade boys. I know about them. They might have a best friend. A buddy joined at the hip. Two heads together planning, building or dreaming. Did Martin have one?

Second grade boys move in a pack. While there are besties, there are always a group of boys. Arguing about the game of tag. Developing a new form of soccer. Laughing uproariously when the teacher slid off her chair. Teasing each other about the girl who writes one of them love notes. Lending a hand when someone gets hurt on the playground. Who were the faces in Martin’s pack?

I wonder if he was a reader or a math wiz. Did he like to draw or would he crumple his paper in frustration when it wasn’t perfect? Did he build his Lego buildings by following the guides or were they free form? Was he an Angry Birds boy or did he love Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker?

Was he kind and giving? Did he squint when he read the board? Was his laugh wild and joyful or quiet, hiding behind his hand? Did he whisper secrets in his teacher’s ear? Did he tell jokes? Did he hide books on dinosaurs, dragons, snakes, or sharks in his desk? Or was it a book of poems?

I have had many eight year old boys in my life. Each one has been a gift. Yes, even the ones that made me seethe in frustration. Even the stinkers or shirkers or thieves. I have loved each one of them.

I guess, in my scenario, I would talk to the class about not understanding why Martin died. I would plan a project to honor him. I would keep a close eye on the class to see who wasn’t coping. I would try to find someone to help the class through the tragedy. I would be glad it was late April, so we could relax a little as the year began to wind down. We would sing songs, read poetry, study the solar system to sooth their wounded hearts.

Then I would cry in the car all the way home.

R.I.P Martin Richard[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Ready for SchoolGetting your Child Ready for School-It's More than New Clothes and Supplies Teaching Civil Discourse in Toxic Political Times Colin Kaepernick: Education vs Indoctrination Skills for Survival in Dystopia Part 2: Media Literacy
« April is Poetry Month: "Look in Thy Heart and Write!"
Packing Up Your Clip Chart »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.