A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Life has presented many challenges over the past few years, the most notable being the COVID-19 pandemic.  Teachers had to rethink everything they did to protect themselves and their students from an unseen virus.

The current challenge also deals with protection, this time from threats of violence.

Schools across the state are being required to implement new security procedures including various drills to prepare for different dangers.  In my school, we have had all the doors fitted with crash bars allowing them to be opened from the inside while remaining locked on the outside.  This required that all the locks be replaced.

Since all doors are now required to be locked at all times, teachers are carrying multiple keys.  While I understand the rationale behind these measures, it makes getting around the campus a little more difficult.

I now carry five keys: one for the sanctuary where I teach, one for the teacher’s workroom, the office, the cafeteria, and the room where I hold choir rehearsal.

I also have an Allen wrench to keep the door unlocked during morning assembly so students can enter after eating breakfast.

It is a little complicated and somewhat overwhelming.

Once we are safely in our room, though, we can sing, move, listen and play to our heart’s content, forgetting, if just for a moment, that the world is becoming increasingly scary.