Joan and I were in Steph's class again today. Time for the distance competition for their Gravity Cruisers is getting short... and there are still teams in her two science classes that have not had a successful test run of their cars. The final competition is in one week. Joan and I offered to come in another day next week, before the competition, to get their test runs done.
I am remembering that the kids were further ahead last year at this time, but Steph says this has been a better learning experience this year. And that, truly, is the goal.
Near the end of the first science class, the fire alarm went off. Steph went right into "remember what we have practiced" mode. The kids were pretty much being kids... all of the adults clearly remembered what happened in Florida last week. Perhaps I am being a protective Daddy, but I went out the door first to look around - as the kids filed out, I checked every house, rooftop, concrete block fence, and passing vehicle.
I am not paranoid, but I do try to be more situationally aware these days. When driving, when parking, when going to or from the car, when coming to the door of the coach, when shopping in the mall. I do not have my face buried in my phone. I make eye-contact. As the kids filed out to the perimeter of the school grounds, I stayed on a high point to look around.
They practice these drills, so the kids know where to go; in a mostly orderly fashion. They line up so each teacher can make sure everyone in their class is out.
It turned out to be a drill today. Being an adult amongst all these kids, we take this pretty serious.
Back into the school, and the next science class rolled in. Due to the fire alarm, they will have a bit less time to get their cars and test runs completed today. On the bright side, some of those who did get test runs done turned in some decent distances. Others perhaps learned what changes they need to make to their cars to be more competitive. Time is getting short.
When we were done at school, Joan and I went out for a late lunch, then to the mall... with the cooler than normal weather predicted to last for another week or more, I picked up a couple hot deals (after Presidents' Day) on some long sleeve shirts.
Yes, I looked around as we went from and to our car in each parking spot.
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