Crazy Day at Co-Op

Twenty kids were busy painting a color wheel page in Justis' 2nd-hour co-op art class yesterday when the power went out. Some of the moms as well as the teacher had discreetly discussed how dark and ominous the sky seemed just minutes before.

You could feel the tension as the kids' composure went from zero to full panic. The room was very dark. The windows weren't helping either, because the clouds made the sky almost as black as night!

We reassured the kids and made sure none of them tried to run off and hide. I explained to them that a transformer was probably struck with lightning, causing the lights to go out. They seemed to accept my explanation. Some went on painting. Some anxiously waited for the lights to come back on.

Miss Dionne, co-op organizer came in and told us to have the kids go out into the hallway and sit against the wall.

Then the craziness began. Nobody told the kids what was going on, but kids are smart. The power had gone out and it is not usual to all go out in the hall and sit against the wall! They figured out the weather was a threat. I went to guard the door of the classroom to make sure we didn't have any escapees without an a teacher or helper. Each child at co-op has a parent or guardian somewhere in the building, and a child's natural tendency is to go find their mom when the going gets tough or scary. The kids at my table were very cooperative and held hands to come out the door and file against the wall.

Okay. Despite the fact I've seen several tornados and witnessed LOTS of severe weather in my lifetime, I haven't ever been in a public place when a storm has struck. Things got interesting. 80+ kids to about 1/4 of that number of adults to keep the peace made for a crazy time.

Miss Dionne explained the county was under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado was on the ground right over the nearby parish (county) line and moving in our direction.

Upon hearing the news, one of the dramatic first-graders threw himself into the middle of the hallway and covered his head as if we were all in immediate danger. That started another wave of panic.

All in all, only a handful of kids really panicked or had anxiety. One of the handful was Justis. He followed directly behind me holding onto my pants as I did my job in helping keep track of all the kids, holding Jillian and keeping the peace.

We finally got the all clear. The tornado, thankfully, missed us. Co-op let out after that and we didn't have third hour.

My kids and I won't be forgetting the craziness of that day anytime soon.