"Shelter in Place"

Well, I haven't updated the blog in a couple of weeks because nothing very exciting has been going on. For the moment anyway, Katie and I have put the house hunt on hold. There really isn't much of a risk of either of us being RIFed (the "nice" way of saying "you're fired" because we can't afford to pay for as many employees anymore because the economy is crap and the state has cut back our funding), but since they have until May 15 to tell us, we figured we'd better just sit at this point (since that's really just 2 weeks away) and make sure we're both safe before buying a house. Plus, there isn't a house we're really interested in at the moment. I call it "passive looking" when people ask if we're still looking.

Today, however, I have blog-worthy news!

11:20 am: I'm teaching math to my (3) 3rd graders. Ms. Scott (our principal) comes into the room to tell us (in a casual voice) that there is a "situation in the neighborhood" and that no one will be going outside; it will be a "rainy day recess" during lunch. Of course, Shane pointed out immediately that it wasn't raining, and that Ms. Scott must just call not going out to recess a "rainy day recess" because she doesn't have another term for it -- dang that kid is super smart...

Immediately after Ms. Scott left the room, we noticed a helicopter hovering right outside the classroom window, facing our school. Shane calls out, "Look, it's the Komo 4 News helicopter! It's facing this way, that means they're filming our school!" Of course, I wan't desperately to know what is going on, but we just keep watching the chopper, counting how many Alaska Airlines planes go by (you'd be surprised), and trying to get our math done.

11:40 am: 3rd grade leaves, but 4th grade is already in the room; no time to check for details.

11:50 am: Ms. Scott calls over the loudspeaker that not only are the kids not going out, but that no adults are to leave the building: if you are in the building for a meeting, you will stay; if you were leaving to go someplace else, call and tell them you aren't coming. It's all kind of exciting, but I realize that Ms. Scott is a bit more anxious, and that the next step is a lock-down, in which we lock our classroom doors (and put up our green, yellow, or red cards saying if all is well, cover the rest of the door's window) and don't answer the door for anyone: no one goes in or out. OF COURSE, I ALWAYS PEE AT THE START OF LUNCH...SO I'M A BIT NERVOUS!

12:10 am: I send the kids to lunch and rush straight to the bathroom. Another teacher laughs at me, but when I explain my logic, she headed straight into the bathroom nextdoor!

Thankfully, it never came to a lockdown, just shelter in place, but things were quite exciting and we stayed locked up for the whole day.


Now I'm wondering if/when we will wind up being closed for possible swine flu. No sign of it yet, but if we really are supposed to close even for a suspected case, I wouldn't be surprised if it happens sooner or later, unless all this blows over soon.