Buried tunnels

It is nearing the end of the school year. Perhaps that is why the kids are getting a little more rambunctious and the teachers look as though they are ready to take a long hike in the woods and never return. In fact, they look downright exhausted. 

So much so that apparently there was an incident in the classroom with a disruptive student (no -- not mine) and the room turned into a chaotic situation. While discussing this at the dinner table, we heard the story from the mouth of a 4th grader and felt that perhaps we should reach out to the teacher for some clarification. 

See, Tina and I really try to express the importance and power of words. We teach these boys -- all three of them -- just how powerful your words are. We tell them time and time again that you always want to make sure you are speaking the truth and keeping the exaggeration to a minimum. Because, let's face it, it today's world, people are very quick to act upon the things that they hear without doing much investigation. So, the words of an 11-year old could cause quite a bit of hype. 

The night ended and we let everything go until the next day. As I was sitting in the afternoon carline, I was spotted by this teacher. As the kids hopped in my car, the teacher was filling me in about the situation in the classroom -- and about how exhausted she really is. She proceeded to say that, with approximately 20 school days left, she is "finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

We continued our conversation for a couple more minutes -- and the boys were surprisingly quiet in the backseat. Then, AJ popped up and said - "Wait a minute! There are tunnels underneath the school? Where do they go?" You could hear the anticipation and thrill between both boys at this point. Instantly, they were planning on checking them out and making a plan. All of this while the teacher and I looked at each other dumbfounded -- what was he talking about!?

Then, he said... "You just said you saw a light at the end of the tunnel you were in... " He looked as confused as we had, but he said this with such confidence. 

We chuckled just enough to not make him feel embarrassed and then taught him what the saying meant. 

Lesson? Words are powerful. The things that you say can hurt someone, can cost someone something valuable, and they can lead children on a scavenger hunt for something that never existed. Watch what you say!

By the way, AJ turns 11 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sweet boy!